Category: - Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger

Out & About #643 | Week #15 Quarantine Update Feat. Third Wave + Mall Runs

6/28/2020

A gustatory experience is a sensory undertaking - one that ought to be anticipated, savoured, and then relished in the subsequent moments.

The act of devouring corresponds to the presumption of pleasure, oftentimes boasting an inversely proportional relationship to rate of consumption.

Imagine a world without appetite.
Devoid of desire, dereft of drive, and dearth of delight - the mere contemplation renders shudders down my spine.

To succeed as an entity offering fare for the people, one must first define a niche market. The next step is to grasp an understanding of the demographic, their baseline, and inclination towards dispense of disposable income. In today's class of Basic Business, we shall review a case (study) of two cafés - one notably new to the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, the other established in East York.

mon K is a longtime occupant of its primarily residential district, offering Japanese-inspired French pastries in a cozy coffee shop context. Parking is an anxiety-inducing nightmare for driving disciplines, and, while available, is subject to payment by the meter. The patisserie is as renowned for their elaborate cakes as their dissent of credit cards; cash and debit are the preferred methods of money exchange, though e-transfer is also offered (no PayPal here).
The pastry selection is quite vast, spanning from macarons to complex dome desserts. A similar approach was adopted for the beverage menu, though it sufficed to say that there was but a single row that succeeded in instigating appeal.

Service was lacklustre on both occasions, as was the quality of the $2.95 twelve-ounce cups containing what couldn't possibly be Iced Coffee, the meek paper straws, abhorrent abundance of ice, and weak, watery profile indicative of the staff's commitment to customer satisfaction. Regrettably, the bakery items revealed no distinct difference: overpriced, soggy, and bearing atrociously minimal filling was the Pistachio Custard roll; relentlessly sugary to a fault was the $5.95 Mont Blanc. T'was indeed an 이불킥 moment for yours truly.

As the sole physical retailer for Momo Tea, I had considered bestowing upon the patisserie second chance, yet it was just one more than deserved. The experience was anything but endearing, leaving behind an unequivocally negative impression.

Stomachs filled but contentment levels unquenched, an alternative named Third Wave Coffee was sought out.

Out & About #642 | Week #14 Quarantine Update Feat. Marbled Banana Bread Minis

6/21/2020

Our household has always had coffee drinkers. Once upon a time, we even did daily Timmie's Drive-Thru runs and, if I remember correctly, my go-to choice was either an Iced Capp or Vanilla Yogurt. The menu has undoubtedly undergone several changes since then, and so have we, whom no longer pay for the painstakingly watery cups either.
However, coffee drinker statuses never waver. We simply seek the next caffeinated thrill, whether it be iced lattes or affogatos.

No summer is complete with a trip to Port Credit, and no waterfront experience is complete without ice cream, especially irresistibly creamy artisan flavours.

Solely operating during peak sunshine season, Scoops is a local favourite that took to offering sugar/waffle cones in a cup and 500 ml or 1 L takeaway containers in the face of the current pandemic.

Although Piña Colada sorbet was quite a dismal pick, Cappuccino Crisp did not disappoint. The velvety Maple Walnut we brought back was another winner that incoporated the best of conventionally Canadian maple ribbons with crunchy walnuts in a luscious vanilla base.

The return trip marked my first visit to McD's since Vancity Blitz three months prior. And while probably not the most health-conscious choice, Chicken McNuggets with honey and BBQ sauce were the ideal companion for makgeolli.

Loyal visitors of this space may be familiar with Ark + Anchor, or more specifically their croissants from de la terre.

As the yearning for pain au chocolat surfaced, my mind instantly flew to the website of my favourite stall in the Hamilton Farmer's Market. Lo and behold, free home delivery was being offered!

Out & About #638 | Week #11 Quarantine Update Feat. The Browniest Cookies

5/31/2020

Unpopular opinion: The economic pillar shall forever supersede the social pillar.

If there's anything I retained from my twice-enrolled, once-failed, and once-grudgingly-re-enrolled second year environmental course, it's the concept of The Three Pillars. Prior to undergoing any work, a project should be evaluated against the economic, social, and environmental pillars as criteria for execution.
And while each of these elements are pivotal in decision-making, one tends to forget to nothing can operate in the absence of economics. For without capital, there is no funding for implementing environmentally sustainable measures. For without work, one cannot afford to sleep with a roof over his or her head, regardless of whatever respect society shoves.

I abide by a pragmatic approach to living, because where there is a cause, there is an effect - most evident in the re-emergence of COVID in areas that were once deemed to have entered a "safe(r)" zone. Regardless of the sun's position in the sky, work is work, and work needs to be done. I'm not one to protest sanity breaks, of course, and was more than willing to justify it with a cool cup of CoCo after a tumultuous Monday.

