CharityCase

There are a few different schools of pizza loving her ein Ottawa. The Colonnade Pizza, IMO, is vastly overrated. Too much sauce, and so much cheese that you have no idea what toppings you ordered. And yes, the cheese on top thing results in an annoyingly slippery pie that I don't know what everyone raves about. Oh, and it's expensive. Although similiar in price point, I've found Pavarazzi's (On Somerset, near Chinatown) to be far far better. the crust is thinner and crispier, there's plenty of cheese but not too much, and the array of toppings is alot more interesting. The Prescott hotel (Preston St.) has been around for eons, and they make a tasty pan-baked square pizza. Although if you go to the Prescott you really should have their meatball sandwich.

In a former life I was a Nestlé Ice Cream Sales Rep. Perhaps you'd be interested to know that: 1. Next to Cigarettes and Soft Drinks, Ice Cream novelties are third biggest income generator for a corner store. 2. Value-wise, the Ice Cream Sandwiches (the big square ones...how embarassing I've forgotten the name) give you the most Ice Cream for your money. 3. In order for corner stores to use those Blue Nestle Freezers you see everywhere, they must be ordering (and therefore selling) $2000 in ice Cream per month. I used to be lenient in the winter months but other reps would yank them out. 4. Nestle, for the most part, uses a higher percentage of milk fat in their bars than GH, which is now owned by Procter and Gamble. Ben and Jerry's, who was so staunchly independent, is sadly now owned by P&G too. 5. My own personal favorite is the Rolo bar...but I'm also a fan of something called Chunks O'Fruity. Real Fruit bars from..South Africa I think? Mango, Pineapple, Coconut, Line, Strawberry. Best fruit bar..ever.

Air Canada Domestic Flights in coach (Ottawa - Vancouver, Ottawa-Halifax, Ottawa _ Calgary as examples) are generally ok. Last time I flew I selected a Special Meal when booking my ticket online. Tere's an astounding array of choices both religious and dietary. I opted for Hindu non-Vegetarian. On the way there I was served overcooked salmon and extremely greasy eggplant. On the way back though, I received a fairly good chicken dish...don't recall the details offhand. I had flown Tango and thus was in Coach. For the price of the ticket I thought it was ok. But... Nothing could compare to The Malaysian Airlines Flight I took a few years ago (someone else here had taken the same route: L.A. to Taipei to Kuala Lumpur). The morning Dim Sum, the superb tempura. Really, an excellent meal with excellent service, and considering it was the most affordable flight for me from Vancouver to India!

Wow. I'm new to Egullet and with a thread like this it's no wonder I'm blown away. Great job! In your Thai pictures, I believe those are Kaffir Lime Leaves on your salad plate.

Hi all, I was in India for a few months in 2002,and while in Karnataka had several cups of brewed coffee (after a 3 month hiatus!) in a restaurant. The coffee was excellent but what made me laugh was that it had been prepared "bush style". I watched the waiter heat water and freshly ground beans in a pot that was on full blast heat. He probably boiled it for 5 minutes and then mixed a little buffalo milk into it. Delicious!

Hi All, I'm new around these parts but had to chime in on the Starbuck's thing. I'm absolutely against them. One of my biggest beefs is that is you choose to stay in-store and drink you coffee you are given a take-out cup anyway. Blah blah blah recycled cardboard...I would happily take a mug if it were offered. I don't know if this is only in Canada but I think this is a horrible policy in terms of waste. Equally annoying is the lack of metal spoons, instead opting for plastic or cardboard stirsticks that immediately go in the trash after one use. Starbucks' is a strange beast: Stores open in very close proximity to one another, cannibalizing sales at each but capturing so much market share it really doesn't matter. In the past they have approached commercial landlords and offered large sums of money for a rental site already occupied by an independant coffee retailer. Highly illegal, and they've stopped doing it but lest you think Starbucks is a warm and happy company think again. Finally, my biggest concern (although Starbucks is just one of many MNC's doing this) is that they brand themselves as a community space for conversation and a meeting place for friends. This was, at one point, the role of town squares, libraries, schools, and what we call public spaces. Starbucks markets themselves as this public environment not because they're trying to encourage "coffee culture" (as they say in their annual reports from year to year) but because it traps you, the consumer, in a private space where they have complete control over your environment. As for paying "Fair Market Prices" that may be the case in a few instances but Starbucks is not a Fair Trade Coffee establishment. Their beans are sun-grown and done so with the use of pesticides and chemical treatment. Most Fair Trade coffee is shade-grown and usually Organic(it will be labelled as such), and beyond the lessened environmental impact of this practice, it is a safer work environment for people working in the coffee industry. I read recently that Starbuck's plans to have 60% of their beans come from Fair Trade sources by 2008. This is a good initiative but, and again this may only be in Canada, there are fair -trade coffee purveyors offering this product at a reasonable price right now. I don't subscribe to the "Big Company - Evil" mentality, I would rather visit the supposed inconsistent coffee shop near my house that's not in the business of selling mints, furniture, CDs, clothing or any other extraneous items...they sell coffee.