Thursday Tidbits

Posted on January 31, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

So, how are those New Year’s resolutions shaping up with one month under your belt?

After a year of questionable eating habits, I looked forward to 2019 to hit the rest button. I flew to Victoria on Christmas Day enabling me to get a head start on my plan. Or so I thought. It started rather badly on Christmas Day. With three different flights and one lengthy layover, I ate a lot of airport food, fearing the vaunted airline menus of salted peanuts and stale cookies. When I finally touched down, I was treated to the most magnificent Christmas dinner in the evening. I wasn’t counting calories but I reckon on day 1 of the new regime, I probably ate about 6,000 calories.

Things had to get better and they did. Sort of. I’m normally not one who counts, calories, steps or kilometres. My belt buckle tells me everything I need to know. Having said this, I do have a few numbers to pass along: In the month of January, I walked approximately 775,000 steps or roughly 25,000 per day. I averaged 20 kilometres a day for a total of 620. Then how am I going to explain to my doctor at my next checkup how I managed to exert all this energy and still gain 5 pounds?

I happen to have a sweet tooth as I have mentioned in this space… repeatedly. December is a killer. Unless you are supremely disciplined, it is hard to avoid sweets when they are lurking around every corner. But I figured that spending the first three weeks of my west coast stay looking after a dog, that I could slay my sugar craving.

Wrong.

My sister in law is an amazing dessert maker and during my stay, I was presented with some of the most amazing treats imaginable. I certainly didn’t want to offend her and made sure that I ate my fair share. I also received numerous dinner invitations where desserts were always served. I also ate several restaurant meals. Add it all up and despite the fact that I walked the equivalent of the distance between Vancouver and Nelson, B.C. or Sydney to Yarmouth in Nova Scotia,I gained weight.

When I get home, I will find an old slate blackboard and write 100 times: I promise to do better in February.

There are so many great places to eat in Victoria. The other morning, I was feeling a bit peckish after a 23K walk. I was in the downtown core and had heard about a small eating establishment called the Cook and Pan Polish Delicatessen and Café. It’s located on a small side street near one of the major thoroughfares. While the café is quite small, it has a great vibe. The owners left Poland back around the time of the first direct presidential elections which took place in 1990. Lech Walesa became a household name throughout the world. He was an electrician and union leader and became president. This was a year after the fall of the Berlin wall.

I chatted with the owner during lunch. He and his wife own the business and put in long days. Michal is quite an artist and does all of the posters and menu boards. When his wife suggested that he do a special poster for Christmas, he decided to do one poster (pictured below) that would include all of the big feasts. Michal has run 50 marathons and completed 8 Iron Mans. If you happen to be in Victoria, check this place out. The food is fantastic and the Tzaczyk’s are wonderful, warm people.

Have a great weekend.