Iceland:Impressions, Insights, Incredible. Reyjkavik-Part 1

It's about as hard to believe that I'm back home as it is to imagine I ever went. And yet, it was a month ago, when we first landed on a very different island. It wasn't warm like a tropical vacation. It didn't have lovely turquoise waters, familiar music, or a well known culture and language. Words and names were difficult to pronounce and the landscape was dark, cold, volcanic, and treeless. It's a mysterious place which has become a bucket list add on for many tourists. It was spectacular in its own way. Iceland is indeed an experience.

So where does one start? There's a sculpture of a wing, slowly emerging from a giant metallic egg at the Keflavik airport. I related to the feeling in that sculpture, as I left the shell that was our aircraft and descended the metallic steps, emerging into this most mysterious and eerie of lands.

As we drove and neared the more populace area where we would be staying, I marvelled at how a place, an entire country, with a population of just over 300,000 could accomplish so much. Nothing appeared to be lacking. Houses were being constructed or repaired. Architecture was modern. City streets were in good shape. Bus routes were efficient and regular. There was art, culture, and technology.

We learned a lot in the four days of our visit. Icelanders get all their electricity and heat from renewable sources. For example, our host was sure to inform us that the reason the hot water smelled like sulphur was because they get it from the ground...hot springs. Similarly, geothermal water is used to heat houses in the winter. Produce is grown locally and many people have their own mini greenhouses. They even grow bananas!

Along with the good, comes the bad. Things are expensive. Icelandic kronas are often spent in units of hundreds or thousands and the country is deeply in debt.

ISK samples. I took along $700 or 63,000 ISK...we spent 100,000 ISK

As I always do, I photographed our Airbnb house, the closest intersection, and an obvious landmark. I learned some time ago that this is advisable and helpful in order to find one's return route in strange areas. Here were our surroundings in Kopavogur (remember no "a" or surrounding letters, so Koap-o-gur ) on the outskirts of Reykjavik.

view from our Airbnb balcony

near our bus stop

Kopavogskirkja...recognizable landmark

We boarded a bus near our host's home and transferred one time to get to the "big city" which houses one third of Iceland's total population. It cost 420 ISK (almost $5.00) per person. Of course, I photographed the bus numbers (another way to compensate for diminishing brain cells). I also noted how vivid things were...the buses, the art, the fashion, the flowers.

             




There were many delicacies available at the restaurants and Icelandic food was generally delicious. Restaurants were, like everything else, expensive. We discovered that lunch meals are better value and we found a wonderful little place with soup and sandwich bargains. Bakeries were also great. We were also told about the famous "Tom's Hot Dogs", real name Baejarins Betzu Pylsur where the likes of Justin Bieber, Bill Clinton, Charlie Sheen, and now, hubby and I have eaten for 350 ISK per hot dog. It turned out not to be a restaurant as we had thought,  but rather a food truck. It wasn't easy to find, since it seems that nobody can give directions or descriptions in Iceland (more on that later).

Family Dining or Customer Consternation?

Someone was giving a radio report suggesting that there should be child free restaurants. They spoke about whether it's a good idea. Imagine, in this age of inclusion, even suggesting such a thing. I must admit, that there might have been a time when I would have advocated for this. Nowadays, I have come to realize that the idea is not feasible, just, or necessary.

Several things come into play here.  Shouldn't parents have enough common sense to consider these questions? What type of restaurant is best suited to my child, his age and his developmental level? What is the attention span of my child? Have I properly prepared him for this type of setting? Of course, it's always best to begin teaching children at home and then start with a fast food, then family restaurant before attempting a fine dining establishment. Too many people just take their children to restaurants without prior preparation or planning.

Parents ought to be teaching children table manners early on and by early on, I mean as soon as they are near a table in any type of seating. Of course, there's no need to expose a one year old to the fine art of using a knife and fork. At first, they might simply be expected to aim for their mouth and sit for short times without fussing and needing constant attention while their parents are eating.

Part of the problem in some homes is that there's no longer a designated, sit down family eating time. Often children load up their plates and wander off in front of a tv or electronic device, while nibbling. Some are even allowed to go to the hub of all entertainment, their rooms They graze over the offering for the next few hours while their meal becomes cold, curdled and crusty. Parents make excuses and come up with reasons why this is allowed. The children never interact with the family and they can develop habits which are unacceptable in public.

I have sometimes wondered whether there should be limits to behaviour that is tolerated at restaurants. Should management be able to ask unruly families to leave the premises? Where would they draw the line? How about three ear piercing shrieks, one episode of food flinging, one jog around the perimeter of the restaurant and you're out? Should there be a special cash deposit for people with children? After all, why should patrons who want a peaceful evening dining experience be exposed to the lack of parenting skills which cause them anguish and indigestion?

I was at a quiet, dimly lit sushi restaurant with family members a few evenings ago. We had just begun our meal when a couple with two smallish children arrived at the table across the aisle. The first things that were pulled out were the electronic devices. Dad spoke on the phone paying no attention to the children. Mom was playing some sort of game on her device. The older child was punching buttons on the restaurant ipad while yelling out various foods. The younger had his own gaming device which held his interest for about five minutes before the screaming, crawling and yelling began. Dad kept talking on the phone. Mom checked the restaurant ipad food order. The other child started to outshout the younger. It was chaos and made me wonder whether the same sort of activities existed when they were eating at home.

