Inspired

Heads up. Honesty bomb incoming.

Sometimes, when people are good at stuff, I cross my fingers and hope for their demise. I sit and wait for them to fail so that for just a moment, they won’t be good at stuff.

Sure. I’m the worst and you’ve never thought that.

Sure.

Sure.

Honesty bomb numero dos.

Sometimes, when people are good at stuff, I’m inspired. I’m motivated by their awesomeness. I see them doing cool things and being successful.

“I want that,” I say. “I want to do cool things and be successful.”

One time, I went to local burger joint Nuburger. They’re good at stuff. In particular, they’re good at putting food between bread. They’re good at sandwiches – or burgers.

Whatever you call it, Nuburger makes a mean one.

I was inspired.

They’re doing cool things and they’re being successful.

Sure. I was eating a spicy sandwich and drowning in sweat because of it.

Sure.

Sure.

But, I found the inspiration and the motivation I need to do the cool stuff I’m doing.

If you’re feeling like you’re out of creative juice and your thinker doesn’t want to think, check out what other people are doing. Go watch someone make something cool. Go watch someone do something cool.

Be inspired by the people in your world.

Inspire the people in your world.

Here’s what I had at Nuburger:

The Angry Joe: hot damn mushrooms, Bothwell cheddar, lettuce, tomato, low-fat herb mayo, & low-fat chipotle on multigrain. $9.10

Impressions. This sandwich smelled amazing. The heat from the spicy mushrooms and the melting cheddar and the sweet chipotle tickled the inside of my nostrils.

“Get out,” I said. “Get out of there.”

The multigrain bread wasn’t quite wide enough to keep my stuffed sandwich from falling apart. Knife and fork to the rescue.

What made it? Hot Damn Mushrooms. Hot damn, those are definitely mushrooms and they are definitely hot. Damn. My tongue was tingling and my ears were sizzling and my whole body was sweating. I could feel it. Inspiration. Motivation.

But mostly, perspiration.

Sweat

Sweating.

It feels good. Sometimes.

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of it.

Not the gross, smelly nervous sweat you get before a big presentation. Not the hot, sticky sweat you get lying out in the sun.

The sweat you get from moving around. Running around. Jumping around.

On Saturday, I spent the evening playing trampoline dodgeball. It’s dodgeball. On a trampoline.

What even?

I thought I was pretty slick diving around and bouncing off elastic walls.

I’m sure I wasn’t.

Somehow, the next morning, I ran the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service 10k run. Yeah, yeah, it’s not that long. But it was pretty big for me so can it.

Again, I probably didn’t look too slick.

I definitely didn’t feel too slick.

The best part about sweating, the kind you get from jumping around, is not feeling bad about adding bacon.

When the burly man behind the counter at Grace Cafe asked if I wanted bacon on my grilled cheese, I didn’t hesitate.

“Fuck yes.”

Here’s what I had at Grace Cafe:

Grilled Cheese (with bacon): Rye bread, marble cheese, bacon. ~$6.00

Impression: Crispy and buttery, like a grilled cheese should be. The bacon was thick and smokey. The burly man behind the counter handled the classic sandwich with skill. Thanks, Burly

What made it? Bacon. Whether you played trampoline dodgeball or ran a race or sat on your ass, it doesn’t matter.

Go for the bacon.

Life is better when you go for the bacon.

Story

The inside of the small cafe on Osborne is bright and busy as guests sip tea and eat waffles. The tea is poured from small, clear teacups into brightly coloured cups while the waffles sit on electric-green plates that sparkle with specks of bright blue.

The smell of waffle batter crisping into a solid fills my nose and my mouth and lungs and my stomach. The clean scent of fresh fruit follows shortly after. A group of young girls sit around a table and giggle loudly between slurps of neon-colored bubble tea.

The energy of Tea Story is exciting. A woman with bright white teeth and a retro haircut behind the front counter smiles as she scoops chocolate ice cream onto a waffle.

She offers me a menu and promises to be there when I’m ready to order.

The menu was clear and uncomplicated. I started with a hefty strawberry-mango smoothie. Even the extra-thick straw had trouble sucking up the drink, but when I did manage to taste some, it was worth the effort.

Ten minutes after my order is placed the energetic woman with the sparkling teeth floats over to my table to apologize. They are out of batter and needed to make more. She apologizes again.

I tell her it was alright, ten minutes is really not that long. She apologizes again and drifts back to her spot behind the counter.

Ten minutes after that, she brings the waffle sandwich I ordered. Yes, a waffle sandwich.  As in a sandwich with two waffles instead of slices of bread. Waffles. Like, the breakfast food. Only this was for lunch. This is waffles for lunch but with sandwich filling between them. This is awesome.

