Displaced Beachbums

When FM said we were going to Ottawa for his spring marathon, I was surprised. After all the other fun cities he’s run marathons(Rome, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, New York), it just didn’t sound very exciting.

I was pleasantly surprised. Ottawa is a really fun town to tour around ~ easy to navigate, clean, all types of ethnic restaurants, etc. We walked around the town a lot and especially enjoyed the area called Byward Market. It has a fresh market as well as MANY fun shops & cafes. The berries at the market were mouthwatering delicious especially the blueberries. We bought plenty of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and bananas and had them for breakfast every morning. There were also two cheese shops which seemed to have every conceivable type of cheese so we asked about FG’s favorite: a smoked Gouda cheese from Belgium. The first shop didn’t have it but the second did. Today, while I was making her lunch for school, I asked if she wanted some of the cheese and she said “No I want to eat it when I’m home so I can enjoy it better and not rush.” I’m glad she thinks about what she’s eating and savors the good flavors.

As we walked through the market, we came across something called “fiddleheads” ~ which are the tops of ferns before they uncoil. Turns out they’re a delicacy in Maine and have a very short season (maybe three weeks). I had never heard of eating them but when I mentioned it to my mom, she said my grandmother in Hawaii use to eat them back in the day. The saleswoman explained how to cook them, steam for 20 minutes then drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, so I decided to give them a try once we got home. Much to my surprise, FG LOVED them! To me they tasted like thick, earthy asparagus. They were OK but nothing I’ll rush out to get next spring. Anyone else ever try these?

The drive to Ottawa is only 2.5 hours which includes the border crossing so I’m sure we’ll be heading back there soon. If nothing else but for the yummy fresh fruits, vegetables & cheese at market.