Lunenburg, NS
Guest review and pictures, courtesy of Rachel Franco. Check out her blog!
The breakfast at the Royal Canadian Legion number 23 in Lunenburg is the perfect way to start any day... or, at least the perfect way to start the last Saturday of every month.
Stepping through the doors of the legion is like stepping into a time machine and becoming encapsulated in a place forever resting in the year 1988. There is a lingering smell of old wood and cigarette smoke - steeped into the walls like tobacco wallpaper. Venturing further into the hallowed hall of the legion - the heart of the joint - the smell of bacon and bologna and ketchup and coffee create a tantalizing potpourri of deliciousness. It's like being wrapped up in a decadent terry bathrobe... if that terry bathrobe was actually made out of breakfast.
Entering the legion breakfast is akin to going home after a long time away, or attending a family reunion in small town Saskatchewan - you're greeted as if everyone had been looking forward to seeing you for years... (except you have to pay $6in order to eat.)
Everyone calls you "son" or "dear" or "hon" or "darlin'", and it takes almost all of your strength not to call everyone "gramps" or "granny" when asked if you'd like more coffee or orange juice.
You get touched a lot at the legion breakfast - a friendly hand on the shoulder while the coffee is being poured, or a gentle pat on the hand while your cutlery is being laid out. You'll never have so many wonderful old folks touching you at once as you will at the legion during breakfast time.
Choosing your breakfast is an exciting moment. Which meats? How will I have my eggs? What kind of toast? Should I go with the beans? Finally, when you choose that perfect breakfast melange, you can lean back and listen to the various conversations going on around you... "Ol' Mosher got his tractor stuck up near the hill... right broke it." Or, you can participate in a discussion with your neighbours. Where are you from? What do you do? How about that fog?
When breakfast arrives, your eyes gaze upon the glorious plate holding various shades of brown, and you inhale the enticing aroma before sampling the food. Many people around you seem to be eating as though it's a race - shoveling the beans and bacon into their mouths so quickly you wonder if they're part vacuum.
The eggs are fluffy, but not all that flavourful. The hashbrowns are crispy and bite-sized, and are positively perfect with a dollop of ketchup. The beans are delicious and smoky and provide a perfect balance to the meal. You eat and eat and eat and eat, but don't seem to be making a dent at all. You eat until you think your stomach will explode, and you take a deep
breath and smile with utmost satisfaction. You gaze up at the wall and see a portrait of the queen circa 1960, smiling down upon her subjects.
All is right with the world at that moment.
Thanks to Rachel for her awesome review and pictures!!!
