At Report on Business, interviews with three Canadian sellers who use Etsy, eBay and Shopify to hawk their wares.
On Loblaws, in Winnipeg and Toronto
I haaaaaate shopping at Loblaws and was totally ready to write a complete rant. Why is it that a huge, multimillion dollar chain charges more for my preferred eco dish soap than the Kensington one-off Essence of Life? Prioritizing relationships with big suppliers over customers, that’s why. But when I was thinking about why Kensington is resisting Loblaws so strongly while Winnipeg is practically begging for one, a rep from FoodShare convinced me to broaden my point of view. I like when that happens.
On the Globe site: When big supermarkets come downtown, fear not for the local cheesemonger.
Big Thinkers
I’m extremely pleased with this week’s cover story in The Grid on 10 young Toronto scientists. Thanks to The Grid for having the guts to run with a slightly offbeat pitch.
A few opinions
From my new, semi-regular column for the Globe and Mail online:
Wedding and Baby Showers Are Hideous Relics: Don’t Throw Them
On Rehtaeh Parsons, and why the term “rape culture” isn’t the best tool for stopping rape
Yam-Topped Shepherd’s Pie with Chilean Flavours
I’ve been getting a produce box from Fresh City, which is super handy in the cold weather, especially since I don’t have a car. The goods are usually pristine and delicious (my only issue has been with the mangos, and this is not surprising in Toronto in the winter) and I enjoy the puzzle-solving aspect of figuring out what to do with the mix of fruit and veg that I end up with.
This week saw the delivery of a pound of cute little yams, which inspired a pseudo-South American version of shepherd’s pie: a beef mixture made up as if for Chilean empanadas (lots of aromatic spices, plus olives, raisins and hard-boiled eggs), topped with mashed yams. Forgive me for attempting to food blog, but I thought it was tasty enough to deserve a post, mainly so that I can remember how to make it again. With thanks to Leite’s Culinaria and Taste.com.au for help with the empanada bit, and Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice for confirming that mashing yams is just like mashing potatoes.
I also got three blood oranges this week that smell gorgeous. Any ideas of what to do with them are welcome.
Recipe after the cut.
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Makerspaces
In the Globe: Toronto’s membership-based maker spaces (like Site 3, Hacklab, Interaccess and the new Tool Library) give people access to tools, drill presses, 3D printers, laser cutters and community.
Buying Your First Home
In the Grid, an exhaustive and (I hope) helpful guide for first-time home buyers.
The Booze Issue
Another stellar turnout at the Ethnic Aisle: this issue, we’re all about booze. From Asian clubs and Greek metaxa to Hennessy, enemies and a rant about St. Patrick’s Day, you can check it all out here.
Toronto’s multicultural theatre is not having A Moment
In the Grid, some thoughts on the latest batch of over here/over there plays, which are funny, thought-provoking and packing the theatres (including Pomme is French for Apple, pictured at right and starting a run at the Young Centre tonight, February 28).
Make Mine a Lowball
There’s lots of condos, and way less buyers. In the Grid, a roundup of units that might just go for a lowball (you know, an offer under the asking price).