The Temperature is Warming Up in Toronto!

It may look sunny and beautiful outside, but it is blistering cold!

The temperature is warming up!
Finally, we will get some warmer temperature!

The temperatures in February have broken the record in Toronto; it is the coldest winter on record so far.

Our backyard covered in snow

Often with temperatures hovering around -20 degree C., we have had more than twenty extreme cold alert days in February.

The City of Toronto received hundred of calls from homeowners this winter. There were 2,369  no water calls due to frozen pipes in the homes. ( Some were saying that people could use blow dryers to defrost the frozen pipes.)




The city opened many warming shelters this winter.

To bring awareness of the plight of the homeless in this extreme cold weather, one of the GTA mayors is all bundled up with ski wear and will be sleeping in her car outside to-night!

 The current temperature is at -17 degrees C, but with wind chill factor, it is at -29 degree C! So it will be extremely cold tonight.

 We will be glad that we can look forward to some warmer weather!

R.T.
Toronto

Free Clean Drinkable Water from the Ground 24/7 - Elmvale, Ontario

Elmvale, Ontario

Last summer, our church sent a mission team to Africa to work with the Water Ambassador charitable organization.

Their mission was to help build a well for the local people so that they cold have clean drinkable water for their village.

We drove to the water source

Though I would have loved to go on this meaningful short term mission trip, the cost of this self funded trip was prohibitive. It would have cost me quite a large amount of money for this two week working trip.




Interested in the Water Ambassadors' work in Africa, I developed an understanding and appreciation  of the struggles facing those who do not have clean water and have to walk for hours each day to get water for their daily existence.

A shelter has been built at the water source

Imagine my bewilderment when my friends told me that in Elmvale, there was clean drinkable water sprouting out from an underground location 24/7 and not being stored or used for any purposes!

I was very curious about this unstoppable and unharvested water and asked my friends to take us there.

Anyone can come and fill up their jugs with clean water here

We drove through the town of Elmvale on snow covered country roads and came to an open building.

There was a gentleman standing in front of the pipes.

He had 4-5 big water jugs with him and he was filling them with water coming out non stop from one of the pipes. After filling them, he took them one by one to his car.

Clean water spilling out here from underground 24/7

There was good clean water coming out non stop.
The gentleman from the area told me that this water was from underground which went back almost ten km.

Water being directed to the ground

The water coming out from the pipes was diverted to a metal device, then flowed down to the ground.

The town built a shelter for its residents and posted a sign above the water source. It informs people that the water quality here is tested very three months and that people use it at their own risk.

A sign put up by the town

 But residents we talked to confirmed to us about the water's drink-ability.

The water is good, clean and drinkable, free for anyone to take. You can take as much water as you want from this source.


Wow!  My friends and I feel so fortunate to be living in Canada. While many people in other parts of the world struggle to find clean water for their daily existence, there is such an abundance of natural resources in this country!

We are thankful to God for we have everyday!

R.T.
Elmvale, Ontario

Enoying Good Food With Good Friends - Elmvale, Ontario

Downtown street - Elmvale, Ontario

Once a while, we have this urge to go away from our own city and head out to another town.

It has been cold for the last little while and many of us did stay in our homes during those extreme cold alerts.

Last weekend, we experienced cabin fever and could stand it no more; we left Toronto and went away for the weekend.

Elmvale Health Care Centre

We drove to Collingwood for the weekend. Our friends came to our hotel to visit us and took us out for a drive around the area.

Located about an hour and half drive north of Toronto, Elmvale is a rural town of about  2,400 people.

Kozy Korner Restaurant

Before we went any further, we needed to fuel our bodies with good food.

Enjoying a farm style meal at our favourite local restaurant - the Kozy Korner, is a must do activity for us when we visit this small Ontario town.

Kozy Korner - a popular place for the locals in Elmvale

The Kozy Korner is not a fancy place for yuppies but it does offer down to earth, delicious home cooked style dinners to its diners.

The place has been freshly painted and the decor is simple with a cozy country style feel to it.

Good food at very reasonable prices!

