Precious jewels, as a rule, are not discovered in the sparkling state that the consumer purchases them in. Often, gems are discovered roughed up, scratched (perhaps), dusty and, even dirty. CSO and I discovered a jewel in Ontario, Canada, called the PepperMill Restaurant in Thessalon, Ontario, southern shore of mainland Canada, northern shore of the North Channel, just north of Michigan's Uppper Peninsula's Drummond Island. Thessalon is purported to have about 2,400 residents, many of whom are First Nation members and their descendents. The town, once housing a bustling sawmill business, is now a shadow of its former self, albeit a recovering town. When CSO and I docked at the Thessalon Town Marina, we struggled with hooking up the proper electrical current, but after changing slips to a 50 amp box, we were set for the night AND the all-vital air-conditioning so we took off on our marina and town look-a-bout to see exactly why the chicken crossed the road.
Earlier in our North Channel trip, we had been advised of the delicious food at Thessalon's PepperMill Restaurant. What better reason to visit a marina? The marina worker graciously made 6 p.m. reservations for us so all we had to do was wait for several hours, in which time we could check out the local shops (CSO's idea - NOT mine!) and shower away the grime that heat leaves stuck all over the body.
At 6 p.m. we were seated at a small table sporting a "reserved" sign and we checked out the interior while we waited for our waitress to come for a beverage order. The restaurant's interior was very much "mom and pop" style, complete with a plywood floor, but the furniture, including tabletops and every other surface was spotless. Even our tableware appeared to have polished to a military "spit shine" gloss. Nary a water spot on a knife, fork, spoon or glass. The service was slow but only because the kitchen was not fast. Nearly every seat was filled......and for good reason. All food items are "scratch" cooked - and to perfection. What a meal.......in little Thessalon, Ontario.
My only "hmmm" moment came when I excused myself to use the restroom. Little did I know (CSO would kindly tell me AFTER I returned to my seat.) that most or all of Canadian restroom light switches are placed outside the room, not inside the room as most American restroom light switches are located. Unfortunately, I was not aware of this detail and closed the door first, even managing to lock it as soon as it closed. At first, my hands calmly patted down common surface areas where I thought the light switch might be - but to no avail. I must admit that the rapidity with which I searched increased exponentially with each passing second, stopping only when I ripped open the door and happened to feel to the left of the door jamb - on the outside. Who knew?
Canada, O Canada, I really like your country, but I do wish you'd redesign where you place your public restroom light switches!
Ancora imparo
