The bottom line @ Parts & Labour

The bike ride over was an experience in itself. The neighborhood scene became sketchier as the journey progressed, accented by the occasional druggie or eccentric in true Queen's Street West West style. P&L fits well here but has a fine-food flourish which helps to gentrify the neighbourhood. Parts & Labour is where (well-off) hipsters meet at communal tables. The drinks menu and devils on horseback fit the occasion perfectly. The steak-frites were most certainly out of place.

The excitement with P&L originates with the raving reviews from Toronto Life. It is a 2 star restaurant (Colborne Lane is 1.5!) and a top 10 summerlicious restaurant. Furthermore, the prospect of leaving behind Bay Street to venture into the wild west had an adventurous appeal. Unfortunately, I was a fish out of water and foolishly ordered the steak-frites to assuage myself. The steak was essentially tasteless. The bottom line is that hipsters didn't know what to do with such a grandiose filet of beef.

War Horse @ Princess of Wales Theatre

War Horse was a letdown exactly because I went in expecting a musical (dubious sources?). For the entire sitting I was gnawed by how little singing there was. The real tragedy of the night was the horribly misplaced violinist-singer who seemed to transcend time and space to offer a couple of words of wisdom (which the play should supply without her having to say it). I wonder if the point of this was to create a play-musical hybrid, the producers knowing full well that musicals do much better than plays at the box office. 

Foregoing that blip, this play was a visual spectacle. The climax of the night came early, when the young foal, awkwardly dominated by its three puppeteers, turns into War Horse. The size and majesty of the transformation puts this play squarely ahead of the movie (rated 77% on rotten tomatoes).

Perhaps the best way to view War Horse is from a historical perspective. World War I marks the start of the 20^th century as the old, imperial empires of history are dissolved amidst an unforeseen compendium of suffering. From the Guns of August, “In 1910, nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England, representing 70 nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last.” The battles of Verdun and the Somme, each with over a million casualties changed all that. The first battles of the war in Belgium did indeed involve a cavalry charge. They were replaced with trenches, mustard gas, machine guns and tanks. In the play, this was aptly shown with Joey (the horse) in direct confrontation with one of the Empire’s new tanks. Indeed, the era of horses ended. Their obsolescence began much earlier but the post WWI world had no place for them.

What a wonderful crucible then for a story about the bond between a boy and his horse. Unfortunately, some of it was unconvincing (“we’ll always be together!”). The foray into German territory was a good idea but the play loses the perspective of the horse as in the book. Joey is taken care of by a German officer (“Fredrick”) who pines to be with his wife and daughter (“Sophie”). Where Fredrick’s love for Sophie comes into the picture and how the war horse has anything to do with this is unclear to me. 

The story admirably avoids the war-guilt premise ascribed to Germany and instead blames high-power politics. This becomes apparent in the barb-wire scene where white flags from both sides of no man’s land are waved and respective wire cutters flip a coin to decide ownership of Joey.

Where the play lacks in believability it makes up in the reality of the puppet horses. It is indeed the visuals that keep the play going. Add in the WWI backdrop, it may be worth a watch.

1H12 (First Half of Summer) Report: Generally Good

 Halfway through my 18 week summer (and internship) and things are certainly looking up. At a neighborhood Italian restaurant, someone remarked how most people would only come here ‘on occasion.’ My review of Ciao Wine Bar, on OpenTable, was positive but rather subdued. “Average” is clearly in the eye of the beholder:

“A rather non-pretentious restaurant in a rather pretentious neighborhood (ONE is across the street) makes for a comfortable and chatty food experience. The bare wood tables and focaccia in olive oil are traditionally inspired in an otherwise modern "bar", a stark contrast to the much more laid back Nervosa down the street. There is nothing spectacular about the food and yet still above average enough to merit return visits. Prices aren't spectacular but I'll take it in Yorkville.”

The same can be said of our monthly escapades to Aquaterra’s Sunday brunch ($22). There is a lot of luxury built into our average perception of life. I say that as I plan for 17 days of foodie-galore via summerlicious. The plan is to make 34 reservations and see how many of them I can attend. All are Toronto Life recommended and include such hallmarks like Canoe, Auberge, Colborne Lane and North 44. For those two weeks I expect this blog to be on fire. I am doing this because this will be the last summer in a long time (presumably) when I can restaurant-hop with such hunger. The monetary ramifications will be dire, likely $1500 over two weeks. I’m most interested in seeing where the point of diminishing returns is on such an expensive food regime.

