Be careful what you take for granted, especially the little things

Of course we all know better than to take loved ones for granted, or weather, or reliability of your car when you are running late already.  In this day and age it is becoming more and more obvious that even taking your job and home for granted are no-nos.  Alas, I do not wish to comment about all that serious, life lesson stuff so much.  If you are taking your mother, or spouse or parents or kids for granted, shame on you, stop it right now!

There are a thousand obvious things not to take for granted that we can all list off without putting in too much thought.  There are more subtle things that you have to actually miss before realizing how precious they were.  These things may be in the beauty of nature around us, perhaps the way the sun casts a gorgeous glowing stripe across the water as it sets, or the way the Lilly of the Valley fills the air  with the sweetest of perfumes for the few days in May when they are in season.  We certainly cannot take our youth for granted.  Eventually everyone's skin sags and wrinkles, bones become more brittle and joints ache.  Unless you are Joan Rivers, and there is only one of her, I hope.  I think she has had every procedure known to man at this current time and has a team of doctors on payroll thinking up new ones!

 

SCARY!!!

OK, Joan seems to have a problem with growing older, but in my opinion, she looks more and more like demon-spawn than human these days.  I wonder how much Joan has spent on plastic surgery and Botox over the past millennium to "look this good?"

I guess I should get back on track here.  The things I want to speak about are things that I took for granted when I was younger.  This will probably spawn (thanks for the segue Joan) a few stand alone blog entries in the future, One of which will be the "Pizzas of Nova Scotia".  NYC and Chicago have NOTHING on the pies made in NS!  There are more than a few other products of Canada that I know I took for granted from the days of my youth in Nova Scotia.  These are things I make a bee line to go get when I am home visiting.

Sorry for the random preambles!   Here goes:

Who doesn't love chocolate?  Even dogs, who DIE if they eat it, can't stop themselves!  I am so tired of the INFERIOR offerings here in the USA, I can't remember the last time I bought a candy bar.  Truly, Canadian candy bars kick the living crap out of their American counterparts.  Here are some MUST tries for my Yankee friends when you find yourself traveling in the Great White North:

-Coffee Crisp is my all time fave.  A nice light snack, wafers, chocolate, and a wonderful layer of coffee flavored goodness.  There is nothing similar in the US, and nothing under heaven compares.

-Wunderbar is second best and delicious, and filling.  Chocolate, peanut butter and caramel with something crunchy which I have never been able to define really.

-Crunchie competes the trifecta of perfection in candy bars for me.  This is English sponge toffee with a layer of delicious chocolate, all of which will melt in your mouth.  This is also not comparable to ANYTHING in the US.

-Smarties are superior to M&Ms in every way, but they don't offer varieties like peanut or almond.  :(

-Caramilk (BEST COMMERCIALS EVER! google "caramilk commercials" and enjoy.  These are almost as good as the product itself)
The list goes on to include Oh Henry, Areo, Crispy Crunch, Mr. Big, Mars Bar, and Cadbury Fruit and Nut which is the only one i have been able to find in US grocery stores.
I guess I should be thankful for the fact that I don't have access to all of these all the time here in the US.  I am sure I would be 300lbs if I did!  You can get these treats here if you want to try a few varieties:   Canadian Chocolate Bars

Shreddies.  I know this isn't a complete sentence, but every maritime kid has eaten their share of Shreddies, probably so much that they grew sick of them at some point.  "Good Good Whole Wheat Shreddies."  I was at the border crossing a few years back, heading back to Maine after visiting my parents.  I had picked up about 15 boxes of Shreddies and they were in the hatch back of my car.  I was nervous that the guard would discover them and think I was starting an illegal importation operation.  In fact, until I discovered the Kashi line of cereals about 3 years ago, I missed Shreddies, almost as much as I missed Alexander Keith's Light beer!

Alexander Keith's Light can be added to my list for sure as well.  There is no "more drinkable" commercial beer  than this, anywhere, and it is only available in eastern Canada..  I actually have to thank this happenstance for developing my hobby of home brewing.  If I had been able to buy Keith's Light locally, I doubt I would ever have tried to brew my own ale at home, which I now enjoy a tremendous amount.

While I have seen and tried "Gyros" here in the US, they are really no substitute for the wonderful little creatures indigenous to the maritimes, known as donairs.  What is a donair?  Flat Bread, Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, carved smoked meat, and donair sauce, which made from milk, sugar and white vinegar.  There are many variations of this basic offering, but the secret is in the sauce.  How do you know a good donair from an average one?  I call it the three day test.  The BEST donairs will leave you with tasty burps for a long time after you push yourself away from the counter where you devoured it.  King of Donair  has several locations in Halifax/Dartmouth, and also in Bridgewater,  King of Donairs however, in Yarmouth may have stayed with me longer than any other donair I have ever had.  Three days was a breeze(literally).  Donairs are a regional treat not to be missed.
-Pictou County Pizza is as unique as anything you will find in Nova Scotia.  It is pizza, but what they have done with the sauce is simply divine.  It is brown, almost green, and has a complexity of flavors and sweetness and spices that makes this one of the best varieties of pizza I have EVER tried.  You can find purveyors of this delicious treat all over Nova Scotia, but it is best to make a drive to Stellarton and visit Sam's on South Foord Street.  No self proclaimed Pizza aficionado should miss this.
-My favorite pizza in the world, ever, bar none, is from a little place in Lunenburg called Big Red's Family Restaraunt, on Montague Street.  At one point there were Big Red's locations in Bridgewater, Mahone Bay, Chester and Western Shore.  I think the Chester location remains, but the best bet is to visit the original.  Why do I love Big Red's?  In part I have great childhood memories there.  In reality though, I have childhood memories all over Nova Scotia.  So, once again, it's the sauce.  It hits your tongue with a delicious sweetness as you chew your first bite, and just as you are about to swallow, you get a hint of heat rising to just the right amount.  The effect it has is amazing and makes it the best pizza ever, regardless of topping.

The last thing I am going lament is Crescent Beach.

 

Looks nice eh?

For the four days of summer Nova Scotia gets every year, there is really no place better?  Sure Risser's has a nice boardwalk and a nice snack shack offering ice cream, and Green Bay has much better parties at night, BUT Crescent Beach is open to vehicles!  Just watch out for the dogs(also allowed) and children, but otherwise, vroom-vroom!  Careful though, salt water with rust the under-workings of your car in a New York minute.

This is my longest blog so far, and the first time I have added photos, which is FUN, and although I could continue on, I should leave something for tomorrow.  By the way, IF you are reading this, why not sign up to follow me, at least click on the ads a few times.  So far I have made 3 cents with my clicks on the ads and they send checks monthly.  I'd at least like to be able to buy a pop with my earning every month!  Eh?