Food is in integral part of life and since I have been writing about my food exploits, it seems to be all around us. To begin my day on Saturday, I weighed in at Weight Watchers. To my dismay the amount lost in the last month is negligible and I have to analyze why. I start off well in the week, slaying the dragons that appear before me. Then by hump day (Wednesday) I guess I am feeling fairly proud of my weight loss achievements and let up Thursday and Friday. That could be part of it. Not eating enough breakfast could be another reason. Planning ahead as best I can is a solution as well as upping my exercise routine. Since the beginning of September I have worked out at least two hours less a week because of holiday weekends, colds and the fact that my Pilates instructor had to cut me back a half hour to accommodate a client who had returned from summer vacation.
So, that is the analysis and now the review of the day. After my weigh in, I went to The Second Cup for my coffee and after reviewing the display cases opted for a toasted egg, swiss and turkey English muffin to help curb cravings later in the day. What disturbed me was outside the store when a little boy selling apples for the Boy Scouts was practically bowled over by a man on a mission who practically walked through him. The boy was caught mid-fall and one of his apples tumbled out of the basket onto the sidewalk. The man bent down with a smile, picked up the apple and replaced it in the little boy's basket. My immediate reaction was to tell the man he knocked the apple out of the of little boy's basket and he should pay for it. The man said "Do you think so?" I said "I do" and embarassed him into buying it. Not only was it a thoughtless injustice to the little boy but I thought about the apple on the pavement that someone else might buy that would be dirty. I bought an apple from the boys selling them and took it with me to the hairdresser. I took a few bites but lost my appetite.
Later that evening I went to the Chagall Ball at the AGO. It was an elegant event with great ambience and interesting people but the most memorable parts of the evening are the few incidents of no fault of the event committee. I waited for a long time at the bar to get a glass of wine. I seemed to be glossed over several times. Finally, I was second in line and the man beside me ordered a white wine, to which I piped up to make that two please. I walked away with my wine and winced and pulled back from the smell of the glass that was similar to wet rags. Upon tasting the wine, it was corked. It is easy to tell that and you don't have to be a wine expert. It just tastes like a mouldy cork and is undrinkable. I sought out the man who had stood beside me to be sure it wasn't just a well-defined palate of mine. The man agreed and we both returned the wine. I asked for a new one and was not received well. I explained it was corked... like in bad and that the wine from that bottle should cease to be served. The wine server didn't care and I saw him serve someone else from the same bottle. He was very rude to me as I stood my ground waiting for a new bottle to open. He poured a tiny amount in a fresh glass as I requested and it was fine but that was about all I was going to get until another gentleman beside me asked the wine server to please look after me before him.
I had planned ahead for my consumption of the evening's event, allowing for wine but no bread, hors d'oeuvres or dessert and was thinking salad and main course. The creative genius of the chef decided on a tiny portion of gruyere pot of creme and pickled carrots to start. The portions weren't even the size of 1/4 cup each and it was getting late and I was thankful to have it. The second course was smoked sturgeon topped with smoked salmon on a buckwheat blini. The buckwheat blini wasn't worth eating. It was cold and damp and not very tasty so I ate what was on top. The main course was presented beautifully. It was a beef tournado on some kind of starch but was so salty it was inedible.
I didn't get home until 11:30 and the dessert was just being served when I left. The evening's entertainment had not begun yet. It was such a shame. Couple by couple our table cleared.
The evening wasn't bad in itself. The decor was wonderful. Norman Jewison speaking of his acquisition of the Chagall painting he had lent the AGO was a wonderful story. He is a great story-teller. The people at my table were very interesting. And for me the piece de resistance was the loot bag. It contained a pad of cold pressed Strathmore Watercolour Paper and was accompanied by Derwent Watercolour pencils. What could be a better gift for an artist like me?
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