I went, I witnessed, I ate...

by Lyn Daniels

I wonder where the poor and the homeless plan to dine today. Seeing as I am currently in that situation myself - I’ll take you on a tour of some of the more popular eating establishments for this Thanksgiving; Chez St. Anthony's, A la Glide Memorial, and finally, Martin ( de Lah') Pouresse. These three selections, are well known on the less than fortunate circuit. I know that the whole idea behind this story is feeding the underprivileged on Thanksgiving so as I said before: I went,witnessed,and ate.

I chose to visit the more upscale Martin (de Lah') Pouresse to start things off. I made thi choice not because of the food, but because I thought it would be more convenient, knowing that the lines at the other eateries would be off the hook.
Or around the corner. So by following my instincts, I hoped time would play on my side.

As things turned out, it did.

There was a woman at the front door handing out tickets with a number that I assumed corresponded with your place in line. This wasn’t the case, because there was no line. I mean there were a lot of people there, but everyone was already seated and enjoying their meal. I stepped a little further in. This other woman came up to me and asked if I would like to be seated. I said yes and she asked for my ticket. I willingly gave her the ticket and she escorted me to the next available seat where I sat down.

All of a sudden, a nice looking young lady came up to me and asked if I wanted a glass of water or cider. I chose the cider. At this point I was feeling very welcomed by the atmosphere and the service being provided.

The they brought on the food. The same young lady brought my meal to me. It was the traditional bird, dressing and gravy with a roll and sweet potatoes along with a serving of cranberry sauce. The part of the meal that stood out for me was the dessert: pumpkin pie. This pie was so good I forgot about all the other pie that was to come later.

Now, I will give a rating to the food and the experience of this first meal. I would have to rate it as very good. Two thighs up. And that bird wasn’t the only one that was stuffed.

By now the line at Chez St. Anthony’s should be somewhat shorter. You have to give consideration to the fact that it is Thanksgiving. Remember that the first meal took a lot out of me or ,should I say, put a lot in to me. Which now makes it a task to take on another meal.

I go back out to wait on the 9 bus which takes all of two to three minutes to arrive, even on a holiday! As I got on the bus, the driver proceeded to drive like his foot was on fire, so he had to step on the gas to put it out. Which helped me to reach my next destination in about 3 to 4 minutes flat.

I proceeded with courage to Chez St Anthony‘s. Now this is what an experienced diner caught between the two eateries is known to do. First, you get in line at St Anthony's and get your ticket to eat. Then you go up to Glide Church, weave and bob your way up to the front, or as near to the front of the line as you can get. It’s not recommended that someone without experience try this maneuver. This is also a way of letting time pass by so that you are right on time to get back to St Anthony’s to enjoy your meal.

The meal at A la Glide was good, especially the apple cider that it seems everyone was serving. Sometimes that’s the common bond that exists with all free meal establishments; there will always be something similar on the menu. The only thing that I hate to say which is so consistant at Glide, is the attitude of the regulars. They are there to monitor the activity of the client’s who eat there. It doesn't matter what the meal is, the time of year, the fesivity, whatever. Their attitudes are always the same: very pushy, very inconsiderate. Really, there is no need to be this way with the poor folk who are just in need of a meal .

Just because the poor are there to service the poor, it should still be done with respect for one another as human beings. It doesn't matter how good the meal is; people should be treated with respect. I give Glide a rating of two drumsticks up with one broken wing.

At this point I needed to be wheeled around in a shopping cart like you see a lot of the homeless here in the city do after a little too much to drink. I finally reach St. Anthonys. My number was going through the door. I easily slip right in line, like us veterans of the game do. I approached the ticket taker. There is a woman; their patron of the cause of goodwill on Thanksgiving. She hands me a "glad to see you" card as a token of welcome. Then I was told to be seated and my meal would be brought to me. So I sat.

And it was. How pleasant. But like Christmas, this only happens once a year. Then comes tommorrow and things are back to normal. Now to get down to the meal. Not Surprisingly, it was the same as all the rest. Turkey with all the trimmings. I wonder if today is a one-menu day? Of course; it's Thankgiving. The meal was very good. The parts of it I could put down. My rating is: "Oh St. Heavens". But by this time all the meals tasted the same.

Overall, I give my Golden Turkey Award or as the poor would have it, The Silver Turkey Award, to Martin Pouresse. It wins on the merits of service, attitude, atmosphere and that outta sight pumpkin pie.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday; rich or poor. What is more important is even though you may be considered poor, you can be rich in heart. With that I say, good day, but never goodbye .