FlamingoBlue
a simple country lawyer
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2000
- Posts
- 2,994
Lat week dr. blue and I travelled to Toronto to escape the food orgy known in the U.S. as Thanksgiving. On arriving at the hotel we met a new friend, Terry, the bell captain. Within moments we exchanged a bit about ourselves and then Terry clued us into others at the hotel who he thought would be helpful to us. Our concierge, Angie, who was from Kashmiere, was a joy, not only for her assistance, but because of her openness about herself and her family. (We made plans to have dinner with her and her family when we return again).
We met Naim when we took our first cab. He is from Afganastan. He is the first Afghani that we had ever met and within 15 minutes we learned much about his life and he about ours. I asked if there was an Afghani restaurant that he might suggest, as my wife and I love to sample food from different cultures. He suggested the Chopan Kabob House and wrote the adress and phone number on his business card.
The next day, after driving all over the city, we miraculously wound up at the restaraunt. It was about 4 p.m. and the restaurant was empty. We were greeted warmly by the owner, who knew Naim, and we sipped tea and ate pastries and chatted with him of the history of his country and the current conflict there. It was a wonderful afternoon full of conversation that we couldn't have ever anticipated.
When another couple entered the resaturant, our host went to greet them. They sat down in the booth directly behind us. A few moments later, as I was about to pay the bill, I was distracted by a display of Afghani sweetbread near an oven in the front window. As I stood there, Richard, one of the other patrons walked up to the display. Naturally, we began to talk and pretty soon I was seated at his table and his guest, Simi, was seated at our table talking to dr.blue. Richard is a gay man in a committed relationship with another man and the two of them were awaiting the birth of their first child. A woman friend of theirs is the mother and the adoption will take place when the child is born.
Soon, platters of food were delivered to the table and Richard offered me a taste of this and that. Semi and dr. blue came to the table and we all chatted on for another hour. Semi, is from Iran. She is also a touring table tennis player who travels around the world playing at her sport. The Kabob house was her favorite restaurant and she was taking Richard there for his first taste of Afghani food. Before we left, Semi's husband arrived. We felt that we already knew him from what Semi had told us and he thought that we were all old friends. By the time we left their company, we had exchanged names and telephone numbers so that we can see them when we return.
The next day, on the way to the Craft Show at the convention center, we were looking to have breakfast, but at a "greasy spoon". And we found one on King Street. The place was about 50 feet long and 12 feet wide, with a long lunch counter and several small wooden booths. I asked the waitress how long the place had been there and she told me that the present owner had been there since 1953. I spied him seated on a stool behind the cash register and called him over to our table. I asked him if he wanted to sell the place and he asked me when I wanted to take it over. We laughed and chatted for a few minutes. We left with our hearts and our stomachs full. For sure, we'll be back.
There were countless others that we met during our 4 day stay in Toronto. Each of them added something wonderful to our trip. Forget the fancy restaurants and the Theater. We'll remember the trip for the wonderful people that we met and the friends that we found.
blue
We met Naim when we took our first cab. He is from Afganastan. He is the first Afghani that we had ever met and within 15 minutes we learned much about his life and he about ours. I asked if there was an Afghani restaurant that he might suggest, as my wife and I love to sample food from different cultures. He suggested the Chopan Kabob House and wrote the adress and phone number on his business card.
The next day, after driving all over the city, we miraculously wound up at the restaraunt. It was about 4 p.m. and the restaurant was empty. We were greeted warmly by the owner, who knew Naim, and we sipped tea and ate pastries and chatted with him of the history of his country and the current conflict there. It was a wonderful afternoon full of conversation that we couldn't have ever anticipated.
When another couple entered the resaturant, our host went to greet them. They sat down in the booth directly behind us. A few moments later, as I was about to pay the bill, I was distracted by a display of Afghani sweetbread near an oven in the front window. As I stood there, Richard, one of the other patrons walked up to the display. Naturally, we began to talk and pretty soon I was seated at his table and his guest, Simi, was seated at our table talking to dr.blue. Richard is a gay man in a committed relationship with another man and the two of them were awaiting the birth of their first child. A woman friend of theirs is the mother and the adoption will take place when the child is born.
Soon, platters of food were delivered to the table and Richard offered me a taste of this and that. Semi and dr. blue came to the table and we all chatted on for another hour. Semi, is from Iran. She is also a touring table tennis player who travels around the world playing at her sport. The Kabob house was her favorite restaurant and she was taking Richard there for his first taste of Afghani food. Before we left, Semi's husband arrived. We felt that we already knew him from what Semi had told us and he thought that we were all old friends. By the time we left their company, we had exchanged names and telephone numbers so that we can see them when we return.
The next day, on the way to the Craft Show at the convention center, we were looking to have breakfast, but at a "greasy spoon". And we found one on King Street. The place was about 50 feet long and 12 feet wide, with a long lunch counter and several small wooden booths. I asked the waitress how long the place had been there and she told me that the present owner had been there since 1953. I spied him seated on a stool behind the cash register and called him over to our table. I asked him if he wanted to sell the place and he asked me when I wanted to take it over. We laughed and chatted for a few minutes. We left with our hearts and our stomachs full. For sure, we'll be back.
There were countless others that we met during our 4 day stay in Toronto. Each of them added something wonderful to our trip. Forget the fancy restaurants and the Theater. We'll remember the trip for the wonderful people that we met and the friends that we found.
blue
