I DREAM OF HAGGIS

HOLIDAY FOR ONE

Paul, my boyfriend, and I have been dating about 11 months now and during that time, we have never been apart for longer than two nights. And so, it's nearing the end of my second night in Toronto, and I am desperately missing him. Yes, I know we are sad and borderline Paul and Linda McCartney (who reportedly only spent ten nights apart when Paul was in jail for possession of weed in Tokyo) with our mutual separation anxiety.

Nevertheless, I just wish he was here to suffer in the cold with me. It's good, however, to see friends and family and finally eat some decent nachos (something that Glasgow just can't seem to produce decently). Toronto, meanwhile, has changed quite drastically in some areas - namely my old hood, Parkdale.

Where Parkdale was once a haven for poor artists/ recent immigrants/ drug dealers/ prostitutes/ crack addicts and other social pariahs (i.e. weirdos with sometime anti-social tendencies like myself), Parkdale is now an obnoxious cesspool of....well, Torontonians. Everyone is just too damn cool, you know? Before you could just walk to the local roti joint in your pajama bottoms and it was all cool 'cause people were too drunk/ high to notice you.

Such is gentrification, I guess. Long live capitalism.

And that's why I love Glasgow. Glaswegians just keep it real, you know? They're not out to impress anyone and understand that it's their God given right to get completely pished in public. Glaswegians aren't afraid of a good time - even if it means having to go to work the next day with a throbbing headache and 5 hours of sleep. Glaswegians have a long history of being staunchly labour/ left-leaning and that totally appeals to my inner vegetarian hippie. Of course, Glasgow also has it's own downfalls: classism, sectarian violence, rampant staggering poverty, drug abuse - just to name a few.

Similarly, Toronto has its own upsides: nachos, rotis, cheap goods, Tim Hortons coffee, Toronto Maple Leafs, family, customer service, Mitzi's Sister (restaurant), cheap booze, multiculturalism that actually works, and of course, my friend, Coco/Bobby/ Bombo/ Cha Cha and his dog, Seymour- just to name a few!