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| Where in the world is Rossland? Not near anything you've likely heard of before. Google Maps Link |
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| Rossland weather. This is what it looked like for the first eight days. We're told there's a ski hill behind that wall of fog. |
The twice-weekly event that is a must-do is the opening of the thrift store. Every Wednesday and Friday at 10:15, the thrift store opens to droves of people already lined up at the door who swarm the place like it's Boxing Day. Every Wednesday and Friday.
The whole operation is run on the volunteer work of a clan of elderly ladies who price X-Box games at $1 and books at 50 cents. Roxanne and I had our first experience today. Armed with our list, we elbowed our way through the masses and scored the following: humidifier, vase (change jar), pepper grinder, Sharpie (works!), birthday card (not used!), and Spiderman Yahtzee for the amazing price of $3.25...which is almost half of what I subsequently paid for pepper corns at the grocery store!
Community Bulletin Boards
One of the great things about Rossland are the community bulletin boards all around town. So far I've seen four of them, which is three more than exist in the city of Medicine Hat (pop. 60 000). The boards advertise typical small town delights like yoga at the Miner's Hall, seniors bingo (25 cents for three cards!), missing cats, found cats, and an array of services offered and items for sale.
There is also a small online website of local classifieds. The best post I've seen is the following: "If you have a copy of JPod by Douglas Coupland or Galore by Michael Crummey - please come in and renew (if you have the overdue ones) or return as we have several people waiting to read them." That's right - this is the type of town where you post appeals for people to return their library books on the local equivalent of craigslist.
Local Cuisine
Rossland has a handful of local restaurants and only one franchised restaurant (Subway). I'm actually pretty enthused about the local restaurants, and I plan to post about my experiences at all of them. Like every other Western Canadian town, the main street is host to the obligatory "Chinese and Western Cuisine" diner. Roxanne and Garth tried out a meal there. Here is Roxanne's report:
While "Great Western Chinese Food" for me has always been an oxymoron, I decided to try out the local Chinese food restaurant looking for something hot and edible. Without having high expectations I assumed I would at the very least walk away full. Although the menu was extensive, unless you wanted to get a few plates of one item you had to choose one of the four 'Food Combos'. An additional $1.50 was added for every alteration so I decided to put my faith in these Chinese connoisseurs and go for an original Combo B: fried rice (how could it go wrong?), sweet-and-sour pork (mmmm), beef stir-fry (for the vegetables), and deep-fried shrimp (something new). As they were out of chocolate milk I accompanied my combo with a full bodied glass of Iced Tea.
Without boring you with too many unpleasant details, here is the summary:
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| Thrift store loot! |
One of the great things about Rossland are the community bulletin boards all around town. So far I've seen four of them, which is three more than exist in the city of Medicine Hat (pop. 60 000). The boards advertise typical small town delights like yoga at the Miner's Hall, seniors bingo (25 cents for three cards!), missing cats, found cats, and an array of services offered and items for sale.
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| Community bulletin boards: Perfect place to sell you excess support hose! |
Local Cuisine
Rossland has a handful of local restaurants and only one franchised restaurant (Subway). I'm actually pretty enthused about the local restaurants, and I plan to post about my experiences at all of them. Like every other Western Canadian town, the main street is host to the obligatory "Chinese and Western Cuisine" diner. Roxanne and Garth tried out a meal there. Here is Roxanne's report:
While "Great Western Chinese Food" for me has always been an oxymoron, I decided to try out the local Chinese food restaurant looking for something hot and edible. Without having high expectations I assumed I would at the very least walk away full. Although the menu was extensive, unless you wanted to get a few plates of one item you had to choose one of the four 'Food Combos'. An additional $1.50 was added for every alteration so I decided to put my faith in these Chinese connoisseurs and go for an original Combo B: fried rice (how could it go wrong?), sweet-and-sour pork (mmmm), beef stir-fry (for the vegetables), and deep-fried shrimp (something new). As they were out of chocolate milk I accompanied my combo with a full bodied glass of Iced Tea.
Without boring you with too many unpleasant details, here is the summary:
- The fried rice was stuck in one big dried out clump
- The sweet and sour pork was virtually impossible to cut or chew due to fatty bits and The "pork" being cooked beyond all recognition
- The beef stir-fry was okay - except for the beef. The okay vegetables were mostly onion and celery
- My delightful new experience with deep fried shrimp was not a good one. While they tasted alright, the shrimp were not deveined. Nothing kills a dining experience quite like looking at a digestive tract of an animal I am in the middle of consuming.
Next time I'm in Rossland I will avoid this establishment.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should post your complaint on the bulletin board? Or--you could take a two-pronged approach and also put one on the town website!