Out & About #832 | Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) 2022

​Highly anticipated was our CNE excursion.
The sleepy polar bear was, for the most part, excited for the wacky (but not too wacky) food items, while I was most keen on the Sky Ride.

​The entire party comprised of four, and we had agreed to assemble on the fair grounds in the early afternoon.

Admittedly, I was rather anxious: my digestive system had not been faring well, and I was less than excited to stimulate any unpleasant repercussions in the presence of hot, sweaty masses and lineups for dingy public bathrooms. A proper lunch was proposed in the west side of the GTA prior to departing.

​Yum's Kitchen, which my birthday buddy and I had been eyeing for quite some time, finally opened its doors in the Deer Run plaza to many excited patrons.

​The interior was unlike any other banh mi establishment, with modern looking décor, an open kitchen area, and even seating! A quick scan revealed sea urchin-like light fixtures hung from the ceiling, marble tabletops and emerald couches on the dining floor, and even neon lights positioned before a couch (a photo zone, clearly). Its layout was atypical of eateries serving casual Vietnamese cuisine, for normally are they grab-and-go establishments with little to no space for dining in. Adopting this format enabled Yum's Kitchen to operate as both a takeout spot and catch-up space for small gatherings.

Having perused the menu beforehand, we immediately took to the order counter - one of us inquisitive and the other decisive.
The restaurant appeared to be led by an operational manager, passionate to deliver quality food inspired by a Vietnamese upbringing, and a commercial manager with entrepreneurial drive and honed business tactics. My budding inquiries would be answered by the former, who not only elaborated on the slightly spicy properties of the satay-slathered Yum's Special (No. 13) but also reassured that all banh mis were served without spice, and heat was only added where requested (thank goodness!!).

I pointed in favour of the Vietnamese Classic Banh Mi (No. 12), while the sleepy polar bear opted for the Beef Stew Banh Mi (No. 03). At the time of order placement, it was declared that all banh mi ingredients were prepared in-house, from the baguettes to the cold cuts, and that nearly all sandwich varieties included pâté, an element that is often included in exceptionally stingy amounts.

​There was a swap in cashier personnel midway, and the commercial manager took to handling the payment/administrative portion of the transaction. She posed the question of "for here or to go?", to which we exchanged glances and agreed on dining within. Out of concern for portion sizes, I quickly followed up to clarify whether takeout containers would be provided, and was informed that, due to limited staff for washing dishes, all orders would be served in to-go boxes with plastic bags provided upon request. Drinks were sealed to render them portable and kid-safe. I also learned of their loyalty program, where each dollar would equate to one point.

​Our orders arrived in under ten minutes.
The Vietnamese Classic consisted of cold cuts (with ridiculously tough edges), an abundance of pâté, cilantro, thinly sliced cucumber, and julienned carrots. Personally, I could have used more pickling and more cucumbers. The cilantro was not as fresh as Nguyet Minh either. That said, the baguette was uniformly browned and not crackly/crumbly (read: could be consumed with dignity) like the longstanding establishments within Mississauga Chinese Centre. Its edges were on the dry side, albeit crunchy. Despite plentiful, the pâté was not very flavourful.

​The sleepy polar bear's Beef Stew Banh Mi embraced a standalone soup format with two baguette rolls. Within the cilantro-topped, tomato base stew were chunks of extremely tender brisket. A mild kick lingered on my tongue, but not enough to halt me from dipping the likes of my toasted banh mi into the stew to curb dryness.

The meal was surprisingly economic given the efforts invested into furnishing the interior. Moreover, it filled the void for banh mi on the west side of the city.

​Washrooms took the form of unisex stalls, both brilliantly illuminated and one accessible. They were clean and neatly furnished, however neither offered functioning soap dispensers. Relaying my concern to the (presumed) commercial manager - who was conversing with another customer in Cantonese before reverting to Vietnamese for staff communications - she promptly trodded to the nearby supermarket for the acquisition of hand soap. Odd it was to me that she did not instead go to Dollarama next door.

Seeing as there was time before departing for the GO train, I proposed heading over to explore Fresh Palace Supermarket - formerly nofrills.

