FRIDAY FIVE: IF YOU…

Every once in awhile I’m inspired to answer the Friday Five questions. Here are this week’s intriguing questions (courtesy of ‘Rayne’, but not Our Rayne) and my extremely unorthodox (you’re surprised?) answers, on the theme of “If you…”:

If you…

1. …owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

Vegan, with pizzazz. Bold flavours, international influences, fusion, appealing to all the senses. Really casual, with big, stuffed chairs and sofas instead of ramrod hard chairs. Even cushions on the floor. Warm, eclectic decor, with no animal products used in any materials. Everything in shareable containers and portions. Live, spontaneous music and dinner theatre. No uniforms. People with no money could sing or work for their supper, no questions asked. Unhurried service. Sliding wall open to the outside, weather permitting. Big windows, bird feeders all around. Socialized pets welcome.

2. …owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?

If I owned a store, it wouldn’t sell anything. It would be an exchange where people could trade, lend and borrow things — books and music, power tools, stuff from their garden. arts and crafts, recipes. It would be run on a volunteer basis by and for the community in which I live. No signage, so no embarrassment for non-community members, and community members could bring guests. Might even be attached to the restaurant.

3. …wrote a book, what genre would it be?

Fiction. I’m writing a novel, genre is what I think is called ‘speculative’ fiction. Next up is a book of quirky short stories.

4. …ran a school, what would you teach?

How to make a living through New Collaborative Enterprise. Critical thinking and creative skills. Self-sufficiency. Once people know these things they can teach themselves, and each other, anything else. The school would have no classrooms and no designated teachers or classes. Whole-class get-togethers would be infrequent and occur at a business location (tour included), or someone’s home, or a restaurant. Otherwise, beyond the outline curriculum and resource list, all activities and discussions would be self-organized by the students. There would be no grades.

5. …recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?

World music. Fusion of different styles and influences. African, Latin, Classical, Folk. The genre doesn’t really matter. The writing is 90%, the performance 10%. It would be political, but, as Hendrix said, “Everything’s political, isn’t it…”

8 Responses to FRIDAY FIVE: IF YOU…

Jim Harwick says:

March 20, 2004 at 10:13

Sorry for the off topic comment, but since the answer to your first question was a Vegan restaurant and since you are a fan of the New Yorker, I thought I’d ask….What is up with the ‘New York Mirage’ cover? Why would they celebrate the cruelest foods like veal and goose liver? It’s like being nostalgic for segregation and Jim Crow laws.
Rayne says:

March 20, 2004 at 14:58

Heh. Your answers to the “Friday Five” are awfully close to what my own answers would have been!
Wendy says:

March 20, 2004 at 20:04

Let us know when you open that vegan restaurant – I will be a regular. It sounds like it would be a wonderful spot.
O RLY YA RLY says:

March 21, 2004 at 11:55

quirky is good. the world needs more quirky
Dave Pollard says:

March 21, 2004 at 13:07

Jim: I noticed that, too. I think the idea is what would a French grocer/butcher store look like if it were suddenly transplanted to NYC (or vice versa). Kind of a visual mixed metaphor. And maybe a bit of education as well on the food habits of the French, which, while less cruel than factory farms, still rely on some pretty unpleasant practices.Wendy: Thanks, but would you make the trek all the way to Caledon for it? If you’re a Greg’s ice cream junkie you have to be a downtown T.O. girl.
judith says:

March 21, 2004 at 22:47

reserve me a seat in this restaurant of yours… we could rap haiku and english sonnets… i’d even sing for my supper… (-:=
Eric Goldberg says:

March 22, 2004 at 18:59

Of course your restaurant sounds delightful, but I also like the idea of your small store. I’d like to see more of these community exchanges; I’ve heard they are gaining momentum online, but everything that has more than one site supposedly is. :)
Patrick Michaels says:

November 7, 2004 at 20:46

Now, you can have it all. Stop by and sample our free Recipes for a Peaceful Planet, and explore the options for learning what you can be with our Blossoming Lotus restaurant.