Edmonton Part 2

The next morning, I decided to take a hungover walk through the university. It was a desolate place...like a self-contained city within a much larger metropolis. Nonetheless, I didn't see enough of the place to make an accurate judgement. All I know is that you had to walk up three sets of stairs just to get from the LRT (mass transit train) to the street level.

Nicholas does live in a nice area. He's only about ten minutes from school, so the area is full of funky, student-type stores. One that caught my eye was an organic store, which just happens to be the place where Nick was employed for some time.

When I got back to his apartment it was straight into the kitchen for some breakfast. I went straight to the omelettes, while he made up a wonderful fruit salad with a yoghurt/balsamic vinegar dressing. "The yoghurt takes the edge of that balsamic vinegar...that's the trick." There were a indeterminate number of people at his place and as the morning went on, they kept coming out of the woodwork. Every ten minutes or so a new omelette had to be made to satisfy the hungover mass coming out of the room.

After breakfast, it was time to make my now-famous chai. Jodie, Nick's girlfriend, described it as "orgasmic." Sure, she didn't have the sophisticated chai palette that Nick has, but the compliment was duly noted.

When we finished with the chai it was off for a stroll down Whyte Ave. to the Farmers' Market. Whyte Ave is quite the street. It's similar to 17th Ave. in Calgary in length and in the number of funky, beatnik shops. We passed a whole number of eccentric individuals. We were sitting, eating our lunch on a bench that just happened to be stationed outside this sketchy hotel. What a study in the social nature of people that go in and out of these types of establishments.

The farmers' market was great. We picked up some green and yellow beans, wonderful stuffed olives (with almond, feta, spinach), organic bacon (the vendor was really high on the stuff), and plums. We definitely had some interesting plans for the produce we bought. Bacon-wrapped hotdogs, yellow bean puree, and some tandoori chicken that was marinating at home.

What a dinner we had. The yellow bean puree was magical. We just roasted the beans in salt, pepper, and olive oil until they browned. Then we threw them in the magic bullet blender system for instant puree. We put it on top of the bacon-wrapped hotdogs...perfect.

After dinner, I got spanked at Cranium. Nick must be a pro or something because he seemed to know the answers to all the questions. Then the get-together that we were having imploded on itself. There seemed to be scandal all over the apartment. I won't get into any details, but it was quite the show.

Alas, my Edmonton trip was coming to an end. The next morning, I made one more round of chai to leave a lasting memory. Jodie and her mom were so gracious as to give me a ride to the bus depot for my return trip home.

All in all, I solid weekend.