We (mainly me) briskly examined the aisles for ube extract and Vietnamese ground coffee before I chose to take a peek at their bathroom. At observing its revolting nature, I proceeded to merely wash my hands and make my departure from the single stall. A garbage bin with a swing lid was positioned outside, adjacent to the live seafood area. Naturally, I pushed at the lid to toss the folded wad of toilet paper I had used for hand-drying.

Alas, the lid was so sticky that the tissues merely stuck. What a sight to behold.
I attempted to detach the tissues from the lid and press them in again, only to have the wad unroll and land on the floor. Frustrated and disgusted, I proceeded to remove my sanitizer bottle from its small Ziploc for use as a makeshift glove. Shielding my hand with the Ziploc, I picked up the tissues one last time, pushed open the lid with my foot, and angrily shoved the wad - and Ziploc - into the garbage. Phew. Only a few pairs of eyes had witnessed the struggle.

​Swiftly navigating towards Clarkson, we realized that there was less of a buffer than we though. Ultimately missing the train by one minute, then explored the station in wait of the next one.

​The GO train whisked us to Exhibition in a matter of thirty minutes. Then, we proceeded towards the CNE gates for fare inspection - both GO Transit and CNE - before arranging meetup plans with the other half of our exploration crew.

​There was some difficulty in locating the Double Decker Merry-Go-Round, and then another hiccup at realizing that Ride All Day passes needed to be redeemed prior to use. Thankfully, the lines moved quickly.

View the full album HERE  !

​Suitable for kids and adults alike, we raced to the upper level of the carousel when our turn arrived. Exotic rides such as the Ostrich and Seahorse had, regrettably, been blocked off with "Out of Service" signage. I took to the nearby Seal instead, while the others a horse and family-friendly chair (that didn't exactly provide varying degrees of elevation).

​My first ride choice would have been the Dragon, or even the Giraffe. But the objective of the Double Decker ride was to attain height, along with an unobstructed view of Kiddie Midway and neighbouring carnival vendors.

​I had initially proposed trying other Midway rides beyond the kids' section. Though, a particularly short queue at Raptor Run caught my attention. Poor was my judgement, for the ride merely spun to the point of conjuring headaches, nausea, and dizziness comparable - if not worse! - than actual sickness. Spinning rides were banned for the remainder of our trip, and for eternity.

​We ventured into the Arts, Crafts & Hobbies Pavilion afterwards in search of A/C and respite from rigorous rotation. Along this path was a(n appropriately placed) Fire Station and countless fountains for water refills.

There, we found less ventilation than the likes of the outside world, dimmer lighting, and a plethora of eccentric retail opportunities, from patterned socks to customizable beaded jewellery to Swarovski charms to needle felt mini penguins. Resin-covered serving boards reminiscent of Moana caught my attention: they were quite affordable, but truthfully too troublesome to heave about for the rest of the day.

​Half of the group took to Cotton Candy Ice Cream and a Strawberry Milkshake. The other half marveled at images from the National Geographic exhibit and even attempted replication. Needless to say, any questionable glances from bystanders, if any, were ignored.

Our final stop in the building filled with samples of Crab and Lobster Mousse. "White is lobster and yellow is crab." repeated the ladies by the sampling counter. Both were scrumptious, albeit pricey for the teensy jars.

​Exiting, our eyes met The Farm. I happily led the way, striding through the double doors and into a space exuding visual and olfactory references to a farm. There were live animals in different sections of the space and several handwashing stations to promote hygiene after interactions with the creatures.

​The building included an abundance of educational content for grade school children, from the process of harvesting crops to "Poo or False" bingo with faux feces-covered plungers.

​The party grudgingly went along with my suggestion for the indoor corn maze. The concept had sounded interesting, though, in reality, the lineup was for no more than an inflatable contraption with faded images of corn stalks. We weaved about the inflatable pillars rapidly and found success on the first try.

Edging along the perimeter to the exit was a bee exhibit. The sleepy polar bear dodged the honeycomb installation with a grimace; meanwhile, I only trodded closer. On display were honey wax candles bearing floral carvings. The palm-sized bulbs smelled sweet and comforting, offering a sense of coziness.

​By this point, it was nearing 6 PM. Boarding the Sky Ride at Golden Hour demanded early queuing. As such, we meandered our way through the carnival games booths towards my bucket list activity. Along the way was an atrocious amount of slow-moving people - crowds that had once vanished in light of COVID. The party was split up along the way, but later found with the assistance of technology. Ridiculous noise levels, contributed by crowds as well as a nearby beer bottle-/ceramic plate-smashing game, had only increased the difficulty level of the challenge, but providing descriptions of landmarks in proximity proved successful.

