Out & About #1096 | Heat Wave, McDonald's Menu Heist + Square One Happenings

My heat tolerance has plummeted sharply in the recent few years. Where I'd normally brave the humidity, these days I tend to burn or suffer recurring rashes and general discomfort.

​Because the desire to incorporate movement into my daily routine does not wither though, dreadfully sticky days are compensated by remaining indoors, blasting the A/C, and enclosing a firm grip on whatever handheld ventilation device my hands are capable of reaching. With time, these inclinations have led to general dehydration of the skin, face, and body. Most obvious symptoms are dryness in my hands, a parched throat, and awaking to nosebleeds from a fan blowing in my direction all night.

​Truthfully, there is no winning against 40-degree days plus humidity.

Monday's teasing of the McDonald's Menu Heist was successful in summoning me from the inside of my cool, comfortable house into the treacherous steamy outdoors. After completion of errands, I joined the Drive-Thru lineup for about thirteen minutes to pick up my order.

At first, I had been presented with the wrong order. Neither I nor the attendant realized this error, until I was handed a tall soft drink - an item that hadn't assumed a part of my order. The standard paper bag and Sundae packaging were otherwise too similar to be differentiated.

​The five-piece set of McPizza Bites rang in at an atrocious $4.49 plus tax. Criminally small with a pasty exterior and synthetic, commercial pizza filling, I grimaced at the specimen. Simply purchasing a box of frozen pizza pockets would have been the better decision.

​On the other hand, the $8.19 Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich thoroughly exceeded expectations! For starters, the chicken patty was substantial and thicker than the bun. Garlicy mayo and sweet Teriyaki sauce was an innovative sauce pairing, albeit not for those averse to the sweet x savoury combo. The natural omission of onions was regarded with fondness; one could also add crunchy, shredded lettuce at no charge if desired - and so I did. The bun was plush and, thankfully, devoid of the nasty oil spread in which Chick-fil-A prides themselves.

All factors considered, the concoction was tasty yet did not justify the steep price tag.

​Last to be sampled was the Biscoff McFlurry. Steamy external conditions and the order mishap had led to the unsealed dessert partially disintegrating before reaching home. As such, it was transferred to the freezer for about two hours before consumption - since who likes melty ice cream?!

​At its costly association of $5.59 before tax (or $4.39 for a Snack Size, as in my case), I expected a greater presence of Biscoff. The creation was hardly unique, constituting a tremendous disappointment for lovers of the lightly spiced, addictive biscuit. The McFluffy vanilla base is perpetually dimensionless to begin with, but the lack of harmony resulted in further disenchantment: the two components existed within the same space without any sort of gustatory interaction!

My conclusion was that a tub of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ice cream and a 250 g pack of Biscoff would have been more affordable in terms of unit price. Addition of the Crunchy Biscoff Spread would have elevated the invention easily.

​Sweltering days would continue persist throughout the week.

After a quick stroll through the Farmer's Market, I immediately headed towards the mall. A former coworker joined me on this venture, allowing me to share recent happenings while we browsed UNIQLO, exchanged food, and accomplished respective errands. The act itself was mundane, but the interaction invaluable.

She accompanied me as we - me - queued for Coffee Soft Cream at % Arabica, generously offering to hold my purchases and maintain my spot in line as I dashed towards the bathroom.

I also appreciated that she hadn't interfered with my sampling of the $7.75 soft serve, despite knowing its profile - or rather, lack thereof.
"What do you think?" she asked, "I found it a bit sweet for my tastes."
I closed my eyes. "It's not really sweet." The wooden spoon was withdrawn, and furrowed brows materialized. "More milky? But not creamy like real milk. There is a lot of stabilizer."
"Isn't there a sour taste? Like it lingers on the tongue."
"I wouldn't say it's sour, nor bitter, but there is a lingering coffee taste." I responded, "Either way, it's not 'coffee' enough. It's not nutty, not bitter, and not fragrant."

​As I continued to deplete the obnoxiously expensive cup of soft serve, I glanced over at my former coworker. With a smile, I relayed, "I like that you didn't tell me (the tasting notes), even though you've had it and know the profile." She nodded, acknowledging the intent, and I continued, "I like that you didn't spoil it for me, since you knew I'd need to taste it for myself to be satisfied."

Remarkably, this degree of mutual understanding had been sustained in very little time. (In contrast, my browsing partner has been unable to adapt to my habits and answer to my needs despite the longer period of acquaintance and exposure.)

For an identical price, I had procured a Matcha Canele for later consumption. Phenomenally custardy and grassy as it had been during my first encounter, the treat was delightful but far from budget-friendly to be a regular experience.

On my last in-office day of the week, I led the way through the Run the World Market, my colleague in tow.

​Our destination of interest was none other than The Rec Room. My heavy investment in the arcade space was revealed during this early afternoon visit. Between Ice Ball, Pump It Up!, Grand Piano Keys, Speed of Light, a soccer simulation game, air hockey, and Mario Kart, we spent our pre-long weekend delayed lunch challenging each other in friendly competition.

​Although I could have departed early with my manager's permission/suggestion, remaining in the City Centre until 5 PM allowed for perusal of the Living with Wellness Arts Festival.

​The event theme was murky, for vendors ranged from Indian street food and churros to jewellery, stickers, and Costco. There was a TD booth that featured cricket and a Chinese vocal performance on stage. My sole takeaway were coupons for toilet paper and a jumbo roll of Ultra Pro Sponge Towels.

In exiting the office, I stopped for an Oolong Milk Tea with Brown Sugar Pearls and Grass Jelly at CoCo.

Concluding the evening was a lengthy 90-minute stopover at Costco. Evidently, I was not the only one looking to take advantage of the breezier Friday temperatures and pre-Canada Day grocery deals.

​Chores would ease me into the self-made long weekend, for my new oven was slated for delivery on Saturday morning. The final operation of my ever-finnicky oven was a Steam Clean procedure, a function ran for the very first time since acquisition.

​Extensive research had been conducted over the course of two weekends. After evaluating every single slide-in, electric range oven currently on the market, I had settled on the Hisense HBE3502CAS. This purchase marked the household's oven transition from GE, simultaneously serving as a foray into the realm of Chinese-made large appliances. User reviews had been positive, however a first look confirmed typical "Made in China" quality. It is also worth noting that the drawer did not slide smoothly.

​​Further commentary shall be provided following use in various applications.

Strawberry Matcha Lattes have been on the rise as of late. The concoction is nothing new, as far as I'm concerned. My own spinoffs involved coconut water in place of milk, for a comparatively refreshing, low-sugar alternative.

​Ending the work week was a tiny glass of Fukuju Sparkling Umeshu Plum Sake ($10 for 200 ml is depressing) and the last of my T&T black sesame glutinous rice balls.

​The Hisense burner was shockingly powerful even on Medium heat.