It is a popular eatery among locals.
The food is good and the prices are very reasonable!

A bowl of steaming hot hearty beef barley soup

For less than Can. $7.00, one could get a bowl of steaming home made soup, a sandwich, plus a cup of coffee/ tea with refill!

Where can you get good home made style food like that?

A very popular item on the menu is the Hot Turkey Sandwich served with a choice of french fried or mashed potatoes with gravy and vegetables!

Our favourtie - Hot Turkey Sandwich

It is our favorite! We order it every time when we come here for a meal.

There were five of us today for lunch. Four of us ordered the same food!

Enjoying delicious food with good friends!

We have been coming to the Kozy Zorner for the past decade. On many occasions, we drove from Collingwood to come for a meal here.

What is better than comfort food at a great price, eaten among good friends and laughter?

We will be back here again!

R.T.
Kozy Korner Restaurant
Elmvale, Ontario

 

 

Tragic Loss of a Young Life - Elijah, Toronto

January and February are the coldest months of the year in Canada.

The Canadian winter is long and cold. But this year, it has been exceptional.

Since we entered into February, we have not had a break from this frigid temperature as each day has been hovering around minus 15 C.

With the Arctic wind blowing and howling, when factoring in the wind chill factor, it has been around the minus 25 - 30 C continuously for the past two weeks. We have had a few extreme cold alerts this winter warning the homeless to seek shelter inside government and charitable agencies.

It was cold the evening when we drove to my sister's house for the New Year Eve's dinner. When we woke up in the morning the next day, we were told that it was the coldest night this winter.

We awoke to a piece of news reported on the radio that shocked and worried us - a three year old boy was missing from his family's apartment in the middle of the night. The police and volunteers were conducting a massive search for him. Aware of the extreme cold temperature, the police took this missing case seriously and responded swiftly.

We held our breath and crossed our fingers for this little boy.

Later in the afternoon, the tragic news broke. After a six hour search by hundreds of police officers and volunteers in the neighbourhood of where Elijah the missing boy, lived, they found him without vital signs and rushed him to the hospital.

Sadly, Elijah, died from the exposure. We were haunted by the TV images captured by the building's security camera - Elijah, wearing his boots, a diaper and a shirt only, standing alone in the lobby. Somehow, the little three year old got out of his family's apartment around 4a.m., went downstairs to the lobby where no one was around, and got out of the building with the door shut behind him. He wondered for a couple of blocks away from his apartment building.

Elijah's death saddened us all. We are pained by his family's loss. The radio this morning talked about what families could do in order to prevent such tragic events happening again in the future. The Canadian winter is harsh and cruel; it can be fatal to the ones who are stranded / lost outside or the vulnerable ones.
This death is the third fatal incidents reported this past two weeks due to the extreme cold temperatures we have been experiencing.

This tragic loss of life has touched the heart of many in Toronto. Using the crowd funding approach, a gentleman named Justin Kozuch aimed to raise $20,000.00 for the victim's family to cover the funeral cost. With days, Justin was able to raised more than $170,000.00, exceeding his goal. The extra money is going to a trust fund to help other needy people.


This is a heart warming story resulted from a tragedy. Toronto, you are awesome!!! 

R.T.
Toronto

Dim Sum Lunches - Keeping Families Together!

Steamed garlic spareribs

Food always brings people together across the cultures. Among Chinese people, regardless of where and how old they are, going for dim sum is the most popular activity for many of them.

 My parents used to go for dim sum often,  at least a few times a week

Back -steamed meat buns; front -beef meat balls

 
Though my dad passed away a few years ago, the dim sum tradition continues with my mom who is taken out for her most favorite activity every week, sometimes two to three times a week by one of her children.
 

Sui Miu- pork and shrimp dumplings

Dave, our youngest brother and his wife pick up Mom from her senior apartment every Saturday morning and spend almost the entire morning with her at the restaurant, talking and enjoying the dim sum dishes.

What old people would not like that?