En route, I spotted the stall offering Korean Squid Ink Corndogs. Three Southeast Asian men rounded into the lineup as I announced my revelation.
"Are you lining up for this?" I asked, pointing to the stall.
"Yeah." One of them responded with shifty eyes and a dose of avoidance.
"Okay." we acknowledged their sudden intent and proceeded to line up beside them.

Our conversations within the group continued, until an "Excuse me." was heard over my shoulder. I shifted slightly in response, evidently puzzled at the path that the girls behind me had opted to take. They proceeded to question our position in line, as they had supposedly also lined up behind the three Southeast Asian men. We turned to the trio before us to speak/support us on the matter, all of which ignored us blatantly.

"They look confused." called out one of the girls with overdone lash extensions.
"Yeah, so are we." I retorted, loud enough for the cowards before us to hear.
"You don't have to lie." the other girl piped up.
"We're not lying!" This time, the sleepy polar bear responded.
​
Suppressing the fury within, I turned my back on them and didn't budge. The possibility of allowing them to order first crossed my mind briefly, if there were so particular, though that would also be grounds for those behind them to demand the same treatment. We stood our ground, and they did not pursue the issue further. Really, it was just corn dogs and lemonade - how trivial could line ups be?

The Korean Corndog was coated in a tremendous amount of granulated sugar. Originally intended as a sweet-savoury item, the outer layer was constructed of a thin, toothsome squid ink-infused batter, while the inner layer was the standard hot dog sausage with its ends snipped to resemble the aquatic animal it was named after. The sausage was crispy, with a saltiness that contrasted against the sweet, ink-infused batter. Yet, somehow it felt lacking.
Within the corndog was a small portion of stringy cheese; it was declared to be mozzarella, though its bland profile nearly implied otherwise.

Served on the typical corn dog skewer, the ten-dollar carnival treat was particularly difficult to consume without the layers separating from one another, and off the skewer entirely. The two-dollar increment wasn't too extravagant.

Seemingly even more tragic to consume was the Pickle Dog. Encased within corn dog batter was a whole pickle, into which a Vienna sausage had been threaded lengthwise. This variation was served on a tray, likely due to its high moisture content-induced weight. Spurting pickle-y juices from all angles, the creation would likely be enjoyed by lovers of pickles, though less exciting to those neutral about the condiment.
"I don't think I can eat another pickle for a while." announced the eater.

A Mango Lemonade was also obtained at this stop. Despite residing on the syrupy side, the concoction was acceptable after the lemon slice had suffered a few jabs. Keen I was not on the tacky, synthetic-tasting syrup, for the beverage could be easily elevated by incorporating mango juice from concentrate (and maybe a bit of carbonation).

​We then joined the Sky Ride lineup, hoping to board the summer ski lift in time for sunset.

During this time, different members of the party took turns in the queue. One disappeared momentarily for water bottle refills before finding us at our new position. The sleepy polar bear and I dashed towards to Enercare Centre in search of indoor plumbing, struggling to weave our way through sloth-like packs and frustratingly aggressive stroller-handlers. The shins suffered several jabs before we finally made our way to the life-sized garden gnome exhibit at the entrance.

The Dole Whip stall was spotted on our way back. With its lineup quite short, we hurriedly took to the largest version boasting Pineapple and Raspberry soft serve swirled atop Pineapple Shell. Sweet, ripe pineapple rings were fitted underneath the two-toned swirl. After a few quick snacks, we rushed back to find the others, then wolfed down the treat before boarding.

The rest of our party had made their way to 20th position in line. Some members of the lineup had switched in the meantime, revealing the more patient entities.

​As I rapidly assembled my camera setup, cautionary announcements blared overhead:

• "The Sky Ride only goes in one direction!"
• "Do not bounce or jump on the ride!"
• "Do not stick your body out from the ride!"​

While most of these statements seemed to be common sense, there was one important announcement to note:
"The Sky Ride doesn't stop!"

Much like a ski lift, one would require to ready themselves for the ride, or risk being subject to falls and hits on the head.

​The Sky Ride was, without a doubt, my absolute favourite segment of the excursion.

