On Wednesday I took the day off the picket line to complete next month’s column for Shared Vision magazine. I also had to run a couple of errands, but then met some friends and headed out to the PNE.
Bad Boy: Okay, I knew that I was going to eat some bad things at the PNE, but was determined to keep it to a minimum. The rest of the day I had been good, a couple of scrambled eggs for breakfast, vegetables and roasted red pepper dip for lunch.
Jimmy’s Lunch: Big disappointment. The vaunted Jimmy’s Lunch has been around for decades, and I thought a nice juicy hamburger covered with onions wouldn’t be too outrageous for my main meal of the day. 
Well, starting with the bun, which tasted like cardboard, and finishing with the burger, which was not only small, but tasteless, led me to believe that the legend of Jimmy’s was just that, a legend that the company no longer measures up to. The only flavour came from the condiments and the slowly caramelized onions. For 5 bucks, I could have done a lot better. My friend Steve bought some fries to go with his burger, and they came from frozen stock, and didn’t go very far to appease my hunger that had built up during the day. Oh well, time for dessert:
Those Tiny Donuts: These are always a big hit, and always fresh and hot and tasty. Somehow seeing them made right in front of you, the little rings of batter floating down the channel of hot fat, adds to the anticipation. A quick shake in sugar and cinnamon, and each donut is a little explosion of delight in your mouth. And at two bags for $5, not a bad deal, either. No, I didn’t eat two bags, shared with friends and actually didn’t finish them all.
Osteria Napoli: However, after time spent on the Midway, the casino, the arcade, and watching people get terrified on the rides, we were still hungry. So it was off to Osteria Napoli at 1st and Renfrew for a delicious salad and nice bowl of pasta. 
Joe Brefa always puts on a fine rendition of traditional Italian food and tonight was no exception. I had a half-order of pasta alla matriciana, which included pancetta, mushrooms, garlic and basil over penne covered in tomato sauce which tastes just like my mom’s. Here’s to Joe!
I’m back on the line today. If you want to hear more about what’s happening on the line, make sure you listen to the second podcast of CBC Unplugged from Studio Zero. You can listen/download from this page.
p.s. 4.527 kilometres on the pedometer on Wednesday.