Shrimp dumplings

Dim Sum - Dim in Chinese means a little bit while Sum means from the heart. Together, it means the large variety of small dishes that are served in Chinese restaurants ( from the southern region of China) between the hours of around 9.am. - 2:00p.m.

There are a big selection on the dim sum menus

 
Since the selections on dim sum menus are quite large,  patrons can choose somewhere between six to twenty dishes from the menus.










However, only Chinese restaurants with a certain size can afford to offer dim sum to their customers. Usually smaller restaurants do not offer these dishes.

Tofu rolls

Chinese Canadians love going for dim sum as it is a very pleasant experience. 

Yes, the food is good because the serving for each dish is small, therefore, customers can eat more varieties of food in smaller quantities.

The social aspect of dim sum is as important as the food

The more important part of dim sum is the social aspect. Dim sum restaurants usually can accommodate diners of up to twelve sometimes fourteen people at a large table.

This is great for family get together with grandparents, uncles and aunts and so.

Lots of J.'s cousins, uncles & aunts came for dim sum with her

 
Recently, Janice, my niece from Calgary was in Toronto for a visit and she had not seen her many cousins for a long time.

 So her sister sent out an email asking her extended family members to join them for dim sum at the Diamond Restaurant in Richmond Hill.

J.'s cousins love dim sum too!

Twenty- two people in total including Janice's uncles, aunties from both sides of her mother's families and cousins, some married with young children showed up to see her and ate together.

It took three large tables to sit all twenty two people.

Dim sum - great for family and friends to get together

It was an impromptu  family reunion without much fanfare, but just a Saturday morning dim sum time together with loved ones we had not seen for a little while.

Sticky RiceWraps

Dim sum, never underestimate what these little dishes can do to keep the families together!


R.T.
Diamond Restaurant
Richmond Hill, Ontario
 

Welcoming the Year of the Ram - Sharing a Chinese New Year Eve Dinner

In China, the most important dinner for Chinese is the Lunar New Year Eve dinner with family members.

The strong desire for those away from home to  get home for the Lunar New Year was evident in the millions of Chinese on the move every year around this time. Everyone tries very hard spending days, traveling long distances to be with their families for the New Year, very much like North Americans do around the time of Christmas.

Since the majority of my extended family members, save for our kids, reside in the Greater Toronto area, we didn't have to travel any distance nor did we have to do any cooking as we were invited to a fantastic Lunar New Year Eve dinner tonight.

A traditional Chinese New Year tray containing sweets treats

It has always been important for my parents to celebrate the Lunar New Year and share the important dinner.

Though my dad passed away a few years ago, we still continue with that tradition.

My sister was thoughtful and generous enough to host us in their beautiful home. 

A vase of beautiful flowers greeted us and welcome us into the home.


Beside the flowers, there was  the traditional New Year tray of sweet treats tempting guests visiting their home.

Chinese New Year Eve dinner is an important tradition for families

My sister and Fanny were busy in the kitchen preparing for the New Year Eve dinner. In fact, they started cooking yesterday and spent the whole day today.

The dinner usually contains nine courses

Together, they prepared a nine course dinner for the family and some of their relatives.

The food in each dish was rich with symbolism; each dish of these nine course dinner represented something good for the new year.

A very special big combination dish

 Of the nine dishes, there were steamed chicken, deep fried oysters, taro and pork stew, meat, dumping, steamed fish, barbeque pork, steamed scallops and cucumbers, a vegetable plate etc.


The star of the dinner was this big combination dish with shrimps, fish, pork, mushrooms and various vegetables cooked in their own sauces and then plated nicely and served in a big serving dish.

I heard of this dish before but never had it. It looked appetizing and tasted delicious!

Rosie and Fanny did an outstanding job making this very special dish!

New Year dinner - getting the young & old together

The New Year Eve dinner is for family members, young and old,  far and near to be together. 

Wearing traditional Chinese clothes for the New Year

Around Lunar New Year time, most people taking part in the dinner, especially kids dress in their traditional Chinese clothes, usually in red. 

Roxanne was wearing red too!

Even Roxanne, the family pet was dressed in red in observance of this significant day!