Here’s what I had at Tea Story:

Spicy Cowboy: Grilled steak strips, mild cheddar, grilled red onions & mushrooms, romaine lettuce, spicy chipotle sauce. $9.59

Impressions: I don’t know if you noticed, but this sandwich is between two waffles. Objectively, that is awesome. However, the waffle wasn’t as crispy as I expected. It did little to hold the sandwich together and I was forced to eat the second half with a knife and fork. The strips of steak are thick and tender. So often with steak sandwiches the pieces slide out as you try and tear them with your teeth – these didn’t.

What made it? I’m a sucker for spicy chipotle sauce, and the one in this sandwich packed an especially powerful punch. The beautiful dark red sauce was thick and didn’t seep into the waffle and break it apart. It brought a smoky flavour to the steak that really insisted that this sandwich was, in now way, for breakfast.

Liondogs

My first experience at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was not what I expected.  Yes.  It was a film reel of award-winning advertisements, but:

I saw advertisements from years ago (apparently Winnipeg is behind the times).

I saw advertisements for Lady Gaga.

I bought a ticket in advance, but met no one who asked to see or rip or scan or look at it.

It was not what I expected.

Still, it was awesome.  The most talked about ad that night was Toshiba and Intel’s The Beauty Inside film.  Shown in approximately 4 000 episodes, the 10 000 minute film told the story of Alex, who wakes up in a new body every morning.

While the audience (including me) groaned before each new episode, I wondered how I’d feel if I saw this film somewhere else.  I wonder how I’d feel if I saw it at a movie theatre, or on YouTube.

I wonder how I’d feel if no one told me it was an ad.

Watch it, if you’ve got a free couple days, and let me know what you think of it.  Is it advertising?  Is it content?  Is it both?

Before the screening, I visited the Yellow Dog Tavern on Donald Street.  You should go.  Before anything.  After anything.  Whenever.

Here’s what I had at the Yellow Dog Tavern:

Philly Cheese Steak Panini:  steak strips grilled to perfection topped with sauteed onions, peppers, cheese & white wine peppercorn sauce on an Italian panini.  $11.00

Impressions:  Loaded with impressive chunks of steak.  I’ve found steak sandwiches to have either one long plank of meat resembling cardboard (Fox and Fiddle) OR a thin layer of shaved ‘steak.’  The Yellow Dog Tavern is leaps and bounds ahead of others I’ve had in the city. The sauteed onions and peppers were few but gave the sandwich a sweet crunch.  The sandwich comes with a choice of salad or homemade kettle-cooked potato chips.  Get the chips.  You also get a small cup of french onion dip, complete with sweet shreds of onion.

What made it? White wine peppercorn sauce.  This savoury and sweet sauce was the perfect creamy contrast to the crunchy bread.  Thicker than other peppercorn sauces, this brings the rest of the sandwich together perfectly.

Big

The Winnipeg Free Press News Café at 237 McDermott Ave. represents a major shift in the way newspapers are funded.  As classified ad revenues continue to decrease, newspapers are looking for new ways to not only generate money, but also reach their audience.

While the News Café offers a (rather small but awesome) menu of appetizers, soups, and sandwiches, it also hosts town halls, book launches, lectures and educational seminars, as well as live interviews with newsmakers.

When I was there, Tim Hague Sr. and Tim Hague Jr., the Winnipeg winners of Amazing Race Canada, were arriving and setting up for a filmed interview in the café.

Here’s what I got from the Winnipeg Free Press News Café

Cuban Sandwich: roasted pork loin and ham with pickles and swiss cheese on baguette.    $10.25

Impressions: The toasted bread balanced out the gooey filling of the sandwich.  It was also easy to get the teeth around which is a bonus for little-mouthed me.  There were generous amounts of tender pork, ham, and cheese.  Thick slices of pickles gave most bites an extra crunch.  I will definitely go back for this again.

What Made it? Mustard Seeds.  A layering of these tasty little buds sweetened up the sandwich in a way the old yellow stuff never could.

Don’t believe me? Here’s what other people are saying.

“The sandwiches are generally stellar” – Sir Omnyvore

“[The Pulled Pork Sandwich] was messy but very tasty. The sandwich came with a fresh green salad with a vinegary salad dressing. I would gladly return here for another meal and to hear an interview. Great idea Winnipeg Free Press!” – blacksadegirl

“I love their Manitoba Club ($9.95) Bothwell aged cheddar, Winkler bacon, chicken breast and vine ripened tomato and includes a mixed green salad or potato salad. Probably one of my favourite club sandwiches in the city – real cheddar, mayo and perfect bacon.” – Dineoutgal

The thin slices of flank steak were grilled perfectly and tasted of a delicious Asian-inspired marinade. [The Vietnamese Sandwich] was topped with a crunchy coleslaw that was dominated by cilantro (luckily I like cilantro).”

– slamb