JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Because the only way to teach American children of the late 1970s/early 1980s about good dental exercise is to employ a Fonzie wannabe. Speaking of Fonzie, while researching a recent Torontoist piece on the early days of CityPulse , I stumbled upon this picture in the Toronto Sun from the episode of Happy Days that inspired the expression "jump the shark" ( Wikipedia has a cleaner version of this picture ). Photo originally published in the September 1, 1977 edition of the Toronto Sun . - JB

During several recent visits to Meijer locations around metro Detroit, I've noticed that the grocery/discount chain is livening up their cart corrals with cheeky posters. Who would be the most likely grocery chain to take this approach in Toronto? Photos taken at Meijer on Rochester Road north of M-59, Rochester Hill, MI, January 16, 2010 - JB

Before reading this post, check out the original article on Torontoist . "Far be it for anyone to contradict the Pope's chef—but John Lickiewicz did just that." So began an article on the chef of the Sir Nicholas that appeared in the January 27, 1979 edition of the Globe and Mail . The article was prompted by a claim by Tadeusz Podbereski, the proprietor of the only Polish restaurant in Mexico, that it took three days and eight kinds of meat to prepare a batch of bigos (hunter’s stew) for Pope John Paul II the night before. Lickiewicz felt that Podbereski had put too much effort into the Pope’s meal (“I don’t know why it took him three days to cook. What for?”), as bigos could easily be made in a few hours. Here is Lickiewicz’s recipe for bigos, intended to feed six: Chop up 3 pounds of fresh cabbage and place in a four-inch baking dish. Cover and put in the over for 40 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove from the oven and mix with 1½ pounds of sauerkraut, 1½ pound...

Thinking about my aunt prompted me to search on YouTube for the animated tiger graphic WDIV used for their Tigers broadcasts during the 1980s (she watched the game with Dad and I if one was on). If the Tigers won, the clip above was used as the broadcast drew to a close. If they lost, a whimpering tiger with an icepack on its head let out a sad meow, followed by a grumble worthy of Muttley/Mumbly . So far, no sign of the losing cartoon online.

My grandmother, Auntie Gladys and Aunt Shirley in our dining room on Second Concession (Fryer Street), mid-1970s. Who knows what mischief lurked behind Auntie Gladys's eyes in this picture, but it looks like a typical example of her amusing everyone else. She loved baseball, enlivening any situation and, as Gavin beautifully summed up in a post he wrote after she passed away on Monday night , "she loved her hugs." *** She was always "auntie"—"aunt" was too stuffy for her joyous nature. Mom says I always ran to the door if I knew she was coming in, likely knowing there was fun ahead. Though she didn't have any children of her own, she acted as if her army of nieces and nephews were. Even when I reached university age, I called her from far-flung places to update her on my latest adventure in London or New York. *** The last time I saw Auntie Gladys was on Christmas Day. I knew it was a matter of time before she passed on and her shrunken...

While the seasonings and chemicals in the mix may give this meal a south-of-the-border flair, the photographer has not done this tamale pie any favours in the visual appeal department. The slick, shimmery hamburger mixed with bits of corn resembles the after-effects of a night of hard drinking and/or indigestion. As one commentator pointed out when I posted this ad on Flickr, it's possible that high-end cookware was used to lend an air of dignity to the slop on the spoon. Could this ad provoke well-off hipsters to prepare a batch of private label Hamburger Helper knockoff in a Le Creuset pan? There was a time when I was happy to eat ersatz Mexican/Tex-Mex prepackaged food, or any kind of Hamburger Helper apart from stroganoff. The most exotic flavour I liked was Pizza Bake, where the seasoned hamburger was layered onto a crust and topped with cheese. Powdered tomato sauces don't turn me on anymore, but occasionally I crave a cheesy bowl of Tuna Helper. Even then, a box...