Thankfully, Financial Management Institute of Canada heard my dire need of funding today and provided a $2500 scholarship (http://www.fmi.ca/pages/ontario/FMI_Ontario_Chapter_Scholarship.shtml). With the administrative mess associated with rankings calculations, this may be the only success this summer. This story brings back the recurring topic about happiness. At 8:36AM I received electronic notice that I had won. At 8:37, the previous email was “recalled”. Though the situation had not changed since 8:35, I felt much worse. In finance, I believe this is the bird-in-hand theory. At 10:35, I received confirmation that I did indeed win, and I probably felt better than I did at 8:36AM. The role expectations play is ever so consuming. Losing something you thought you had is way worse than losing something you never knew you had. I learnt last night that lowering expectations, though, does not improve happiness (http://www.ted.com/talks/tali_sharot_the_optimism_bias.html).  The reason stated was zany (along the lines of blaming yourself for not trying hard enough) but the correlation is still there. And to change an expectation is ever so difficult. 80% of people have an optimism bias. I would like to think I fall into the other 20%.

The last several weeks in pictures

Lucien: this place keeps on getting worse. We’ll see if summerlicious does anything for it. I’m going for lunch. (Pictured are trout and pork).

Sam James Coffee Bar: This place was opened by some bohemian who despised overpaid, overworked gears in the economic machine (like you & me) and is now being scolded by his own patrons for turning away from the artsy and unemployed, gini coefficient expanders. Sigh... everyone ends up on Bay Street like it or not.

Mercatto: Terroni’s but more modern

South of Temperance: This place is a consistent let down. The food simply does not do the atmosphere justice.

Ethiopian House: This is the first time I have eaten with my fingers. I must say I prefer Indian food do this. The delivery vehicle (akin to the Indian Naan) was “Injera” which was soggy and unsightly. I would think that humans, regardless of culture, take issue with eating soggy things. 

Francofete: I felt like a cultured Canadian doing this. Last year Coeur de Pirate came. We listened to her songs in French Class (“Comme des Enfants”). This year was decidedly worse. The headline song was “oi oi oi” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNARDxZguDc&feature=related) which really speaks to Spanish (Latin American) Culture more so than French. I’m a little concerned that this cultural confusion is so widespread. I thought the French took their culture seriously. In France 2AM is time for poetry and art (Midnight in Paris – great movie) and not the time for oi oi oi.

 

CN Tower: an Eyesore, a "Mouth"-Sore

I have a firm belief that any tourist is necessarily bad. Nowhere was this more apparently than New York City. The further off-broadway you went, the better things got. Spring awakening was miles ahead of Wicked. One particularly fond dining experience I had was at a Spotted Pig, hidden away in the West Village but overflowing with customers. Wall Street Bankers might find it difficult to leave their perch to gallivant with the Proles but will find it appetizing. Two ridiculously fresh beers I had (Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner (Brooklyn, NY) $8 & Brooklyner Weise (Brooklyn, NY) $8) had yeast still at the bottom in the tradition of Cask Beer. I then got the Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort & Shoestrings, which was really a house special. I could have used some vegetables but it was made for a true meatlover. Contrast that experience to the torrent of posh restaurants on 5^th or Madison (I’m thinking Smith & Wollensky for some reason) that serve the same generic meal for super-inflated prices. 

Toronto on the other hand is not very touristy. As a result most of the restaurants are really quite good. The one clear exception to the rule is 360 at the CN Tower. As you may know, when relatives from distant parts of the world arrive on your doorstep, you become rather nationalistic and market your country like no tomorrow. Thankfully, Canada is easy to sell. Fresh off the plane, a (Chinese) mainlander might remark at how clear the skies are or how temperate the climate is. If not to make them jealous, we need to keep our financiers happy.

And as with any tourist, the CN Tower is a must-see. Unfortunately, it gets enough traffic that it can sell $100 steaks that have absolutely nothing on homecooked ones (I went home last weekend to celebrate National Cow Day, the day Whole Foods puts natural ribeyes on sale). The steaks at CN tasted like they were pre-frozen. The meat had no flavor other than the oily, fatty kind; the texture was that of mashed potato. Tastelessness was true across the board – salmon, halibut, lamb… it tasted like a buffet. At least the wine was good.

The bill came to $550 (for eight people) and the marketing campaign came to an end. The tourists were happy to see such a large piece of meat. I was happy to return home to make some summerlicious reservations.

Why do final qualifier games occur simultaneously?

Here's a good brain teaser: Why do final qualifier games occur simultaneously?

In other EURO cup news, Greece makes a last minute decision to stay in; Germany bails out Portugal by defeating Denmark.