Giving of the red pocket - A Chinese New Year tradition

Another favourite tradition of the New Year celebration is the giving of red pockets to the youngsters and unmarried people.

Unlike the western culture where gift recipients always open the gifts they receive right in front of the givers, Chinese people do not open their red pockets which contain various amount of money depending on the economic condition of the givers.

Three generations celebrating the New Year together!

A great dinner, a celebration and an excellent opportunity for family members to be together!

We were glad that Rosie was generous enough to hos the dinner and brought us all together!

Happy New Year of the Ram!

R.T.
New Year Eve Dinner
Richmond Hill, Ontario

A Valentine's Dinner & Dance at 105 Gibson Centre, Markham

Valentine's celebration at 105 Gibson Centre, Markham, Ont.

We had a great Valentine dinner last night at the 105 Gibson Centre!

The stage was set for the evening's entertainment

 We were fortunate to attend this special Valentine celebration as organizers prepared dinners for fifty couples only and tickets were sold out a week prior to the event.
 

VIP - Visually Impaired People preparing for the special event

 This special event was organized, prepared and served by staff members who are V.I.Ps ( visually impaired people) and volunteers of the Cultural Cafe.

A centre piece at the Valentine dinner

Guests were seated by event volunteers

We were surprised at the turn out of the evening as the event took place on a frigid windy night in the middle of a cold harsh Canada winter with temperature hovering at -20 degree C.!

 When we got there, we were seated at a table set for two people while there were tables with groups of guests attending as a group together.

The centre piece on a dinner table at the Valentine Dinner

The tables were decorated with tea lights placed in wine glasses or small glass bowls hand decorated with colourful tissue paper.

There were many student volunteers serving at the dinner. As soon as we sat down, we were served with water and drinks.

A guest taking part in the Karaoke

Before dinner was served, guests were encouraged to take part in karaoke - singing in front of other guests accompanied by a full band with the song lyrics showing on the screen. 

I was never been a shy person and I went up and performed my favourite song as well!

Dinner started with a fresh shrimp & green salad

Dinner started with a fresh shrimp green salad, topped with a couple of fresh bread sticks.

We liked the salad because the salad was very fresh with the dressing not too sour nor too creamy; it was just right!

Main course - delicious salmon served over tender vegetables

For our main course, we were given two choices - roasted chicken or baked salmon.

We were glad we ordered the fish which was baked with a crusty bread coating served over very tender baby asparagus and  something like potato pancakes.

The dish was delicious! Both the salmon and vegetables were cooked to perfection, with nothing overcooked or too raw. Professional quality indeed!

This chocolate dessert was heavenly!

While the dinner was delicious, with a generous portion, the chocolate dessert served to me was simply heavenly!

I am not a person who likes really sweet desserts, but that was the best dessert I have ever tasted beating any desserts I had at any five star restaurants.

Musical  entertainment at the dinner

Over desserts and hot drinks, guests were entertained by different musicians.

Guests enjoying dancing to great music

We even had a quick lesson on Cha Cha and Rhombus!

After our quick lesson, guests took to the dance floor and danced their hearts out.

Guests enjoying the entertainment

 Before we attended the Valentine dinner and dance, we did not know what to expect.

Pastor Larry & his band provided beautiful music for the evening

To our pleasant surprise, the quality of food, music, entertainment and the outcome of the event were beyond our expectations!

Organizers of the Valentine dinner & dance

The whole event would not have been possible without the excellent organization, dedication and commitment of Pastor Jonathan - director of 105 Gibson Centre, Pastor Larry-Music Pastor, and Rev. Danny - the person who pours his heart and soul leading his team of hard working VIPs of the Cultural Cafe.

It was evident that the 105 Gibson Centre and the Cultural Cafe teams have worked really hard to prepare for this Valentine event

 Congratulations are in order for both teams. Keep up the outstanding work you have been doing!  We look forward to the next event and we definitely will be back to the Cultural Cafe for more scrumptious food!

R.T.
105 Gibson Centre
Markham, Ontario