According to Spacing's twitter feed , a Bixi bicycle with a City of Toronto logo was spotted in the mayor's office last week. While visiting Montreal in November, Sarah and I almost tested out the city's Bixi system—fears about any mishap with the required $250 credit card deposit per bike gave us pause. Racks were plentiful downtown, with many running low on vehicles. If a system is ever implemented in Toronto, it would be useful for occasional riders, those with no space at home for a bike, or commuters who take TTC one way due to bad weather and bike the other. I could see myself using it for impulsive rides (scenario: we are on a leisurely stroll downtown and are overtaken by the urge to hop on a bike). It would also be ideal for visiting family and friends who might want to go for a ride along city trails and around the islands. While researching this post, I noticed a familiar figure standing next to the Bixi pay machine in the Wikipedia entry about the s...

Timing is everything. For weeks, local media has mused on whether John Tory would enter the race to replace David Miller as Toronto's mayor in this year's municipal elections. As late as Tuesday, the Globe and Mail 's Marcus Gee was confident Tory would join the fray . Yesterday I posted on Twitter that it was surprising no media outlet had devised a graphic to measure Tory's level of certainty about running. I imagined what a "Tory-o-meter" might look like and wrote it down on my lengthy list of things to do. Murmurs surfaced the night before about his decision not to run, but I figured it was more speculation. Within ten minutes of posting, reports surfaced that Tory wasn't going to run , opting to chair the Toronto City Summit Alliance . Given Tory's crash-and-burn electoral track record, this was likely the right decision—we'll see how he does in the realm of civic advocacy. Still, I couldn't let the idea die, so here's a quic...

Better delayed than never... Boxing Day 2009 started with a tradition Amy and I have followed for several years, dim sum at Wah Court in Windsor. We had barely sat down before making our first choice off the trays. I wasn’t sure if Sarah would enjoy her favourite dim sum accompaniment, steamed bok choy (the closest item on the online menu was “fresh vegetable with oyster sauce”), but not only was she able to order a plate without any fuss, she received her favourite sweet soy dipping sauce without having to give a thorough explanation of what it was. Amy and I thought the rest of our dishes tasted better than usual, especially the sticky rice.

Warning: pictures after the jump may disturb readers who don't want to see humans who resemble campfire treats.

While Amy, Sarah and I wandered around Amherstburg's annual River Lights Festival on Christmas Eve ( more photos ), we encountered this sign outside of a downtown sushi joint (something I never thought I'd ever see in my hometown). So what is sushi? Check out the other side...

Source: The Mail and Empire , December 25, 1909 - JB

Christmas is days away and local shopping centres are packed with shoppers scrambling for last-minute bargains and procrastinators who suddenly remembered they have gifts to purchase. Scenes filled with mobs of shoppers and frazzled sales clerks appear to have been as common a century ago as they are now. While researching a holiday-related piece, I came across a special Christmas section of the Toronto News from December 15, 1909 that urged readers to shop early. Note the thoughtfulness expressed towards those who get the short end of the stick at this time of the year—a century later, these suggestions could spare us a lot of grief. Christmas is almost at hand and the spirit of Yuletide cheer already here. One can feel it in the air—can read it on the face of the passerby. Thoughts are turning to the selection of gifts—each one to add to the cheer of the time. If only those thoughts could be converted into action. If instead of thinking of selection the great public were...

(click for full-size version) But how could our intrepid writer not been impressed with the facilities, flat rates and "Fiddler on the Roof" while writing this advertorial? He's being paid to enjoy it...which makes me wonder how Mr. Halliday would have raved about a lesser establishment... I spent a considerable amount of time researching each and every room at the Harlequin Hotel and declare that these character-filled spaces have their own unique touches. I could visualize the merry moments of bliss that filled each eye-catching element of all twenty-five rooms. The sheets come in a rainbow of colours that reflect the moods and inspirations of previous guests. The lush carpeting retains an inkling of the form and function of times long past. Sam the manager has done a spectacular job taking every guest's needs into consideration, from the cool breeze percolating through the stained-glass windows to the complimentary selection of toiletries carefully chosen t...

