Going Global

Photo by Rahul on Pexels.com

For most of my students Halloween isn’t really a thing where they come from. They’ve seen it in movies, but they haven’t really experienced it.  Today, some of my students made an attempt at Halloween.  They cobbled together some kinds of costumes, oddly disturbing contact lenses, and face paint from the dollar store and were set to head out somewhere –possibly to Church Street in Toronto.  I guess they’ve bought into the idea that gay people have better costume parties.

When I brought up the idea a week ago, the enthusiasm was pretty low. However, something must have happened in the interim.  I don’t know what it is, and I decided that asking for details really wasn’t the point.  Instead I focussed on the idea that this group of people from a few different countries were trying something out that they probably wouldn’t do in their countries.  They were pushing at the boundaries of their worlds while on this extended vacation.  I can’t say I blame them.  Who doesn’t have thoughts of moving somewhere and being someone totally different?  Who wouldn’t want to reinvent themselves?

I wonder if this will have a big impact on them.  I wonder if they will try and promote Halloween in their countries.  When I lived in Japan, Halloween did not exist, but now it seems like a big event in Tokyo.

It is a pretty easy call on Today’s Perfect Moment.

As for me, I didn’t do anything like that. Quite a few teachers and all of the office staff put together some great looks.  I just wasn’t in the mood.  Instead I took my girlfriend out for sashimi and a few other Japanese side dishes.  She’s had sushi, but never eaten sashimi.  We tried an izakaya that was a bit of a mix of Korean and Japanese–that’s Toronto– and had a nice time.  It was nice to introduce her to something that has been part of my life for a long time.  Maybe if I had taken pictures of the food, I would have made it Today’s Perfect Moment.  Instead, I just decided to enjoy it without worrying about social media.

Korean Dinner

As you can see by the pictures, it looked delicious and I can faithfully report that indeed it was delicious. Maybe changing up the routine is a good thing. Friday’s Perfect Moment is about going out for food.  In a somewhat spur of the moment idea, a friend and I went out for Korean food.  I was planning on getting home early and getting rest for my first Saturday morning ride with the Newmarket Eagles, so this definitely wasn’t in the plan.

The thing is, after a somewhat grinding week at work, a series of tedious early morning commutes, and an encounter with a bonafide gold-digger, I needed something to change up the routine.

I didn’t indulge in any beer, so I won’t have that excuse for Saturday morning.

Some Korean Food

I had the opportunity to go out with some former students on Thursday. Having survived a gruelling test preparation course with me (and then embarking on an international relationship with each other),  I feel a strong bond of friendship and can easily enjoy a meal together.

We head out for one of Toronto’s predominantly Korean neighbourhoods for some food.  They were looking for spicy and I was just looking for sustenance.  It was a cool night and the walk from the station to the restaurant certainly increased our appetite. I think we all came away winners.

One of the things I like about Korea restaurants is the number of side dishes (called banchan) they serve with the meals.  The photo shows the four we finished with.  While they were refilled for free several times, each time one of the dishes changed.  I found that interesting and fun as I am very fond of variety.  For Today’s Perfect Moment, I just wanted to share a little bit of it with you.  Sorry for forgetting to take a picture of the main meal.