Being thoroughly drained by an endless assortment of tasks (the "cause") yielded an out-of-character meal of instant noodles (the "effect"). The foray into fast food was a result of exhaustion and a consequential reluctance to cook. For the wellbeing of my tastebuds, the so-called broth of dehydrated MSG particles was diluted with thrice as much water, then had its nasty, hollow aftertaste nullified with a turmeric cold brew.

I suppose anxiety is a common spur of sugar-laden creations, for a dream about emails set me off in pursuit for brown butter cookies. "But not just any brown butter cookies." my subconscious announced, "We're doing matcha."

An embarrassingly elongated roster of attempts in my back pocket, I opted to modify Tasty's edition, for I had not the patience to caramelize butter and strum my digits along the table edge as it re-solidified. Truthfully, it was my own fault; I oughtn't complain.
I'm not, really.

Brown butter is aromatic in ways unique to itself - an acquired redolence, if you will - and, just as many other bakers will heed, is worth every second of added effort. But alas, the luscious caramelized bits were nowhere to be tasted in the final product, overwhelmed by none other that sugar: a sickening sweetness capable of driving some to the point of lunacy. Admittedly, the texture was quite a nice mix of crunchy and chewy, though nonetheless a subpar formulation in my books.
Woe is me for straying from the great SK!

Out & About #636 | Week #9 Quarantine Update Feat. Indoor BBQ

5/18/2020

Whether spring is finally here to stay remains a mystery. Between the flurries, heavy showers, and odd bursts of UV rays, it's difficult to predict precisely the climate that Mother Nature has in store for us next.

Victoria Day long weekend was off to a swell start with summery temperatures, rendering it the ideal time for trail exploring - while maintaining physical distance requirements, of course. And for those that relish in A/C-prevalent environments or find barbecue grills foreign (me), oven baked hot dogs and orange-Ribena bubbles are the way to go.

Weekend morning rituals revolve about live airings of 화양연화, alternatively known as "When My Love Blooms". Following suit was the preparation of hot dog complements: Egg Salad with sweet corn kernels (and wasabi!) and a Pickled Cucumber-Onion Mix.

Rotini and SPAM were then quickly coated in tomato sauce to yield a fast food-appropriate ally. Neither canned meat (if we can address it as so) nor jarred condiments made many appearances prior to the arrival of COVID-19, however one can only chop so much and cook so much with one dominant hand and one dominant wrist.

Sautéed button mushrooms would have been a pleasant addition to the mix, though speed was the name of the game this time.

Out & About #634 | Mother's Day 2020

5/10/2020

Precision of the mind is not interchangeable with precision of the body.

I've never had issues with numbers or simple plug-and-chug formulae, and am proud to declare that even differential equations made sense at one point. Physical dexterity, however, is a different beast altogether.

Dainty decorations and steady handiworks are regular endeavours of orangecane and other like-minded artfolk, whose acquired aptitudes prove handy in situations demanding patience and painstaking meticulousness.

I won't hesitate to admit that I missed the cake preorder dates for Mother's Day. Although, I also didn't hesitate to offer an alternate in the form of a request fulfillment. "A buttercream cake - with loads of cream and plush portions of sponge" was the presented challenge.

"Ideally coffee-flavoured" was my last instruction notice.

Consulting the "divine ruler of the kitchen" - orangecane's words, not mine - I proceeded to assemble my baking pans for a tri-layer treat. It was, undoubtedly, my most extravagant undertaking since the ultra-dense, six-layer potluck tower four months prior.

The 1-2-3-4 cake was simple enough, especially after I had taken the liberty of converting to metric units (for the sanity of my digit-dominant brain). My sole deviation from the formula was a generous sprinkling of Maxwell House, because "too much coffee" is not a statement to rear its head in my household.

Layered Mocha Cake (A Rough Recipe)
File Size:	292 kb
File Type:	pdf

Cakes cooling and dinner prep completed, I began whipping up the frosting - in the most literal sense possible.
Buttercream would have proved pipeable, for those looking to decorate dramatically. But butter is rare to come by these days. And there was enough butter in the cakes.

Out & About #631 | Week #6 Quarantine Update Feat. Wonton Chai, Bossam, and Hodo Kwaja

4/24/2020

I've said it already, though I'll state it again: Few changes have taken place in my day-to-day activities, minus the arduous ordeal that is hour-long grocery shopping trips.
But humans are dynamic after all, and so while "unprecedented times" are here, the theory of natural selection applies still

I'd like to think that I've adapted to the lengthy lineups and costlier checkout totals, as the outcome of these successive trips are expense reports, (food) trend forecasts, and the most important result of all - mitigation measures. Undoubtedly due in response to my efforts was a treat in the form of Wonton Chai.