Call Me Maybe

I am not sure why the world needs more songs to perpetuate ideas that incessantly swim in our minds. It's catchy in tune but also in content because it latches on to such a recurring obsession. The critical reception of this song is concerning to say the least. A&F doing its own cover makes me wonder why I ever liked the brand.

Le Paradis

I have seldom been so impressed by a restaurant. Le Chien Noir has met is match in Toronto. Like Chien Noir, Le Paradis is homely, undiscovered and well-priced. Its unassuming character (it is situated a few steps away from a “Le Subway”) is what gives it its charm; it’s sufficiently close to Yorkville but far enough to lose the fancy cars and Justin Biebers (he was apparently at the Hazelton, adolescent girls adding to the fanfare).

The waitresses speak French and have no reservations of correcting mispronunciations of the menu. They also don’t lose the efficiency and slight air of pretentiousness that characterises Paris’ bistros…wonderful. In fact, French seems to be the language choice among the patrons. (I only found out it’s Le Paradis and not La Paradis because our neighbour said “Au Paradis” into his phone).

The food is fantastic. They have recently changed to printing menus daily. The way the French make steak-frites should really make ubiquitous steakhouse chains think twice. They have reduced it to a formula: a microwaved bun, a Caesar salad covered in bacon, Parmesan and heavy dressing (that has been sitting in a bottle for a year), and finally, a ridiculously thick piece of meat accompanied by either super-crunchy fries or a potato with mounds of cheddar, butter and sour crème. $40.

The steak-frites at Paradis sat in a tasty but not heavy peppercorn sauce. The sirloin was the proper size and texture. It was pan-fried, not grilled and properly seasoned. The fries were done right: thin, firm and in thyme. My lamb shank literally fell off the bone and was similarly light and tasty. The chickpeas in its tastelessness balanced the other flavors well.

In previous occasions, I have had the pork chop and the chicken, all under $20. The chicken was sizable. The pork chop was as good as pork can ever be.

As much as I would like this place to become more notable, I am also cognizant that its charm also originates from being hidden from the masses. It lets you be transported to a place far from home. I have a hope that this is what Paris might turn out to be in 2013.

You know Europe’s screwed when the strongest economy in Group C of the EURO cup is Croatia.

Some updates on previous posts

On drug testing: Lance Armstrong has been accused of doping. If he did, then he should be discredited. But is there not something wrong with a system that discredits so many of its best athletes?

On rioting: I have thought about the argument that protestors that have been disadvantaged because of profligate spending on the part of the older generation. I have no sympathy for the Montreal rioters; you shouldn’t either. The same applies for Greece and the Wall Street protestors. Montreal students are the easiest to deride. If they were not rioting about the increase in tuition then what are they actually rioting about? Canada is one of the most resilient countries coming out of the recession. Youth unemployment is 14.7%, which is high, but nowhere close to the rates in other developed countries. The fact is a quarter of Canadian firms find it hard to find talent. Then, the fault of unemployment is very well shared by a lack of useful skills (rioting, for example, is not a useful ability). 

A similar argument applies for the US and Greece. Half of US firms find it hard to employ people; quarter of Greek firms find it difficult (http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/05/daily-chart-18). It is easy to blame others. The Greek population blamed the government then subsequently put into power fringe parties and ignored reasonable requests for austerity.

At the end of the day, these are all Western, democratic and free nations. Its citizens are masters of their own soul. They can do whatever they want with their lives. Instead they choose to riot. That is why I find them uninspiring.

Some interesting thoughts:

·         Surely the economic situation is precarious. “Let me restate this because it is important; from the current levels we would expect on average no growth in corporate profits over the next five years and the absolute best historical experience is 4.4% annualized growth.” (http://www.valuewalk.com/2010/11/corporate-profits-current-level-tells-sp-500-returns-years/).  

·         You know Europe’s screwed when the strongest economy in Group C of the EURO cup is Croatia.

·         * SIR – Greece has a mobile-phone penetration rate of 139%, it may be about to abandon its paper currency and it has an existential problem raising tax revenue. This is the perfect opportunity to leapfrog an inefficient legacy payment system: cash. 

Greece should avoid the pain, delay and expense of printing drachma, and instead move straight to allowing mobile payments only in drachma. Paper euros will continue to circulate—as they do in Montenegro—regardless of whether a paper drachma is reintroduced. National efficiency would be given a rare advantage over Germany and the tax-raising ability of the state radically improved: every taxi driver would pay tax. 

Mark Martin
Moscow

Mad Men is about Happiness

Mad Men ended last night but it was a true denouement. The climax was the episode before. Glen, the creepy boy that asked for Betty’s hair in a previous season makes the most salient conclusion: "Everything you think is going to make you happy just turns to crap." This is, after all, the overriding theme of Mad Men. Perhaps it is the overriding theme of life.

