Oh, I wish I took pictures with my camera phone.. oh well. I ran 6.5K (4 miles) today, then my friend Fitzy called. He said, wanna go to the Ex? To which the answer was, 'hell ya!'
You see, I spent a good 10 summers working the final 20 days leading up to labour day at the Ex. Canada's National Exhibition is a huge fair, made up of tonnes of midway rides, gambling tables and more than you can count of ways to lose money. It's also a place where you'll find hundreds of vendors of, for the lack of a better word, stuff.. Oh yes, and food. Sweet god the food!
When we got there, we made a bee line for the Food building with its 90 vendors. I love that place, and it's where I spent all 10 summers at my dad's burger shop. I started at the age of 10 as a bun boy, placing burger buns in a massive rolling toaster (yes, I qualified as child labour.. i think dad gave me $5 for day's work). Then I graduated to fry guy, where I learned to carry two baskets of fries with ease, then to burger flipper (after flipping thousands on a grill, i have to say I know my way around frozen patties.) then to the cash register, where I learned the good manners...
Anyways, dad stopped running his burger joint about seven years ago, but my uncle and aunt run two of the best fish and chip places there, H. Salt fish and chips. Oh my god it's sooo good and worth the trip to the Ex. Crispy batter and moist and tender inside. Heaven. We visited my aunt and I swear I wanted to pay for dinner, but she shoved two plates of fish and chips at us.. It's the familia.. Who are we to refuse?
That was later followed by a corn dog (gross) and a bag of Tiny Tom donuts (icing sugar)... Think Homer Simpson and say, 'Yummm.. Dooo-nuutyy goodnesss'
Oh yeah, and speaking of small world, guess who i saw at the midway. Jelly, who took the day off work to hang out there with her sister. Like the running geeks were are, we somehow snuck in talk of mileage while figuring out how to lose more money.
Good times..
Small world, indeed. What's a summer without the Ex?
ReplyDeleteThat really looks like a great place, wish I could enjoy some of this food... :o)
ReplyDeleteI think I've eaten at that fish and chips place before!
ReplyDeletemini-donuts, if only I had discovered your greasy, sugary, sublime goodness before I moved out west. Think of all the summers I missed out. Oh well, at least I have fond waffle sandwich memories.
ReplyDeleteLori