Cravings are more or less kept at bay by the ability to reproduce a similar enough product in the comfort of one's home. Mild exceptions remain, with Pocky being one of them.

Those that hadn't been on too friendly of terms with their kitchen haven been coerced into a changed mindset.
Yet those previously accustomed shall simply yearn for undertakings of greater difficulty.

Crafted from scratch were a series of lunch and dinner items, which sadly proved unsuccessful in lasting longer than several days.

Dish #1: Macaroni x Ground Beef x Sautéed 'Shrooms x Tomato Conpoy Compote Feat. Fried Egg

Seemingly effortless, there was a tremendous amount of preparation work involved. Other culinary techniques were also deployed, though somewhat subconsciously in my regard: boiling, marinating, sautéeing, pan frying, and, finally, broiling for a crunchy gratin-esque covering.

After a weekend of mayhem, I started my week off solid: An event known none other than GOT7's long-awaited comeback.

Oh, swear Not By The Moon.

Out & About #628 | Week #3 Quarantine Update Feat. Dalgona + Banana Bread

4/4/2020

The world is operating in a period of uncertainty, which can be unsettling. The future knows no stability, no steadiness in what is to come, or what is to pass.

As the work-from-home-ers continue to maneuver their daily lives, with technology playing a vital role in remote communication, many of us are starting to notice minor changes every time we set foot into society for our essential activities. From the hordes of hoarders coming at other innocent shoppers last week with full force to distinctly divided lanes and floor markings this week, it's evident that action is being taken to flatten the curve. There is intent to comply with government regulations, with the hope that peace and order can be restored to our community once more.

And while these preventative measures were imposed out of concern for public welfare, one cannot deny that in its accompaniment is a string of new issues - a hair-pulling situation of inefficiency.

Things I learned during Corona (Rev 1):

Beyond the significantly reduced store hours (seven-day operations have now ceased to five days or less), restrictions on entry are also being imposed. Whether it be reducing access and egress routes from four to one or maintaining the mandatory 2-metre/6-feet "safe distance" between patrons, one cannot deny that efficiency has now plummeted. So, while many of us have a bit more time on hand, the sheer acts of grocery shopping and regular errand running have also been lengthened, trifold I'd say.
Grocery trips are a gamble nowadays. To enforce physical distancing, majority of retailers have limited entry to one member per family, posing difficulty to those that struggle with lifting large quantities across an asphalt lot. At the brighter end of the spectrum, parking lots are not as scarce as they once were in certain plazas.

Supplies are at an all-time low. Obtaining all necessary grocery items from one spot was previously the norm; on the other hand, it's been two weeks <i> since I've seen a single bag of bread flour grace the shelves of Loblaws or Walmart. Needless to say, bread flour is even rarer to come by. This obstacle has been a persisting block on my road to recipe analysis.
On a related note, grocery items are now being replenished more frequently than before. The higher the inhabitant count of a household, the faster the depletion of sustenance, which transform into the consequential need for more frequent cooking. I'm not one to complain about being provided opportunites to exert creativity, though it does gradually pose some degree of frustration knowing that every step outside entails PPE and post-trip deep sanitization.
Some versatile pantry staples to consider would include: cornstarch, coconut milk, canned beans, canned sardines/sausages/corned beef (not the most nutritious but better than going vegan), dried herb seasoning, and honey. Meanwhile, eggs, milk, flour have the capability of forming the foundation for virtually any dish; while perishable, it never hurts to have a healthy dose on hand to supplement recipes or help them along their way.

Quite frankly, there haven't been noticeable departures from my regular routine, besides working remotely and minimal interaction with friends and coworkers. Home exercise routines, kitchen task undertakings, Lysol-ing of frequently used surfaces, and cashless transactions were elements that had aligned with my preferences even before the outbreak.

And as I half-rant, half-report on such occurrences, I am simultaneously reminded that "This is the, so-called, 'New Normal'", and as humans - mere occupants of this planet - we are to adapt for the sake of survival.
With challenge comes change, and what doesn't kill us will only make us stronger.

Out & About #627 | A Muddled Adieu

3/27/2020

How does one land oneself in the category of a go-getter?

Oftentimes do those interpreted as such act swiftly to attain their goals or check off their to-do list. Locking in on a single objective, they conjure up a plan with utmost precision, then proceed with execution, more often than not possessing a Plan B at the backs of their minds should the first attempt result unfavourably. It's a pragmatic approach to life, which may not necessarily be appreciated by more contemplative types.

