ivy

Hi Maggie, You are a great editor, no "I think" about it. Someday when the world ends and there's one lemon left on planet Zorgon - you and I will hold it to the post and cut it together.

Thanks David, tell that to my editor - Maggie the cat. She doesn't always like my use of that word. Besides that she is a great editor though.

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My brief time with "Charcuterie" was an experience I hope to never repeat.

"Above all, never apologize and never feel guilty. It's your hangover, you created it, you earned it and you knew what you were doing when you did. Wear it with pride and try for a better one next time." Brilliant! Thanks for making me feel more enthused about cocktail hour. Cheers, Ivy

Love it Maggie! Our place is so small that people walking by on the street can smell what I'm cooking for dinner.

An excellent idea with no waste. Thanks.

Nice one Maggie!

Wow, you are a stock nerd! I mean that in the best possible way. Cheers, Ivy

Thanks Priscilla, That was beautiful and gave a waft of spring to my winter weary brain. It's snowing in Toronto today. Boohoo, Ivy

I loved the line "it glowed like the gams of a Brazilian upermodel". Hilarious.

Maggie, That was a beautiful read. The final paragraph brought a tear to my eye the way only nostalgic thoughts on boys playing hockey in the open air can do. There's no snow in Toronto and your piece made me feel more Christmas-y than I have all weekend. My grandmaman made us an early Christmas Acadian feast that included some fantastic tortiere, along with many other Quebecois favourites. You can read about it at http://gremolata.com/acadianfeast.htm Joyeux Noel, Ivy

Hmmm... Well I am already married to the Krippler, sorry doll. Ivy/Vic

Matt Patterson, head ref of the PFL, eats a lot of fried chicken.

The Pillow Fight League is based out of Toronto with plans to branch out to the rest of Canada and the U.S.A

True. Unfortunately, Ivy ate at Mess Hall and wrote about it like it was some huge culinary revelation. I didn't think that helped Montreal's cause at all. Maybe you had a bad experience at Mess Hall but I didn't and I wrote about my experience not yours. You say I wrote about it "like it was some huge culinary revelation", which makes me sound either stupid and misinformed by my palate or as though I'm trying to pull the wool over the readers' eyes. Neither was the case. I loved it, the food was fucking awesome and that's all. Cheers, Ivy

Thanks doll, an article on the Quebec part of that trip should be up on gremolata.com near the end of September. Oysters soon to follow. Cheers, Ivy

Can I recommend that the first time you try it be on a snowy night when you're drunkenly stumbling home from a bar. It never gets better than that.

It's not what was in the pillow it was the force behind it. I'm all healed now though and back in training. thanks, Ivy

Thanks Anna, your comments mean a lot considering your past experiences. My main concern with this piece was that it be presented respectfully without being boring. Also, I think the name chefs would benefit greatly from spending a week or two cooking with whatever they could scrounge together from donations. Cheers, Ivy Knight

A few more tips on How to Dine : 1. don't order things that aren't on the menu and don't change ingredients around on the menu to create your own dish. It shows disrespect and stupidity. 2. if you have an allergy or a dislike let the server know before you order. 3. if you have a dislike say it - don't lie and say it's an allergy, it just makes more work for the kitchen (usually requiring all new ingredients to be pulled from the walk-in fridge and prepared with new equipment -whisk, knife, etc. to be certain of no cross-contamination all in the middle of a busy service). 4. if you make a reservation you can't keep call the restaurant and let them know. Booking a table for ten people and not showing up means the restaurant lost 10 seats for the night. Call! You wouldn't believe how few people do. Thanks, Steven, for writing on this subject, it should be taught in schools. Cheers, Ivy Knight