Almost

For five months my instructors have been telling me how competitive the communications industry is.

“Sure, I get that,” I thought.

I didn’t get that.

On January 25th, I received an email from the Winnipeg Free Press.

The email popped into my inbox at exactly 6:00 p.m. The paper had heard of a murder near the Osborne Street Bridge and needed someone to file a story that night.

I’ve been writing a To Do column for the paper’s Sunday Xtra edition, but this was different. This was bigger. This was way outside my comfort zone.

I had to do it.

Nervous and excited, I was careful to write a confident-sounding email and replied at exactly 6:15 p.m. I said that I was working nearby in the Exchange at the moment, but would be able to get down to the bridge at 8:00 p.m.

Immediately, he responded.

Someone else had already claimed the job. I wrote back only 15 minutes after receiving the email and someone else had beaten me to it.

That someone is a second year CreComm student so that’s awesome and I’m happy for her, but her speed made me think about what our instructors have been saying.

This is a competitive industry.

And that’s a little scary.

You can read the story that was published here. It really is quite good.

Manypeople

If you haven’t been to ManyFest yet, go.

Why? Food Truck Wars. You can read about the whole event here, but I went only to visit some of Winnipeg’s best food trucks – all on one street.

So, if you haven’t been to ManyFest yet, go.

(Tonight is the last night)

Tickets could be purchased, for 2$, to try the sample item at each of the food trucks and then vote for the street food you liked best. I got to Broadway ready to eat. The plan was to try every sandwich-ish option available and write a comprehensive guide to eating at ManyFest.

So, I found the shortest line and began waiting in front of On A Roll Sandwich Truck.

Two hours and twenty-one minutes later I had a sandwich in my hand. An hour before that I had decided that visiting one food truck was enough. There were too many people at ManyFest.

There were only 12 trucks attempting to feed the thousands that visited the festival. Bartley Kives wrote a great piece for the Winnipeg Free Press about the laws limiting food trucks in Winnipeg that might explain the shortage of creative street food in the city.

Here’s what I got from On A Roll Sandwich Truck:

Caribbean Jerk Chicken: Marinated Jerk Chicken, bell peppers, sweet onion, mixed greens, avocado, tomato, & pineapple cream cheese on a toasted baguette. $9.00

Impressions: I’m not sure if it was because I ordered near the end of the night, but my sandwich had no avocados. But, supply shortage or forgetful chef, this sandwich rocked. The bread was toasted, but soft enough to keep the fillings inside and my hands clean. On A Roll wasn’t shy about their chicken, each bite was full of the chunky pieces.

What Made it? Pineapple cream cheese. This sweet and creamy spread balances the spiciness of the chicken. I’d probably enjoy a slice of old bread with that cream cheese.

Yes, I had two sandwiches.

Thai Shrimp Po Boy: Thai breaded shrimp served with tomato, coleslaw, sriracha mayo, & cilantro on a toasted baguette. $9.00

Impressions: Big Shrimp. Each half of the baguette housed four jumbo shrimp covered in a crispy deep-fried crust. The sriracha mayo was slightly disappointing – undetectable in the sandwich and heatless on its own. The cool coleslaw and sizzling shrimp made for some exciting bites. A Po Boy is a traditional Louisiana submarine sandwich.

What made it? Thai breading. Whatever Thai breading is, it’s good. The crunch gave a texture to the sandwich the Jerk Chicken couldn’t compare with.

Luckily, On A Roll managed to stay open past 7:30 pm. Some other trucks did not…

And my favourite: