City Pioneer

Neighbourly Food

One of the great things about this city, and probably most cities is the neighbourhood community meals. In just 4 blocks around my place there are six places I could eat with others every month for a very small price. There is the Ukrainian Church which has this wonderful artery-busting meal once a month. Sausages, perogies, coffee and a little jello or pudding dessert for around $6.
The neighbourhood house has two meals a month; one is an international dinner served by people who originate in different countries. Lots of lovely foods, and most are things I had never tried before. There is also a general get-together meal there once a month. This meal is around $5.
Over to the tiny community centre on Main Street for a very simple meal for $4.50 and a bit of neighbourly gathering. There is also a coffee house there once a week and for the price of a coffee and home made cookie ($1) you hear some pretty great music.

There is also a sushi night once a year at the community centre. A well known community member and his team make tons of sushi and for a low price you can enjoy a good plate of sushi in an atmosphere rife with kids and families and quite a few first-time raw fish eaters.

Now some people might think these dinners are for people who don't have much money. Well, sure, some of those people go to the dinners, but it is more about building community, sharing a meal and sharing ideas.

The city is a wonderful place to learn about other cultures and other ways of life. I find that as I open myself up to these new ideas I become just a little bit more tolerant. It is the vast array of people with their different backgrounds that I find so fascinating in this city, and welcome opportunities to eat cheap and find out more.

posted by Deb @ 9:52 AM