Characters of Mad Men do things that they think will make them happy. This is why Pete sleeps with Beth, Beth gets electroshock treatment, Peggy quits the firm, Betty remarries and Don is chronically unfaithful. Unfortunately, all of these things “turn to crap”. Pete feels empty inside and takes two punches in self-punishment. Betty becomes jealous of her replacement (Megan).

One character that ends the season happy is Peggy. She enters Sterling Cooper as a downtrodden and unlucky character and leaves as a truly motivational force. She realises that happiness is about the process and not the result. She does not look for quick fixes and when she does find one she regrets it. Or, her downfall might be waiting in the next season.

 

Mad Men is great precisely because of its characters. Each is enviable, pitiable and flawed at the same time. They are entirely believable, but slightly more interesting than a random person off the street (or perhaps the 1960’s had more interesting people).

The setting is important. The 1960’s were socially significant. An advertising firm successfully reveals the demographic and attitudinal chances of the era. It also underscores the main theme of the show. As Don said in the pilot, “Advertising is based on one thing: Happiness.” 

And finally, the plot. The writers do a terrific job of weaving lengthy and tangential stories that lapse several episodes at times into a neat overriding turn of events. The plot in this show is much less crucial than that of others. But it is done well.

Perhaps my obsession with the show is its connection to the real world. If life is not about finding happiness, what could it possibly be for?

Non-conformists are Uninspiring

Some great people in history have been nonconformists. Revolutionaries generally are. Martin Luther is a particularly famous one. He decided not to conform to the Catholic Church and led the Protestant Reformation. Unfortunately, modern nonconformists are much less inspirational because they fight for stupid things.

 

I am of course referring to the demonstrations in Quebec in response to a 60% increase in tuition ($1625 over five years). Post-secondary education is not a right; prices can be set at any permitted by the law. If students believe the $1625 increase is not worth paying, they should stop attending school. The current educational system produces too many pseudo-intellectuals ill suited for the labour needs of society anyway, thus contributing to structural unemployment. There exists massive unemployment yet 50% of firms find it difficult to employee people (www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/05/daily-chart-18).

And by pseudo-intellectual, perhaps I refer to the pictured Guy-Fawkes imitator (http://www.economist.com/node/21556631). This is a sad attempt at grandiosity. The pseudo-intellectual fights for $1625 where Guy-Fawkes fought for counter-reformation. Guy-Fawkes’s consequence was death where the masked man’s consequence is a ticket (for ways to refute it, owing Quebec’s non-autocratic, non-oppressive, and overly progressive nature, go to http://tuitiontruth.ca/).

In general, conforming is the better option. Most long lasting cultures have conformity engrained in them though some cultures are certainly more conformist than others. Confucians, for example, stressed peace and continuality. The Chinese have never invaded another country. In contrast, the Quebequois insist on occupying the opposition’s side of the House of Commons, this time through the NDP and last time through the Liberals. Then there is the link back to Europe. Austerity rioters don’t seem to understand the definition of austere – “severe”. What is “austere” about cutting a $2300 pension of a retired garbage-truck driver (http://www.economist.com/node/21555875)? And finally, what the 99% don’t notice is that most of them lie in the top 10% of the world. “We are in the 90^th to 99^th percentile” – doesn’t have the same ring, unfortunately.


This is not to say that non-conformity should be outlawed. I think the perceived eccentricity = perceived competence rule works well here. In other words, not conforming can be fun but don't overstay your welcome.

2012 Olympics - A Tiresome Ordeal

There are 50 days until London 2012. I am happy to remind that the Chinese won in 2008 and the Canadians won in 2010. However, I must say there are some clouds overhanging these Olympics. 

The determination and strive for excellence is welcome but it is often clouded in cheating and favoritism. In Salt Lake City, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier skated the better program but a rogue French judge gave the Gold to the Russians (they were later both given Gold medals). What is more telling is that the US, Canada, Germany and Japan voted for the Canadian skaters while Russia, China, Poland and Ukraine voted for the Russians. No wonder they suspected the French judge of cheating; she was clearly the odd one out by crossing the Iron Curtain. In any case, the Salle/Pelletier story on its own is commendable. It brought Canadians closer together (they announced their later gold medal award on the school PA system); it embodied desirable values like love (they skated to “Love Story”), precision and artfulness. Too unfortunate they divorced in 2010.

