Famous Food
I am not particular aware of award-winning restaurants. I'm easy to please and not a big spender. (I think the most expensive meal I've ever eaten was at the CN Tower for my 20th wedding anniversary.) These renowned places exist but it's unlikely you'll see me in them. This changed recently. It came to my attention that a few Canadian eateries had earned recognition from Michelin. You can see the list of Toronto recommendations here. A significant entry was the inclusion of Sumilicious. Sumilicious is a smoked meat and deli restaurant close to my school. This spot received a "Bib Gourmand" recommendation - this means that it has "good quality and good value", so it won't break the bank to dine there. I've eaten at Sumilicious prior to its inclusion on the Michelin list, on the advice of a former student of mine who lived in Montreal and knew about its existence. I myself am a big fan of their smoked meat poutine with the Cotts black cherry cola. Our school staff love food and so our resident foodie, Jen Cadavez, suggested we order there and pick it up for a Friday lunch delight. She was not at school on Friday so I took over her duties. Ten people on staff placed orders. I was blown away by the line-ups. Jen placed the order the day before and I went right when it opened at 11:00 am. The restaurant staff were working quickly and I was able to obtain the food by 11:40 am. There was a slight error (which was understandable considering how many things were on our list) and it was tricky to reconnect with the deli because the phone was so busy, but they were able to rectify the mistake.
My "I wonder" thoughts: I wonder if the new notoriety is a blessing or a curse for Sumilicious. Are they happy to have more customers, or exhausted from the increased work load? How many people just went there because of the award? Do awards in the restaurant world and the education world mean that much?
Surprise Food
We are debating whether or not to reinstate "kitchen duties" and "treat day sign-up" at my school. The employees used to sign up and share the responsibility of cleaning the staff room on a weekly basis and on the week that someone was assigned, they would bring in some kind of a treat for the rest of the staff members. Not everyone uses the staff room anymore since COVID came around. Other communal areas (gym cupboard, stockroom, guided reading room) have small committees that maintain the spaces and we could make the kitchen another option like this. We haven't decided how to handle the staff room duty yet. We don't want to force anyone to enter a room they aren't comfortable in but we also don't want the kitchen to become dirty or an onerous job for just a few when others might be using it indirectly.
This pause has not stopped individuals from bringing treats unexpectedly. Food items are now left in the teacher workroom for others to find. On Thursday, I held my Library Helper orientation and training session at lunch. As an unexpected benefit of membership, I bought Krispy Kreme donuts for my newly minted student library helpers and for my staff. It was a big morale boost and I received a lot of thanks. The next day, my colleague bought Tim Hortons Smile cookies for everyone. There's something quite delightful in discovering a little sweet treat you didn't know was coming.
My "I wonder" thoughts: I wonder how we can continue the unexpected appreciations beyond food. Should it be a requirement to provide treats for others or should it be something that an individual is just inspired to do, even if it is not reciprocated? Should food remain in the kitchen or be present elsewhere, even if people are actively avoiding the kitchen/staff room?
Connecting over Food
This year, I re-established a tradition of arranging a luncheon for the admin team, hosted by me as the teacher-librarian, so that we could examine the library annual report and the photo scrapbook I put together highlighting the events of the past school year. Jen Cadavez helped me by picking up the dinners from Mr. Greek so that I could have the full lunch period to spend with the admin team. It was a wonderful time together. It's a shame we didn't have longer. Thanks to the addition of dining as a group, this "meeting" had a completely different vibe - yes, there was an agenda and purpose, but it didn't feel like a meeting. We chatted about other topics and when we were discussing library issues, there was such a comfortable atmosphere and everyone was receptive and relaxed.
My "I wonder" thoughts: I wonder how influential this lunch gathering might be for future decisions related to the SLLC. Do the numbers matter - is having just 3 for an intimate lunch more effective than say feeding the entire staff? Does the type of food matter for this kind of gathering? Do the parties involved need to already be on good terms for this kind of lunch meeting to be successful?
Photographic Food
To avoid breaking copyright, I try to only use photos I've taken myself on my blog whenever possible. I was searching for images to use with this blog post - I ate my smoked meat poutine too quickly to take a picture, and I didn't take photos during my admin lunch or library training - and I found an interesting mix of images from the summer. Some pictures were of me with the food. Other pictures were of just the food. I'll place a mixture of both types and let readers decide about the impact.
(Me with my crème brulé and husband at the Keg, July 2022)
(Me with my salmon pastry at Aux Anciens Canadiens, July 2022)
(Quite possibly the best poutine I've ever tasted at La Croquée in St. Raymond, QB, July 2022)
(Cheeses I brought back from Fromagerie Alexis de Pontneuf, July 2022)
My "I wonder" thoughts: I wonder about how it's possible to capture the scent and taste experience of a meal just visually. Which is more influential - seeing a close-up of the food or seeing someone enjoying the food? I know official food photographers manipulate and alter the food to make it look more appealing; how important is it to do that as an amateur, vs preserving the moment?
Thanks for reading and I hope this didn't make you unnecessarily hungry!
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