MAKE Coffee + Stuff ~ in Winnipeg

MAKE is a small coffee shop on Corydon in Winnipeg. It is quiet and minimalist, and best suited to those drinking coffee by themselves. Alone.
















Seating is uncomfortable at best, but there are many electrical outlets for laptops and other devices.

It was opened with the desire to offer an espresso bar plus a venue for design exhibition and retail. "MAKE seeks to provide an opportunity for the public to engage with the profession of design."










So it's not a place to meet as a group. It is a quiet, unadorned space in which to work, and to enjoy coffee and tea. And in that it succeeds nicely.

Photos by Jeem. Copyright 2016 by Jim Murray.

After the debate... John Steinbeck has the perfect comment

After enduring the painful presidential debate last night between the two most unpopular candidates to run for America's highest office since polling began...  and thinking: Is this what passes for democracy in the Excited States? Is this the result of the bold experiment promised by John Kennedy, the goal of democracy for all the world's peoples? Donald Trump? Really?






I was reminded of a quote found in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row:

"It has always seemed strange to me...The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second."

When money becomes everything in politics, when celebrity becomes something to emulate in our society, and when both are rewarded generously, should we be surprised by what is happening in America today?

Steinbeck was the author of 27 books, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and five collections of short stories. His books include Cannery Row (1945), East of Eden (1952), Of Mice and Men (1937) and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939).

Copyright 2016 by Jim Murray.

Arabesque Hookah Cafe ~ in Winnipeg

In the Osborne & Corydon Village area of Winnipeg, on the second floor of an unlikely looking building, is a new restaurant called Arabesque Hookah Cafe which Sherry discovered a few days before your faithful correspondent arrived.













Arabesque has thirteen definitions in Arabic. The most popular refers to a decor of interconnected togetherness and that seems to be what it's all about: bridging Middle Eastern culture and cuisine in the heart of Winnipeg.

There's a Japanese restaurant on the first level of the building, with Arabesque being a non-wheel chair-accessible stairway to the second. The purple theme is inviting and soothing at the same time.






We were here for lunch and friendly service and delicious food was the order of the day. The mint tea was wonderful.

The owners, as Sherry came to know, however briefly, are a couple who want to give back to the community they call home, and they provide opportunities to new Canadians, including refugees from Syria, to work in the restaurant. It's an inspiring business model, and one to support.








Arabesque is Halal, with meat, chicken and vegetarian dishes available in generous portions. If only they served wine.

Photos by Jeem. Copyright 2016 by Jim Murray.