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1. Coffee Wasteland
Coffee Wasteland
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Jack should have known something was wrong when he stepped out of the house into
fridged -20celcius temperatures. I clutched the scrap of paper on which I wrote addresses to many cafés
here in the eastern suburban wastes of Toronto. I was on the hunt for the elusive coffee and cake, with resident
Coffee Club comic artist Geo, my trusty digital camera, and a pocket full of change.
We rendezvoused with our fell adventurer J-Mo and checked our bearings. We were on the
right track, but missed our target by one set of lights. This of course did not stop us from finally pulling into
the proper plaza. What did stop us was the somewhat unusual numbering system. Three times around, one consultation
with a shop keeper, and a walk in the cold, told us our prey was nowhere to be found. The only thing left to do was
check our directions and head for new territory.
Oh it was cold, so bitterly cold and it was starting to look like we would not find anything.
As we approached our destination, our hearts sank and the day was looking to be over. We pulled up to an indoor flea
market, got out and shook our heads. Inside we did indeed find our coffee shop, but the booth (yes BOOTH!) had its
curtains drawn. That was alright, even though we are hearty coffee adventurers, even we have to draw a line somewhere.
We hung our heads, folded our directions and headed home, where we brewed a big pot of lovely
hot coffee. It warmed our chilled bodies and let us forget our useless hunt for coffee that just wasn't there. Turns
out, here in the wastelands, a donut shop is just about as good as you can get.
The lesson to be learned from this, is that in the suburban wastes, café's are an endangered
species. They might be here today, but tomorrow is another story. It's best to stick to the more traveled hunting
area's of the downtown core, where local usually means longevity.
'Nuff said.
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