06 January 2013
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Nothing
06/01/13 08:36
Who could have known that it was so hard to get something to eat in Nanaimo? It started Saturday morning. We were out and about looking at flooring for the new family room. We found a few that we think that might work and took samples home to see how they looked in the space. I had to go to work and Marsha set out to Pipers Lagoon Park to get some pictures. On her way home she stopped by Bodhi’s Bakery to get some of their fantastic sourdough bread. They were closed. No explanation. They were supposed to be open. The sign on the door said they opened at 8:30 and it was nearly 11:00 but the place was dark and closed. “No matter,” Marsha thought, “I’ll just hit Rizo’s Bakery”. That’s the place in Lantzville. They are a bit more spendy and don’t have as much sourdough, but their french breads are quite good. They were closed as well. No explanation, just all locked up. So Marsha went home and had the last couple of crusts for lunch.
When I finished at work for the day I headed out and thought “How about I pick up something Asian for dinner.” I almost stopped at Saigon Kitchen, our favourite place, and then remembered that they close between 2:00 and 4:30. So I headed to Kasira, a Thai place a few blocks away. I got there and discovered that they also close between 2:00 and 4:30. OK then, I headed over to Fairway Market. They are a grocery store but they actually have very good Asian food in their deli section. We’ve gotten takeout there quite a number of times. I walked up to the counter and stared in amazement. That all the entree's had meat in them did not surprise me too much. I’ve had to assemble a vegetarian meal there before. The trouble was that the options, the side dishes and noodles, I normally go with suddenly had meat in them too. Plus the regular entree’s that Marsha would normally go for were missing as well. In place of the lemon chicken and ginger beef, were things like fried squid and tofu, and beef, black mushrooms, and broccoli in plum sauce. If I brought any of them home Marsha would look at me as if I’d lost my mind. Disappointed I headed for home.
At home I related my tale and we sat down and watched a bit of TV. Finally, as it was after 4:30 we decided to go out and get something to eat. We headed off toward the Saigon Kitchen. As we passed them on the highway we saw the neon “Open” sign was on so things were finally looking up. We pulled into the parking lot and parked right in front of the door. Our luck had finally changed. “Ummm, what does that sign say?” asked Marsha just after turning off the car. On the door, backlit by the “Open” sign glowing in the window on the other side of the dark dining room, was a little sign saying they would be closed for the holidays until January 14. OK we thought then Kasira. We drove over and pulled into the lot and the Open sign was on. Even better the lights were on and there were people inside. Things were looking up. As we walked toward the door I joked about them not doing takeout. It was funny because we’d gotten takeout at Kasera several times before. Then, just as I reached for the handle on the door I noticed a small sign on the glass. “No Takeout on Saturday”. “Darn it”, we said, or something like that. We’d already called Barb and told her that we were bringing over Chinese for dinner. It had to be takeout. We headed back to the car and our quest continued. I wondered aloud if we could pass off an A&W burger as Chinese. Marsha had other ideas though.
We wandered around until we came to the Pho Boi Vietnamese Restaurant. I wondered aloud if they really wanted to open a sandwich shop but the plans changed. We chuckled at that. However we really laughed at the place next door. The Man-Lee Grocery Store. I wondered if the store special was a package with a meat and two veg.
Anyway the meal we got (yes they do have takeout) was great. It’s very authentic Vietnamese food, with lots of fresh and raw vegetables. The meal was wonderful and we laughed and chatted with Barb as we ate. Actually I did most of the chatting. Marsha was trying to watch the game but Green Bay was stomping all over the Vikings and their hopes of a playoff run. By halftime she had given up and was involved in the conversation.
So that was our tale of trying to get something to eat in Nanaimo. I couldn’t help thinking of my dad who was fond of saying that “you could starve to death flying around Oregon on the weekend”. Back then, all of the airport cafe’s closed and unless you packed a collapsable bike in the baggage compartment you couldn’t even get into town for a cup of coffee. We were starting to feel like that. It was especially strange because BC and Vancouver Island has one of the largest Asian communities in all of Canada.
It’s been a strange day.
Doug & Marsha.
Pix: Google's greeting to me on my birthday. I don't know. It's a little bit spooky when Google just knows things about me.
A stormy day at the beach
When I finished at work for the day I headed out and thought “How about I pick up something Asian for dinner.” I almost stopped at Saigon Kitchen, our favourite place, and then remembered that they close between 2:00 and 4:30. So I headed to Kasira, a Thai place a few blocks away. I got there and discovered that they also close between 2:00 and 4:30. OK then, I headed over to Fairway Market. They are a grocery store but they actually have very good Asian food in their deli section. We’ve gotten takeout there quite a number of times. I walked up to the counter and stared in amazement. That all the entree's had meat in them did not surprise me too much. I’ve had to assemble a vegetarian meal there before. The trouble was that the options, the side dishes and noodles, I normally go with suddenly had meat in them too. Plus the regular entree’s that Marsha would normally go for were missing as well. In place of the lemon chicken and ginger beef, were things like fried squid and tofu, and beef, black mushrooms, and broccoli in plum sauce. If I brought any of them home Marsha would look at me as if I’d lost my mind. Disappointed I headed for home.
At home I related my tale and we sat down and watched a bit of TV. Finally, as it was after 4:30 we decided to go out and get something to eat. We headed off toward the Saigon Kitchen. As we passed them on the highway we saw the neon “Open” sign was on so things were finally looking up. We pulled into the parking lot and parked right in front of the door. Our luck had finally changed. “Ummm, what does that sign say?” asked Marsha just after turning off the car. On the door, backlit by the “Open” sign glowing in the window on the other side of the dark dining room, was a little sign saying they would be closed for the holidays until January 14. OK we thought then Kasira. We drove over and pulled into the lot and the Open sign was on. Even better the lights were on and there were people inside. Things were looking up. As we walked toward the door I joked about them not doing takeout. It was funny because we’d gotten takeout at Kasera several times before. Then, just as I reached for the handle on the door I noticed a small sign on the glass. “No Takeout on Saturday”. “Darn it”, we said, or something like that. We’d already called Barb and told her that we were bringing over Chinese for dinner. It had to be takeout. We headed back to the car and our quest continued. I wondered aloud if we could pass off an A&W burger as Chinese. Marsha had other ideas though.
We wandered around until we came to the Pho Boi Vietnamese Restaurant. I wondered aloud if they really wanted to open a sandwich shop but the plans changed. We chuckled at that. However we really laughed at the place next door. The Man-Lee Grocery Store. I wondered if the store special was a package with a meat and two veg.
Anyway the meal we got (yes they do have takeout) was great. It’s very authentic Vietnamese food, with lots of fresh and raw vegetables. The meal was wonderful and we laughed and chatted with Barb as we ate. Actually I did most of the chatting. Marsha was trying to watch the game but Green Bay was stomping all over the Vikings and their hopes of a playoff run. By halftime she had given up and was involved in the conversation.
So that was our tale of trying to get something to eat in Nanaimo. I couldn’t help thinking of my dad who was fond of saying that “you could starve to death flying around Oregon on the weekend”. Back then, all of the airport cafe’s closed and unless you packed a collapsable bike in the baggage compartment you couldn’t even get into town for a cup of coffee. We were starting to feel like that. It was especially strange because BC and Vancouver Island has one of the largest Asian communities in all of Canada.
It’s been a strange day.
Doug & Marsha.
Pix: Google's greeting to me on my birthday. I don't know. It's a little bit spooky when Google just knows things about me.
A stormy day at the beach