Here are two photos of the winter landscape, as I trudge through the snow on my way to the supermarket:
I am on Wilbrod Street, looking east towards Charlotte Street (not visible in this photo)
Looking west towards the University of Ottawa, as I stand outside Australia House
As you can see, it is simply easier to walk in the middle of the road, where the snow has been cleared. Just as well Wilbrod Street is a one-way street.
I realised how much we take for granted in Australia. The footpaths are generally well-maintained, and we don't have to worry about snow (except if you live in a very cold place in Australia). Not that I'm complaining about the snow here in Ottawa (it's still a novelty to me).
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At Wilbrod House, we are doing a cooking challenge for Christmas Eve: Everyone has to make a dish that is not from their country/region of origin and that they have not ever made before. I decided to make a mushroom strudel (with filo/phyllo pastry) for the cooking challenge. That's why I went shopping for groceries today.
When I was walking home, it suddenly occurred to me that the herbs and vegetables that I had bought might be frostbitten by the time I get back to Wilbrod House... It is so different from Australia, where I used to take an esky to the supermarket, to make sure meat and dairy products I buy are kept cold.
Anyway, the herbs and vegetables were fine, because they were outside in the icy (-17 degrees Celsius) conditions for only a short time.
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Speaking of dairy products, I am still shocked by how expensive dairy products are here in Ottawa, compared to what I can get in major cities in Australia. The two blocks of unsalted butter (454g each, or 1 lb. each) you see in the photo below cost me about CAD$10. It's the same with milk and cream. I reckon they are about twice as expensive as in Australia. It's another thing I took granted when I was in Australia -- cheap dairy products. /sigh/
As a pastry student here at Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, I use a lot of butter, milk and cream in baking, and that means I have to spend quite a bit of money on ingredients when I am practising my baking at home (in Wilbrod House)... That's something to think about if you are coming to Ottawa to study at Le Cordon Bleu.
And one other thing: It could be because I am used to the dairy products in Australia, but I think the butter, milk and cream in Australia taste better (or rather, they have a stronger flavour) too.
Oh, I miss Australia!!!
