A Day of Discovery: DD#2’s birthday at the Ontario Science Centre

No, we did not book a party at the Ontario Science Centre. We did, however, spend a day there to celebrate DD# 2’s birthday. We started at about 10am, when the centre opened. We lined up to get tickets and went first to the “Space” exhibit. The girls marveled at the different displays. We then caught the Planetarium show--a first for the girls. I remembered my own first trip to the Planetarium...it was magical!

Only about 50 people can enter the room and folks can choose to sit on the bench or on one of the bean bags. We all had a fun time in there as the show simulated being on a rocket ship and exploring the galaxy. It gave the illusion of actually moving, so if you are the type who gets dizzy easily, this may not be for you. The facilitator showed everyone different constellations and provided some interesting facts.

We moved on to the “Kidspark” area where the girls played with water toys, balls, and did some pretend play at the mini-grocery store. In the water station, the kids can put on an apron and play with boats, fishing rods, and bubble machines. There was also a section where the kids can connect several race tracks and see how balls move on the tracks.

DD#2 enjoyed grocery shopping with her mini-cart and picking out real-sized boxes of juice, cereal and plastic fruits and veggies. DD#1 pretended to be the cashier and scanned the items being “purchased.” They played with a mini-house and a mini-castle as well. It was a bit hard to drag them away from this area, even with the promise of so many more exhibits to discover! So, we had to swear that we will come back before we go home.

We stopped for lunch at the Valley Marketplace where we had pizza, burgers and hotdogs. The food was okay, with prices you can expect for a captured market. It is possible to bring your own food, though, and they provide several seating areas for meals.

Next, we went to the “Living Earth” exhibit. There was a big aquarium, but the species were not as diverse. There were also live Madagascar and hissing cockroaches in terrariums. I especially liked the Rainforest section even though it was humid (we’ve had a long winter!). In more terrariums, among the lush greenery, there were live snails, turtles, and very colourful (albeit poisonous) frogs. There was also a waterfall and a hanging bridge over a small river.

The “Science Arcade” was next. We managed to catch the end of the Electricity show and the girls got on the stage to experiment with static electricity. They had a blast having their hair rise up as they held on to the metal ball. They had so much fun playing with the steel drums, touching and trying out different stations. I was happy to know they were learning a lot.

A couple of exhibits were closed and we breezed through the “Question of Truth” exhibit. We checked out the special exhibit, called, “Game On.” It was very nostalgic for Hubby and me. They had all sorts of video games from Pong and Pacman up to the current Kinect and Wii. There were gaming consoles, ancient hand helds, and big arcade ones as well.

Our last stop, before heading back to the “Kidspark” section, was the “Weston Family Innovation Centre.”  The girls spent quite a bit of time at this area. They made crafts and were especially delighted with sponges transported by air through a tube and blown out at the top. Such simple joys!

Before we knew it, the PA system announced that they were about to close. What? It was already 5pm?! Wow, no wonder we were all tired! We actually spent the whole day at the centre! This place had so many activities and interesting stations for the kids that I actually think an annual pass is worth it. We would definitely go back. The birthday girl meanwhile declared it as her best birthday yet! 



Having some Congbul this time

I obviously haven’t had my fill of Korean the past few months. And as hubby and I promised ourselves that we would check out Congbul, we went to Shabu and Congbul again—this time with the girls. We ordered Pork and Squid Congbul, while the girls had Seafood noodle soup. I gather from my research that Cong is for kong-na-mul, which is Korean for soy bean sprout and Bul is for bul-go-gi, which refers to their traditional marinated meat dish.

The dish came with kimchi, salad, pickled chili, seaweed soup, rice, and steamed egg. The steamed egg was light and had an interesting creamy, airy texture—a bit like custard but not quite. The girls, who love seaweed, staked their claim on our seaweed soup.