​As we ascended towards the sky, a breathtaking gradient came into view. Before us was the CN tower, and behind us the sharp contrast of dusk tones. Cotton candy skies surrounded us from all angles.

​Stunning were the lights of the carnival rides against the shifting spectrum of sunset shades, and spectacular was the view of the CNE grounds.

​Beneath our feet were hundreds - no, thousands! - of people roaming about in search of food and entertainment. Nearing the Princes' Blvd entrance, our gaze fell upon the Enercare Centre stage and its ongoing performances.

​I marveled at the view, utterly in awe and grinning from ear to ear. It was a truly lovely experience, and perfectly timed at that!

​In contrast were the trembling eyes and pursed lips of the sleepy polar bear, who had undertaken the mission of keeping my belongings safe as I ooh-ed and aah-ed at the scene. Melded into one corner of the seat with both hands tightly wrapped around the handlebars in worry, it wasn't until halfway through that height-fearing tendencies would subside.

An appetite would arise shortly afterwards, at which point we navigated to the Food Building. The sun had set by the time we made our arrival, shrouding the entrance and all its diners in a veil of cetacean blue.

​Tiny Tom Donuts was spotted yet again - this time with a shorter lineup than its carnival-side counterpart. I deferred the dessert stall for a later point in time, for it was to be determined whether stomach capacity could be sustained.

​I had been eyeing PB&J Beef Brisket Smash, while the other duo expressed greater curiosity in the Smoked Meat Sandwich. Referencing stenoodie's post, we located our respective vendors and formed a plan of action: Separate and acquire, then congregate for seating.

​The lineup at Fran's was compact and, thankfully, quite speedy. Our order was processed in under five minutes, and the pickup procedure spanned no more than ten more.

​Seating was essentially nonexistent. We managed to find an empty bar area to commence munching, only to be informed of the other duo's successful feat in obtaining seats by the CoCo stall. The sleepy polar bear, growing ravenous, snuck one waffle fry - sans ketchup - before I whisked the paper container away in search of the others.

Three seats had been secured. Squishing myself into the gap between two benches, one leg on each side, we managed to fit an additional person and commence our late supper.
Although the jam was too sweet for standalone consumption, it paired well with both the fries and the brisket. The peanut butter was an innovative addition, with its creaminess growing more satiating with each successive bite. It was a pleasant, unexpected addition, but could likely be incorporated in moderation for the optimal flavour profile. The waffle fries, though scanty in portion, were easily better than than likes of McDonald's attempt.

​Montreal Deli's Smoked Meat Sandwich looked decidedly less appealing than that of stenoodie's. The bread appeared dry, as opposed to toasted, while the meat crumbly instead of densely packed within. The pickles were humourously refused the one who had consumed the last of the Pickle Dog.

It was also here that paths were crossed with an old friend. I hadn't realized it at the time, but numerous acquaintances had visited the CNE on the same day. With the amount of visitors though, any sightings were definitely intentional and required constant correspondence for realization.

​The group entered into the Enercare exhibit just before closing. With twenty minutes left for the day, we sped through the aisles in an attempt to gather as many observations as possible.

The speedwalking continued until the AMD exhibit.

​A Just Dance section had been set up. Offering all versions between 2018 to 2022, I immediately dropped all intentions to continue exploration of the area in favour of the game. The sleepy polar bear, while encouraged to continue browsing solo, opted to stay by my side instead of continuing to look around.

​At nightfall, the air grew cold. Distinct stenches of marijuana also drifted into our peripheral.

​The last item on the agenda was the 10:45 PM Drone Show. Alas, one half of our party grew tired at this point and was unwilling to trek back to BMO Field for the nightly attraction. An Uber ride was arranged, and the sleepy polar bear and I headed back, just in time to catch the Drone Show finale at 10:53 PM. We had been under the impression that the show would be longer, but only discovered its brief duration on site.

​With all points of interest on my list checked off, we proposed to head home for the evening. Cramps were felt as we inched towards the GO train station.

​Much to our dismay, the train was already packed from Union. Following the release of concertgoers, late Blue Jays celebrators, and late Fan Expo crowds, we stood for the entirety of the ride back, enduring the crippling sensations in the back and lower limbs until finally finding seating in the car once again. ​

​It was a very full day - the CNE had not disappointed.