Also unfortunate that nothing so inspiring as the pair has come along. Instead, a cat and mouse game involving drugs has arisen. The current system relies on finding ways to detect instances of doping and then surprising the athletes. An athlete, then, needs to bet whether or not to risk being caught. A progressive solution would simply be to have unrestricted drug use in sport. With the advent of undetectable drugs (e.g. genetic manipulation) becoming more likely, we’re likely going to arrive at this point anyway (http://www.economist.com/node/21548498). 

The cat and mouse solution misses the root of the problem: that while there are athletes that care very much about excellence, there are just as many that (like most other things in the world) are results oriented. Simply consider the effort host cities go to in dressing themselves up for a 15 day affair. No country understands the costs of dressing up as much as Greece (2004).  Then there’s China, which by all accounts has unfathomable issues (unfathomable by us, that is) yetbuilt a whole Olympic village. I visited the area and cracks are beginning to form at the dome. I cannot think of a worse tourist attraction to go to (that is what it is now). In 2012, London will have to pull this off with the worst primary balance in all of Europe (http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/12/europes_economies). Good thing is they did just that in 1948 when they last held the games and the country was suffering a recession as they returned to a prewar economy (http://www.economist.com/node/21556281). The difference, though, is they didn’t have China’s spectacle to follow.

I find this whole ordeal tiring. Institutions that dress themselves up should only expect their players to do the same.

The Latte Journey

The latte journey began in grade 10 when I had my first mocha. I was afraid of getting addicted so I opted for the decaffeinated variety. I ended up becoming addicted anyway...to the art of the Barista. It turned into a huge experiment. The variables were the 4 m's: Miscela (the espresso blend), Macinadosatore (the grinder), Macchina Espresso, Mano dell'operatore (the skill). Each of these were tweeked little by little over time.

The Miscela
This was the easy party. Bean selection began at the grocery store. Illy, Starbucks, Kicking Horse...the list goes on. It became obviously quite quickly that none were sufficient. In grade 12, I began frequenting latte bars in Toronto. Two brand dominate the espresso scene: Intelligentsia and 49th Parallel. Both are good. My favorite is 49th parallel, from Vancouver. Freshness became key in Kingston where the beans are not sold. I required it be shipped at the beginning of each month. The quality of coffee then decreases for the rest of the month. The difference is night and day.

Macinadosatore
There is no point in having fresh beans if they are not ground immediately before using. Having ground coffee sit idle for any amount of time is a crime. My first grinder was a Capresso ($100). This year, I purchased a Compak K3 ($350). The difference is the consistency in the grinds. It is hard to imagine such small changes create such a significant difference in taste.

Macchina Espresso
I first tried to make espresso using a $10 drip coffee maker from Walmart. I quickly learnt that "espresso" was the method, not the beans. The next step up was a moka pot. My first real espresso machine was the Breville ($150). It is a great entry level machine that creates fake crema (the orangey stuff at the surface). Unfortunately, it was certainly not fit for actual espresso. The current machine I use is a Rancilio Silvia. Each step resulted in an unimaginable improvement in taste.  I recently outfitted it with a temperature gauge.

Mano dell'operatore
This is where the real experiment happens. There is no comprehensive guide to fully understand the process. What size of grind is enough? How to tamp? What temperature? How to steam the milk so that the designs can be made? And perhaps most importantly, how to make those designs? It is all tacit knowledge and ridiculous attention to detail.

Biking in Toronto

Biking in Toronto has its disadvantages. Thursday morning, three cars crashed into each other on King & University only a few hundred metres ahead of me. The damage surprised me. If I were involved in such an accident, the result would be life altering. Contact at 40 km/hr has an 85% probability of death (at 20km/hr, the likelihood is near zero http://www.economist.com/node/21528302). Toronto could do more to encourage biking. My daily commute from U of T to Brookfield Place takes 15 minutes, faster than a subway ride. A yearly pass to the subway costs over $1200. This is enough to cover the cost of a stolen bike every half a year. Add the fact that the TTC runs at a loss (and runs at a loss at all times other than rush hour), the cost of providing a the subway service is extremely high. In a progressive world, the government would simply give everyone bicycles. Health, environmental and economic residuals add to my preference for biking over other recreational activities. So I will have to deal with the safety concerns.

Today, I went on a bike ride though the Don Valley trail. I used to use this trail extensively to go from my home in Richmond Hill down to Toronto. From Woodsworth Residence, you have to go up on Broadview Ave. a little before being able to join in. From there, it's a good uninterrupted stretch of paved paths. It ends at he Distillery District, the location I began the Toronto-Kingston ride last year.

Balzac's in the Distillery district. The coffee is average but the homage to Hamlet is witty.