This ad for a popular 1950s swimwear designer delighted quite a few websurfers when it was posted on Flickr. Chalk it up to the simple, classy style the ad designer used, or the hints of mischief emanating from the model's face. As for what a New York shopper could have done to amuse themselves after purchasing a "jewel of the sea," let's consult the "Goings on About Town" section (or, as it was subtitled in '58, "a conscientious calendar of events of interest"). If they were in a theatrical mood, productions in first run on Broadway included Look Back in Anger , The Music Man , Sunrise at Campobello and West Side Story . Under "Night Life", the "Big and Brassy" section might have caught their eye. At the Copacabana, " Ella Fitzgerald , as oracle of many voices, many moods, many tempos, can range from the romantic to the abstract as quick as a wink. She's the one good deed in a very long night." Use...

Scene from a psychogeography walk last week: The display greeted the group of walkers as they emerged from a neighbourhood park onto Brock Avenue. Nearly every traditional and commercial symbol of the holiday season was present amid the carefully constructed carnival of lights. The jolly big elf, snowmen, penguins, gift-loaded trains, nativity scenes...little was left out of this west-end front yard apart from an illuminated thank you note from the beancounters at Toronto Hydro. It would have taken a supreme show of willpower from any bypassers not to stop and observe the display and find subtle touches that would be missed by others. Just as remarkable was the simplicity of the lights next door. Knowing there was no way to compete with the neighbouring display, the house on the right opted for simple yet colourful strings of lights to provide a cozy December glow.

How secure would you feel on these balconies? I felt seasick looking at them during a lazy walk through downtown Montreal. Photo taken in Montreal, November 7, 2009 - JB PS : Over on Torontoist, blind workers and trained toasters .

For the past several years, an afternoon of apple picking has been part of my Thanksgiving weekend. As long as the weather cooperates, it's a chance to relive a favourite childhood activity, when the entire family would head to orchards around Essex or Harrow. Recent pickings have been closer the latter, usually at one of two orchards on Ferris Road. This year, Amy, Sarah and I headed to Twin Oaks, a no frills spot where the only razzle dazzle is the van where pickers purchase bags for the fresh apple goodness to come. The trees hadn't been fully picked over, leaving us with plenty of fruit to choose from and clown around with . Even the ladybugs joined in the fun, though they failed to wrestle any apples off the trees. I'm still making my way through the x-number of pounds I picked. Most have wound up in lunchtime salads, mixed with cheese, mandarin oranges and other goodies. All photos taken October 11, 2009 - JB

While Project Concern is still functioning, it should also be noted that none of the chains thanked at the bottom of the ad currently operate in the Detroit area: A&P later bought Farmer Jack grocery stores and exited the area in 2007 Kroger purchased Great Scott! supermarkets in 1990 Cunningham Drug Stores was bought by Perry Drug Stores in the 1980s, who was bought by Rite Aid in 1995 I have no idea what Quick-Pik was. *** The July 1978 issue of Monthly Detroit reported on the “un-Americanization of CKLW,” as the " Big 8 " was rebuked by the CRTC for not making enough of an effort to provide the proper amount of Canadian content to Windsorites. According to writer Judy Gerstel, “you have to understand right from the beginning when you’re talking about CKLW that it is a Windsor radio station licensed by the Canadian government and in Canada success, if not exactly illegal, is at least undesirable.” During the station’s license renewal, the CRTC expecte...

I guess I should have waited a little longer to post the last installment of my stroll along Broadway Avenue . Almost two weeks ago, I noticed that the lot of Brennan Pontiac Buick GMC was emptier than usual. Upon closer inspection, office equipment was piled up in the showroom. Sell-off sale announcements were posted on all of the windows. In short: sixty years of car dealerships at the corner of Bayview and Broadway have drawn to a close.