Buy Nothing Day

It warmed my heart today to walk into the Thirsty Camel downtown, for a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip, and be told by Ilan that he was refusing to take money today because it was Buy Nothing Day. In an effort to further awareness of the absurd over-consumptive nature of our society, Ilan suggested a trade for food today. He simply asked that you offer something of equal personal significance for the meal you received.

At first I was really uncomfortable, wondering if it would be fair to exchange a yet to be determined IOU for food? What could I give him of equal value? After all, his food is kick ass. I would go so far as to say his food is the best in Nanaimo! (!!)

We ended up writing our IOU's with promises of a book (one from my previous posting), some baking and the offer of labour in a variety of ways if he needs it. Carpentry skills, gardening, moving help... whatever he needs. 

I suppose the idea isn't that the trade is "equal" so much as the importance of the actual nature of the transaction. There was thought put into our offer and there was an even greater appreciation for the meals we ate.

We don't buy a lot, especially at this upcoming time of year. We don't give gifts at all in fact. My kids might receive a gift or two from family members who refuse to take a different approach but the holiday time is spent enjoying each other's company and doing things together with family and friends. This approach isn't limited to the few times of year on recognised holiday's. This is a year round approach and one that seems most sensible.

Ilan is a good person. We are all lucky to have someone like this in our community.

Tipping with Take Out?

We don't eat out often but there are a few restaurants in town we like to patronise. It would be impossible to mention eating out in Nanaimo without mentioning the fabulous Thirsty Camel downtown. The Thirsty Camel however is not to subject of today's posting. I wanted to write about Amrikko's Indian Grill located in Departure Bay.

Buying a meal from Amrikko's always leaves me uneasy and yet I love Indian cuisine and there is little other choice in town. It may not be as amazing as Indian meals you can get in bigger cities but it's the best we have here in Nanaimo. 

You may ask yourself how I could ever eat at Amrikko's after what I have to say next but the only way I can explain is to reiterate that I love Indian food. On more than one occasion I've driven to Amrikko's on my way home from somewhere and ordered take out. While waiting for my food I have seen truly appalling food safety practices by at least one employee working at the front counter. Not washing hands between dealing with money and... anything else including a snotty nose, picking up with bare hands dropped ice cream meant for a customer and continuing to serve it, various other drops of things to the floor and also served to customers, touching of straw ends and glass rims, ice scooped out of bin with hands or the glass itself.... there is too much to mention from what I've seen in brief moments waiting for my food to be prepared. I don't know, maybe there's a certain expectation on my part that ethnic restaurants are supposed to have some level of unhygienic practices. Maybe not very PC but truthful at least. I'm laughing here because there really is no excuse to keep eating at a place that proves itself to not meet basic health and safety standards in at least the front of the restaurant.

Oddly enough the above is not what sparked this posting. I've actually thought of writing this exact post after each time I've had take out from Amrikko's. There seems to be an expectation from staff when paying that a tip be included when all I'm doing is picking up food. No service as been offered and from what I've now seen they'd have to pay me a tip to eat in the restaurant. I'd always be wondering if I was going to slurp up my straw a shard of glass from my drinking water or walk away with the cold the young woman at the front counter had and was spreading on everything she touched. 

There is always a feeling I get when they look at the approved bill rolling out of the interact machine that they're annoyed and disappointed that I haven't included a tip. I didn't always have this feeling. It started after a time I went and the young woman at the counter took it upon herself to fill out the beginning of my transaction on the handheld machine for me. She asked me what I wanted to leave for a tip. At this point I hadn't realised what she was doing and I confusingly said "uh, none?". She certainly wasn't happy about that. I took the handheld machine to okay the amount and punch in my pin etc only to find that she had done most of the punching in. I continued and just hoped she was charging the right price. Ever after it seems the "cheap no tipper" became my stigma much to my amusement. 

I have actually tipped for take out food in the past but after some conversation about it with friends realised how silly it is to tip like I would if I was eating in but without getting any of the service you tip for. Amrikko's is the only restaurant in Nanaimo I've been to that seems to expect a tip with take out. Perhaps they don't pay their employees enough that they must rely heavily on this extra gratuity.

Negative Option With Cable Bay Lands Project

Negative option marketing is morally questionable business behaviour and yet it seems the city has embraced this policy with enthusiasm. 

Go Nanaimo Blog has laid out the Cable Bay Lands Project quite clearly. 

The city wants to take 39 hectares from the Regional District of Nanaimo to add to it's 420 hectares and allow an Alberta developer to come in and build a high density resort. The city has given Nanaimo residents opposed to this project about a month during prime holiday season to sign an Elector Response Form. You can also find and drop off these forms at the Green Store or the Thirsty Camel. If the city receives less than 5815 forms than the deal will go ahead. 

The Alberta developer wants to build more than 1800 residential units, a golf course and resort on this forested and trail covered land. This is a wildlife corridor and includes wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas. This self contained resort will bring little, if any benefit to the Nanaimo area. In fact, the burden on the city infrastructure will offset whatever tax payments the resort will make to the city. Not to mention the inevitable upgrades and civil works the city will have to provide to support the large scale development. Power lines, fiber optics, sewer, water, gas, roads and intersections.... 

The Cable Bay area is already subject to a relatively high rate of property crime. Adding a new subdivision so far from town and police services will likely only increase potential targets for thieves. These will be largely seasonal homes occupied by absentee well to do owners. We don't need another distraction for already overworked police services. 

It would be nice if the city of Nanaimo would consider a plebiscite that more accurately and thoroughly establishes the opinion of the citizens. Financial gain for a few should never be the bottom line. Real estate developers have become experts at selling these projects but they seldom serve the interests of anyone but a handful of investors. 

Please take a moment to fill out an Electoral Response Form at the Green Store or the Thirsty Camel downtown.

Trout Slapped and Falafel Heaven

Further to this posting...

Why put needed sidewalks on busy roads where they don't exist when you can just redo perfectly satisfactory sidewalks you already have? This is the corner of Albert and Kennedy downtown Nanaimo and not the only sidewalk getting a facelift. 

I don't even know what more there is to say about this.  

On a more positive note, while walking downtown to get some groceries from Thriftys last night we stopped and had supper at the Thirsty Camel. It was as fantastic as ever. I see that the Thirsty Camel is now making speciality coffees and more quick breakfast type items. The muffins sound amazing! 

Here's a shot of our supper- a Falafel Patter and a Chicken Platter. Best falafel I've had (and I've long made a great falafel!). The chicken is always so fresh and delicious. It probably has to do with the fact that it's locally grown and non medicated chicken from Piper's Meats. The tahini, the hummus, the olive oil... it's all so good! My stomach is starting to growl for more!