I recently had the luxury to attempt pourovers, in addition to burrowing into an insurmountable cloud of thoughts. Slowly but surely, my harbourfront days adjourned in a hazy hush. Nine months in the South Core has concluded. Truthfully, I hadn't stopped to recount that tales of such an endeavour until the arrival of COVID-19 and all its work-from-home-imposing statutes.
"Life doesn't wait for you" and I've consequently been mindlessly trudging along the treadmill of life until corona pushed pause.

Forever one to periodically reminisce but never to dwell without constructiveness, my time was brief but not without vast amounts of opportunities for development. While a seemingly short stay relative to the prospective length of my career, I remain grateful for such opportunities - such chances to contribute in the limited capacity that I am capable - and, moreover, thankful for those that have shed their expertise for my personal development, both as a colleague and a mere mortal persisting on her own journey.

Skills acquired throughout an arduous process translate into individual gain, however the bonds stemming from interpersonal interactions that empower one to truly thrive as a member of society, co-existing and cooperating.

Surfacing from the abyss of reflection, I continued on with regular day-to-day activities. In light of social distancing measures, many eateries had undergone temporary closures and staff reduction. Juicy Dumpling was one of these destinations.

Out & About #626 | Week #2 Quarantine Update

3/26/2020

"We can do Up Up Down Downs aka High-Low Planks."
"Ok."
"How many reps?" I added, "I die at 10."
"Then let's do 20."

Embarking on the second week of quarantine wfh, I was determined to set the tone right. Despite emails flying in and out at all times of the day, I took it upon myself to resume regular routine, just as I would on any other day of the work week.
Lunch would be consumed between the hours of 12 PM and 1 PM, while workouts could take place between 4 PM and 5 PM. Snacking would be permitted between the hours of 2 PM and 3 PM, if utterly necessary.

And on days where cravings were strong, I'd honour them. Because maintaining sanity is just about as vital as economic stability and physical wellbeing during these dreary, stifling times.

My heart yearned for sushi and CoCo, thus I set out to attain both following a damp day of unexpected March snowfall.

Two doors down from the closest CoCo was Sushi Park, a tiny but mighty family-operated shop that had been operating for years beyond the bubble tea shop's arrival. A quick search revealed that it was maintaining regular business hours; a single phone call later and I was on my way for Bulgogi, Shrimp Tempura, and an assortment of maki rolls.

Deluxe Sashimi was the priciest item of the order at $16.99, yet, regrettably, also the most disappointing. Fooled we were by the rigid cuts of despair, in all their saturated ploy. Shrimp Tempura was not far behind in terms of ratings; though not tasted, lukewarm responses stemmed from the strangely tawny beige pieces.
The Dragon Roll earned the greatest praise, spanning a profile of sweet and savoury. The Bulgogi set was quite balanced as well, given the inclusion of short-grain Japanese rice and a small side salad. At a mere $5.95, one couldn't go wrong with a set of California Rolls either.

As for the Miso Soup, there was little that could be said beyond "monosodium glutamate". Redeeming aspects were properly pickled pink ginger and smooth squirts of wasabi.

It goes without saying that more baking took place. Uncovered throughout the week were: the best Banana Bread formula on the planet, Thai Milk tea, and failed-croissant-dough-turned-turnovers.

Vancity Blitz | DAY 6: (Pt. 1) Cafe L'Orangerie + UBC

3/11/2020

Of all the stops along the Canada Line corridor, Marine Drive was one at which I had never disembarked since the completion of the SkyTrain. It had mainly served as a transfer point in its first few years of operation, until shops and services began forming what is known today as Marine Gateway

Development around the station had been observed during previous years, while en route to Downtown. And, with the lunch destination suggestion of a local Vancourite, I was able to peruse the area (with its unopened shops and all their eerieness) at long last.

There wasn't much to see at the early hour of 10:30 AM. Steve Nash was open, and so was Timmy's. But the Marine Drive bus hub primarily served as a transfer point for those heading east or west from the grade-separated rapid transit system.

WHAT DOES "QUIRKY AESTHETICS" MEAN?

Quirky = a term that commonly refers to something/someone distinctly different and unique
Aesthetics = the visual aspect of things

Together, Quirky Aesthetics refers to the things, events, and happenings seen and perceived by this blog's creator - quirky perspectives in a visual form.

Contact ME

Subscribe

Join our mailing list today!

© Quirky Aesthetics. All rights reserved. Last modified: August 10, 2015.