Edmonton, Ab.

Merry Days! With winter firmly established here in Edmonton, I was fortunate to find myself amongst some lovely company… ironically at a place called Odd Company, holiday feastin’ it up on a Reuben. This reubey was a dandy with a few notable points. Bread, not toast. But somehow they managed to still produce a sandwich that wasn't soggy. And yet the meat wasn’t dry…
Even after all these Reubens, I can still be flummoxed. 

Speaking of bewilderment, the pictured group and myself had just come from a volunteer shift at the local food bank, and I learned a ton. First, expiration dates are a bit more fluid than I thought. Canned food is good for 3 years past the date! And dry goods for 1 year! For the record, this blog will not claim any responsibility for you eating expired food though… do it at your own risk kinda thing.

Second, there is no governmental support for the food bank and need is at an all time high…

Third, it is a lot of fun and very easy to volunteer there!

Ok, let’s be honest, this is starting to feel like a hard press to make people volunteer isn’t it?

Well, it truly is not. But I will say I had a great time with the University Hospital Foundation/Artists on the Wards crew, and am looking forward to going back to help out again. So thanks for bringing me along, and anyone reading with a hankering to volunteer, reach out to me, I’d be keen to go again! 

Hunger is pretty scary, and it's becoming more pervasive in our city and country. We all know the costs of a Reuben have been going up, up, up, so in summation, as the holidays rear around… Help out.. Revel in some lovely company (maybe at Odd Company) and as the late, great Warren Zevon said, Enjoy every sandwich.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!