My daughter suggested that the problem was not the electronics, but rather the lack of previously taught social skills. I agreed but only in part. I think it's a combination of the two. I reminded her that she was removed from restaurants for misbehaving a few times.  One parent always made the five minute sacrifice to take her to the car, have a timeout and a chat.  Also, no matter how busy we were as a family we were certain to sit together most dinner times. That's not to say we were perfect, but at least we made the effort.

So there's my opinion. Teach children dining behaviour at home so that the skills translate to restaurants. Talk to them about expectations prior to going out. It will save a lot of annoyance and will prevent ridiculous suggestions like child free restaurants. On the other hand, perhaps we first need to educate some adults about how to behave in a restaurant.

Even Ben Cartwright Would Cringe

I was recently on a Watertown weekend getaway with a friend. We had a relaxing time in a lovely hotel. Shopping was ok albeit pricey so we didn't come away with much. In fact. even the grocery store prices seemed high. We agreed that we liked the large variety and selection of groceries and came away with a few novelty items.

Our main issue was food. We were hard pressed to find a decent meal or a restaurant with nice atmosphere. We even asked the hotel staff for recommendations. I looked on tripadvisor and noted a few restaurants on their local top 10 list.

On the first night, we went to an old favourite, near the hotel. The drinks were reasonable. The food was fine, but mainly deep fried. We were somewhat surprised at how our orders had been prepared when they arrived. It was acceptable but not as nice as we remembered.

I'm not certain whether my palate has become that refined or if I'm just that picky. I don't think either is the case. My friend agreed about the meals. We thought we'd hit an off day when we lunched at a well known establishment, one of the highest ranked in town, but found the food mediocre, not terrible, not memorable. The place was noisy and unfamiliar.

Hotel staff suggested a new locale in the Salmon Run Mall called Skewed Brewing (ranked #13 on tripadvisor). We were hesitant about a mall restaurant but decided to take their advice. It turned out to be a large cold looking bar with high ceilings, some well hidden  entertainment and passable but not great food. I carefully selected lunch, a salad and sandwich with chicken, goat cheese and other nutritious ingredients. When it arrived I picked up my sandwich only to have grease ooze onto my hand. It had been somehow grilled in fat. The coffee was serve yourself from those large thermos type things. It looked like an attempt to create a coffee bar... a nice idea. When I went to help myself, the thermos was empty as were the cream containers. A staff member took my cup, walked away and brought it back full. Odd.

So this brings me to the worst meal ever. I have decided that I don't really understand the concept of the Ponderosa. I'm surprised they still exist. I have a vague memory of one near my home when I was young. You walk in and order, then pay at a counter. Sit down, and still have wait staff bring food and drinks after they take the order to the kitchen. Is this somehow efficient? Does it save time or money? If so, how? There's the option of adding a buffet to your meal. I suppose that's in case you need a second meal, particularly if you find the first one inedible or not sufficiently carb laden. In fairness, I did notice jello and some pieces of fruit when I checked the buffet prior to ordering.

Anyhow, I was surprised at how many people raved about this place on tripadvisor. I of course had to add my opinion. Having said that, I'm pretty certain that out of my forty or so reviews, the only other one which was ever this bad might have been, "It's Time...Implode" giving my opinion of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.

So here's the link for my review, although I'll probably just copy and paste it below. By the way, since my review and a few others have been added, I've noted that the ranking has slipped from #59 to #67.
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g48812-d520707-r224712321-Ponderosa-Watertown_New_York.html

Stay Away!”

Reviewed 26 August 2014NEW

I'm not certain where some of these reviewers were eating but it certainly wasn't the same Ponderosa I just experienced. There's a huge banner hanging outside the restaurant, (a term which I use loosely). It reads "Canadian money accepted at par". This tricks unsuspecting types from north of the border into the restaurant. My friend and I attempted to eat here thinking it might be worthwhile. We ordered our meals and paid at the counter. After examining same, we decided not to partake of the added buffet. We sat at a table as requested and our drinks and salad came.The salad was almost inedible, made from iceberg lettuce with dressing that tasted as if it had been thinned with vinegar. My meal arrived and the waitress suggested I cut through the meat to see if it was done to my liking. I declined, but when I went to start eating my food, I noted that my meat had already been cut through. I couldn't help wondering whether someone else had sent it back. I waited politely for my friend to get her meal and when it didn't arrive, she told me to start. I tasted the baked potato and joked that the kitchen might have tried that new cooking in the dishwasher technique. How can someone ruin a baked potato? My friend finally asked for her meal since I was almost finished. She was told yet again, "it's coming, it's almost ready". Eventually, it arrived after I was done with mine. By done, I mean I moved the food around the plate in an attempt to find something I could consume without gagging. Now for the good. Yes there was some. I had a dinner roll which was not bad. I also had a skewer of shrimp which was quite good and saved the day. This is the only reason I gave the Ponderosa the generous rating of one.

Service was poor. Food was sub standard in quality and taste. All I can say is that if this restaurant is ranked 59 of 131 in Watertown, I can only imagine how horrible the other seventy two establishments must be.

• Visited August 2014
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