Greg Davis

I think there’s a provincial election coming up in Ontario. For the first time since 6th grade I’m out the loop on when exactly it is or the platforms of the major parties involved. I could spend a few minutes googling for some details, or I could put up this short rant to vent any frustrations I would normally get out over a drink with anyone who will listen.

Sorry Tim Hudak, I know close to nothing about you, but the 2-3 sound bytes I’ve picked up over the last few years make me want to vomit thinking that this is the best a conservative movement in the place that has always been my home can drum up. Thanks for wasting the small portion of my life that went to hearing you speak on repealing the HST or the hyperbole of targeting foreign workers.

And Dalton McGuinty, thanks for doing a whole lot of nothing over the last 8 years that I can think of, aside from marring the landscape of south western Ontario with useless wind energy projects over your tenure (please let the word subsidy die, it’s never a good idea).

How bout someone grow a pair and start talking (in Ontario and beyond) about agricultural reform (think subsidies and the industrialized grain fed disaster), invent a real environmental program (land and park conservation), strike down religious privilege in our tax and school systems, do something to start bringing down the growth of health care costs, get rid of EVERY subsidy and lower income tax, lobby for the elimination of supply-side drug enforcement, and kill the ridiculous Cuban embargo (ok this last one is pretty specific to US feds, but hey come on this makes no sense).

It’s not that real candidates never come around (i.e. Republican Gary Johnson for 2012 US election). I think the problem really might be the majority of people subscribe to such a poor journalistic standard and lack any sort of personal leadership in their lives, that when a spark of originality shows itself in any political sphere, there just isn’t sufficient kindling around these parts.

[Editor’s Note: I originally wrote this for an old site called Modern Forager and am reposting here since it now has no home.]

This is a continuation from Part I introducing Lorette Luzajic as a part-time food journalist with some interesting commentary on shopping for and using spices & herbs, and her recent experiences writing under headlines like “ I’m A Natural Born Killer ” and “ Life After Bread “.In this second part of the interview the subject moves to cover social stigmas from a female perspective, the real effects diet changes have had in her life and how lessons learned have impacted her future writing projects.

Is it socially acceptable to pile meat and fat on a plate? And do you feel you are you treated differently in this respect as a female?

__(‘Read the rest of this entry »’)

[Editor’s Note: I originally wrote this for an old site called Modern Forager and am reposting here since it now has no home.]

Lorette Luzajic is a contributer to a great Canadian win and food website called Gremolata. But she’s not just any food writer.  Her last headline, “ I’m A Natural Born Killer “, caught my attention along with the undoubtedly significant vegetarian readership.  “ Life After Bread ” was equally compelling.  She’s earned the handle “resident spice girl”, having written some great spice profiles backed up at home with over 70 spice jars.  I thought it would be great if I could bring her perspective here for some insights on food journalism and being a female eating gluten-free.

__(‘Read the rest of this entry »’)

A new report by The Atlantic lists Toronto as the #2 best city to live in for business, life, and innovation. But to go on a practical tangent, where should one be buying the spices to stock their kitchen?

It was several years ago that I reviewed a store called The Spice Trader for BlogTO. I have yet to find another store with spices of comparable quality, in spite of hopes that a there would be some sort of cheaper ethnic jewel of a source somewhere in the city.

I’m willing to pay a premium for quality, but what gets me is that the store does not offer any sort of volume discount. With prices ranging from $5-10 for small tins, whether you buy 1 or 10 at a time there is no mercy as you shell out quite a bit of cash. And so despite the dominance of Spice Trader tins on our spice shelf, most of them have been restocked with cheaper versions from various sources.

While I have a few favorites that I might keep buying from Spice Trader (roasted paprika!), I’m still holding out hope that I’ll stumble upon a great store or someone will tip me off. I am excited to see the new Top Chef Canada stumbling around some places in Toronto like Ethiopian Spice Store and
Perola’s in Kensington market.

Possibly the best cobb salad in TO.. at The Senator Diner near Dundas Square.

Senator Cobb Salad