Land of Endearing Earnesty

When you’re walking around your city, do you often notice the names of the businesses you pass by? Are you surprised by/interested in/annoyed with the names of businesses advertised on TV? I’ve never really felt that way. Until I moved to Toronto.

Since arriving, I’ve been struck by the outright earnesty in the business names. At first I laughed, often because I was taken by surprise in conversation – “you’ll like that neighborhood. They have lots of fresh food and a healthy butcher.” Sounds good, right? The next day, when I was walking around the neighborhood, I passed The Healthy Butcher. It’s the name of the store, not just a positive descriptor.

Once this initial realization hit me, I began to notice more and more examples. “Sushi-2-Go,” “Trendy Fabrics,” “No-Frills Grocery Mart,” “The Social Club,” “Canadian Tire,” (which is actually more of a home depot) and it goes on and on.

I was laughing about this with a friend here, and her response was “Don’t hate, we’re just straight up here.” Yeah, or unimaginative ;)

But when they DO get imaginative, they go all the way. My favourite examples: Shanghai Cowgirl (diner), Bovine Sex Club (bar), Future Shop (like Circuit City)

I’ll keep you updated if I encounter more….

Today I saw...

a car getting a ticket in downtown Toronto. That is not surprising. What IS, is that the officer writing the ticket was on a horse. ON A HORSE. Picture this: downtown Toronto, skyscrapers, bustling traffic, crowded sidewalk, streetcars ringing their bells, a car and driver pulled to the curb in front of a fancy high-end organic grocery store. Behind the car, two police officers on horses, looking down into the rear windshield as the man on the right writes the ticket. HORSES.

How do you get pulled over by a horse? They didn't even have lights.

I really wish I had my camera with me.