Our server then came out with a rectangular pan which was placed on our table grill. It was piled with bean sprouts, thinly sliced rolled pork, squid, rice cake, sliced greens and a big dollop of sweet, spicy sauce. Wooden servers were given to mix the ingredients altogether. We made sure we gave the dish a good mix to get the sauce well into everything. The girls enjoyed seeing the food cooked on our table. (My tip, though, is to wear dark clothing as they do not provide bibs or aprons for the possible splattering of the sauce. I made the mistake of wearing a white shirt to this lunch!) Anyway, we let the sprouts and meat cook for about 5-10 minutes while we enjoyed the side dishes. Then, we lowered the fire and scooped some of the delightful Congbul onto our bowls.

It was sweet, spicy and delicious! The bean sprouts had a bit of crunch and the rice cake, pork and squid provided chewiness for good balance. The dish was cooked just right, compliments to the chefs! Haha! DD#1, who is developing a taste for spicy food, enjoyed the rice cakes covered with the spicy sauce. DD#2, meanwhile, just happily ate her Seafood noodle soup. Our order of Congbul cost under $20 and was sufficient for two. When we go back to Shabu and Congbul, we will definitely have this again. Suffice it to say, Korean cuisine will now be a staple in our family.

 

Beginner Shabu-Shabu: yet another Korean meal

Okay, okay, we haven’t had our fill of Korean. Here’s hoping you aren’t tired of Korean meals just yet as there are still a couple of other dishes I have slated for us to try in the near future.

Anyway, one cold day, hubby and I decided to try a new, hot dish. So, we went to Shabu and Congbul and decided to give the Shabu (hot pot) a try—Congbul will be for next time! We’ve had hot pots before, but mostly, they merely involved cooking the meats and veggies in a boiling broth on our table—more of a cook-it-the-way-you-want kind of thing. This Shabu, though, had an order of doing things, which our server was kind enough to instruct us on. We ordered Sirloin Beef Shabu.

Here's how it goes:
1.     Ban Chan (appetizer) is served

2.     The pot with broth is brought to a boil on the burner on our table

3.     The mixed vegetables (lettuce, mushrooms, squash, bok choy, napa), fish cakes and rice cakes are served-- to be cooked together with the thinly sliced and rolled sirloin beef

4.     The beef takes only a few seconds to cook and you just let the veggies simmer. When cooked, just take them from the pot into your bowl.

5.     When all the veggies are consumed, the noodles are brought out and cooked in the same broth. This takes about 5-8 minutes to cook. So, in essence, the noodles are eaten on their own—unless you had some left-over meat and veggies in your bowl. (Our server waited for us to finish everything before bringing out the noodles).

6.     When noodles are done, the rice (with red bean and already cooked in stonepot) with seaweed and some spices are cooked with egg and some broth. The result is a gooey cross between congee and sticky rice, but very tasty and hearty!

For us folks who are used to having the rice, noodles or potatoes along with the meats/veggies, this was interesting. It was a different dining experience and quite healthy, too! It was good to get the carbs last so you could enjoy the healthier veggies first and not get full right away. The critical thing would be to have a good broth and fresh ingredients. As for price, it came down to about $20 for two. It was a refreshing change from our usual restaurant fare, but we will be trying something else next time.



All Aboard: Model Railroad Club of Toronto

We managed to catch the last open house of the Model Railroad Club of Toronto before its relocation. Parking was a bit tough and we didn’t expect that there would be a crowd. After paying $32 for admission, we checked out this historic exhibit. The club was founded in the late 1930’s and had been in the same location for almost 70 years! We figured that was pretty much the amount of time it took to build these wonderful miniature cities. The mini-railway system gave the feeling and look of the 1950’s—from the old buildings to the cars. It was truly a hobby gone wild.

There were some step stools so that the children could get a better view. And what a sight indeed! The attention to detail was spectacular! DD#1’s favorite set up was the rock-climbing scene complete with, not only men, but also a bear suspended on a harness and climbing the rocky cliffs. Below them, there was a campsite, some canoes and a river so realistic, it looked like it had ripples! DD#2 liked the marina scene with tugboats, tankers and a lighthouse.

It took us a little over an hour to make our way around the exhibit. We wondered how the club members planned to move the structures when they relocate. But we figured if there were people who would have the patience with such a painstaking task, it would be them.