Lunch time!

The city of Iqaluit shuts down from 12-1pm.  Every weekday.  Everyone goes home to eat.  It took us awhile to realize this.  Ignorant southerners that we are (after all, everyone who is from nearly anywhere else in the world is considered a "southerner" here), we drove around town during our first two weeks trying to go to shops, get power and utilities set up, etc, without paying attention to the time.  It didn't take us long to realize that although everything is technically "open", no one is actually THERE.  Everyone is at home.

Traffic. (Photo taken before the snow fell.)
(source)

Normally traffic in Iqaluit is.... well..... there isn't any.  But twice a day, every weekday, there is traffic for about ten minutes. First everyone rushes to get home for lunch.  Then everyone rushes to get back to work.  This used to be called "rush minute" (as opposed to "rush hour".  Get it?)  Now it's called "rush ten minutes".  The amount of traffic compared to a larger city is negligible, but its made worse here by the lack of traffic lights.  Everyone needs to stop at the Four Corners intersection downtown, a four-way stop which backs up traffic almost the entire length of town. It's not a big concern though.  By ten-after-one the roads are all but deserted again.

Schools even send children home (via school bus) every day to eat. Every school! First the elementary schools empty out, then the middle school, then the high school (as the same buses serve all schools). Then the buses turn around to pick them all back up again in turn to take them back to school. Even summer programs and daycares expect parents to pick up their children during the lunch hour to take them home.

Children playing at the park while waiting for the end of lunch bus.

Yes, it is possible to sit at the table in the summer. 

"BUS! BUS! The bus is coming!"

My husband's first day of work he called me at noon in awe.  "There is no one here!" He said. "The hospital is literally deserted!" Of course, he didn't mean literally.  There are no patients frantically ringing emergency call bells that echo through deserted corridors.  He meant "figuratively", as there is a small skeleton crew of nurses who are obliged to tough it out and eat their boxed lunches in a little cubby somewhere.  (He also rolls his eyes at his anal wife who insists on the clarification.)

This odd little table in the hallway is where JJ ate one day
when he had the misfortune of not being able to come
home for lunch. Poor JJ.

I have spoken to several locals here about this odd lunch-time phenomenon.  Everyone's attitude seems to be "Yup, that's just how its done here!" No one seems to know why.  It's not like in Europe where things shut down for a couple of hours for a mid-day siesta and then stay open later in the evening.  Everyone just frantically dashes home for 45 minutes to an hour, then dashes back to work. Maybe lunch is a revered time in Inuit culture?  Maybe since home is so close by for everyone, its just a nice little escape from the daily grind?

Whatever the reason is, it's a another little reminder that we are somewhere "different".

Let's pretend you have lunchtime free, with no children coming home. Or you decide to splurge and take the kids out to eat. Where do you go? Previously in the blog I've talked about Yummy Shawarma, which is a very popular spot.  Often there is a line that doubles on itself and heads out the door (unless it is cold, then people don't bother waiting--they just leave). Today I'll tell you about The Snack and Grind and Brew.

The Snack

The Snack is your "go to" spot for lunch in Iqaluit--if you can get a seat. It is quite popular, so often it can be difficult to get a table over the lunch hour.  Like quite a few businesses here in town, there really isn't much to distinguish the building from the homes/buildings nearby.  (There is a tiny neon sign in one window.)  It is open 24/7, and they deliver.  Prices are typical for Iqaluit (meaning expensive).  For example, a hamburger by itself is $9.95.  Want fries with that? The cost goes up to $15.95.  Add a drink for $2.85.  Like most places in town it isn't strange for people to wander in to sell you various craft items or artwork. I would highly recommend the poutine and the caesar salad with chicken strips.

The Snack

The little sign is how you know it's a restaurant and not
someone's house.

The menu isn't fancy, but the food is good.  This is the closest Iqaluit has to a MacDonald's.
(The food is better quality than McD's, in my opinion.)

Warm, inviting atmosphere. The interior was renovated earlier this year.

Lunch. JJ got a sandwich, I got the burger. 

Interior before the renovations.

Grind and Brew

Grind and Brew is a little "hole in wall".  Famous for its pizza, Grind and Brew also has a daily lunch special (usually a main, soup/stew, and a drink). There is a tiny "shop" to the right of the door when you walk in that sells random things like hockey jerseys, tea, teacups, etc. The restaurant is often crowded at lunch, with as many tables crammed into the spot as they can fit. I don't think they expect many people to eat in though, it is quite common to find the staff sitting at a table going through the books, or organizing silverware, etc. (To say the atmosphere is relaxed is an understatement. Imagine going into your grandmother's kitchen if your grandmother made pizza and sold candy. They even have tablecloths covered with plastic.) There is a TV in one corner, usually set to a sports channel. There is a large candy display upfront. It was tricky to get a picture of the interior--I try to take photos that don't clearly show stranger's faces, but Grind and Brew is typically busy (and tiny). This is one of the two places in town where you can nip in to buy pizza by the slice (the other spot is the cafe in the airport).

Like most places, just a small sign out front sets it apart from the surrounding homes.

One of the Captain's favourite spots.

Inside Grind and Brew. (Captain Jack is trying simultaneously
smile for the camera, while watching curling on the TV on the wall
behind me.)

Candy

Taken from Facebook

Hockey jerseys for sale against the back wall.
Various things on the tables that are waiting
to be put away.

In other completely unrelated news, we are running out of shoes.  You may wonder how one "runs out of shoes".  This is how:  before we left Thunder Bay I made sure to purchase extra sneakers for my darling children.  (That would be tennis shoes or running shoes for some of you.)  Why? Because the kids are still growing, which is a bit of an inconvenience in the north. Why sneakers? Because even though there is snow on the ground 10 months of the year, children still need indoor shoes to change into for school/camp/etc.  Today the last pair of sneakers came down from the shelf in the closet.  Coraline and Captain Jack both have brand-spanking new shoes to wear at school, and the now too-small sneakers have gone into the donation bag. I am desperately hoping there are no growth spurts between now and August when we return to civilization.  As you can imagine, there are no children's shoe stores in town.

Coraline's new kicks. She picked them out, as well
as a slightly smaller pair, about a year ago.

The kids are out of school now for the next two weeks.  This is Easter break. I prepared for Easter the same way I prepared for everything else before we came up: did a lot of shopping in advance and hauled everything up last August.  I cannot imagine living here and having to think that way all the time.  The planning for the annual sealift would be incredible.  You would need to make a list of every holiday, birthday, and special occasion and buy everything a full year in advance (and don't forget the birthday parties your children will likely be invited to throughout the year, best to have some spare "gifts" stored in a closet). Then add in growth-spurts and seasonal changes. And then hope Amazon Canada carries things you forgot to order, or that you will have visitors willing to shop for you before they come up.

Next post: Easter!  I've had a turkey in the freezer for months, and am hoping the stores are stocked when I go to buy groceries tomorrow for the weekend.  Then Toonik Tyme is right around the corner!  What is Toonik Tyme? I'm not totally sure, but there has been buzz about it all around town for the past month.  I promise you, I will find out more about it and fill you all in.