Winnipeg Proper

Winnipeg is a mildly charming city. It smacks of history, but also has a rough around the edges appeal that either gets you going or doesn't. It's all about how much you like feeling more muggable than average. We had a couple orders of business there. One was Ukranian food, another was the farmer's market, and yet another was getting our hands on the local fish delicacies. Lake Manitoba is massive, almost a great lake sized lake, in my humble opinion. Inside it's murky mysterious depths hide many delicious fish. One in particular is [ickerel, and another in particular is goldeye. Goldeye is most often served smoked, so we decided we should get fresh pickerel and smoked goldeye. There was a good fish market around the farmers market, so we decided instead of getting the fish and finding somewhere sketchy to eat them, we would invest in their deliciousness on our way out of the city, and find a more suitable arena for their consumption. We decided to visit the perogy house for lunch the first day, then split up and 'experience' the city before rejoining and playing frisbee on government property. Alycia's is "the most authentic" perogy house in Winnipeg. Authentic means a lot of things to a lot of people, in this case specifically that it was slightly shabby and dirty but had uncompromisingly amazing perogies. They were damn good. I also had cabbage rolls, which were less good, but still edible, which, judging by the interior of this place, was a feat in itself. They also keep a deli on the side, where you can buy most of the products they sell in the restaurant for home consumption. As Fabian took to the streets to absorb the culture of Winnipeg, of which there is lots, I was feeling more lazy and relaxed, and thus took to the library to read, listen to music, and catch up a little bit on this platform of communication that seems to avoid my catching up like the plague.

I went downtown after a short while, to catch up on the culture. Did a quick run around of 'The Forks', a port area re-designed for gullible tourists. It was pretty weak in a really general sense, without too much specific hate garnered towards any exact location, so I left. Rolled down to the governmental district and rocked out some serious frisbee on their preciously kept grass. We then visited a hostel staffed by the Australian bearded phenom, and showered for cheap because we got along. We also saw him the next day at the market. For dinner we did some research, and discovered that Winnipeg's best burger was nearby and supposedly quite delicious. Not so, but it was above par, and the guys had been doing it the same way for 25 years, so kudos to VJ's drive in for perseverance and generally keeping it real.

Furthermore, that evening we decided that nightlife in Winnipeg, though not a priority or, as it turns out, remotely close to as good as it looks, was something we should explore in the name of Canadian culture. After a run on sentence like that I generally like a short punchy one, like the following. Don't go out in Winnipeg. It looks like fun, like there are tons of people out there carousing and degenerating the fabric of our society. This is not so. It's mostly teenagers who needed better parenting. I was more than dissappointed, and actually decided to neglect further poisoning of self in order to get some sleep. Not a position I generally find myself in. I believe to this day it was the proper decision. Moving on.

Enthralling though Winnipeg is, we needed a change of pace, something like a drive across miles of nowhere seemed suited to us at the moment, so we followed instinct. Visiting the farmer's market and the fish market to ensure proper stocks, we pursued the quest of traveling across country in fine form. The Winnipeg farmer's market was relatively large and impressive, but had a whole wack of farmers who clearly order from sysco and repack into their own cases. It's depressing to see. However, there were a lot of good local products from good local people as well, so I can't hate too much. We picked up a few choice items, got there too late for the local chanterelles, and got on our way. We stopped on a beautiful plateau over Lake Superior, where we proceeded with an ambitious meal. Seared Pickerel fillets with yellow bean salad and tempura vegetables, along with some mini apples Fabian took from a mennonite village we visited. Don't think of it as stealing, because noone actually lives there, so it's all good. In any case, the pickerel was damn delicious, and a revelation, because it means you in fact can have good fish in the prairies. Thats news. We dolled the fish up with a basil and cucumber relish as well, just to round things out. Around this point we crossed into Ontario and therefore rendered any blog post about Winnipeg or Manitoba in general obsolete. I'd also like to mention that being in Ontario feels nice, which feels strange. Logically, one must asuume that Ontario is strangely nice. I think it fits. Either way, the future is big cities, bright lights, and cheese, so stay tuned for more adventures.