Nunavut Akpatok Island, captured by Landsat 7 in 2001. (USGS/EROS Center)

NASA’s Earth science program successfully launched a record-breaking satellite Monday and part of its mission is to make art.

The joint U.S. Geological Survey–NASA satellite, Landsat 8, blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and became NASA’s eighth observation device in a program that has been continuously monitoring the planet since 1972.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden says the mission’s priority has always been to collect data of the Earth’s surface from space, though there are many applications, including supplying images for outreach programs.

“The data is key for monitoring climate change and has led to the improvement of human and biodiversity health, urban planning and disaster recovery,” explains Bolden in a press statement.

Late last year, however, the project bridged the gap between science and art by compiling images into Earth as Art, a print and ebook catalogue of beautiful and awe-inspiring images of our planet.

The book features 75 images spanning all regions with some in true colour, such as Cape Farewell, New Zealand and Bombetoka Bay, Madagascar, while others such as Aleutian Clouds in the Bering Sea and Himalayas Central Asia appear as vibrant alien landscapes.

Because the satellites’ sensors measure light outside the visible spectrum the images in Earth as Art are often doctored using colour and shading contrasts. This adds the fine art aesthetic that often resembles contemporary and abstract expressionist styles.

Canada is included in three images depicting the Akpatok and Belcher islands as well as the Rocky Mountain Trench.

James R. Drummond, a climate change expert and professor in the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University, says viewing satellite imagery can be relaxing and humbling.

“Personally I get very good — even emotional — feelings from looking at space images of many types, and I generate them from space instruments I am associated with … The art that comes as the by-product is beautiful in its own right and also leads us into a deeper appreciation of Earth and life itself.”

Lawrence Friedl, director of applied sciences at NASA’s Earth Science Division, and Karen Yuen, education and public engagement manager for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, are credited as authors of the book and consider it a major outreach tool for the public.

“I had worked with folks to develop some art pieces to hang around NASA and I would say about a dozen were done for the walls of NASA HQ,” says Yuen. “When the idea for a book came up we chose more images, did the write-ups, and then I worked with the publisher on a layout.”

Friedl says the original images were selected to cover science focus areas such as hydrology, the biosphere, ocean, land structures and atmosphere but evolved with the project to provoke a sense of imagination and wonder.

“We tried to select images that had visual appeal and perhaps a bit of a surprise, to pick images that might get people to do a double-take and hopefully ask themselves, ‘How did nature do that?’” says Friedl.

“Geographic area was a very secondary criteria and you’ll see that there are few images with direct human influence. While the three (Canadian) images show only a few regions, I’m glad they show at least some of the geographic diversity and beauty of Canada.”

No further book releases are planned at NASA, but Friedl maintains the positive reception of Earth as Art has stirred up support within the agency.

The next steps involve continuing to maintain the satellites, getting Landsat 8 operational and supporting more interactivity with the public on images.

NASA has a fleet of 16 satellites that observe Earth to measure conditions and trends on the surface. Images selected for the book came from five — Landsat 5, Landsat 7, EO-1, Terra and Aqua.

Barry Bernard, 53, a Mi’kmaq of Eskasoni First Nation, lived off the water. His diet ranged from salmon to eel and his family wove baskets for a living.

“Life was a lot easier. It didn’t cost you anything.”

But things started changing for Bernard when he reached adulthood.

“That was my first taste of pizza. I never knew what pizza was ‘til I was about 20 years old.”

He seems nostalgic when he describes eating the Western dish, but Bernard is aware of how European influences have diluted an important part of his culture.

“The taste of eels, for a lot of aboriginal people, we have lost that taste.”

The American eel used to be an important part of traditional Mi’kmaw diet and culture. It was a food source, traditionally stewed, baked or smoked.  Larger eels tend to have a very strong flavour. The eel was used medicinally as a sleeping aid and as a ceremonial object.

But nowadays Bernard says there are few Mi’kmaq families who still know how to fish eel traditionally.

“Today everybody goes to Sobeys, everyone goes to supermarkets.”

But Bernard remembers what his grandparents taught him. He still fishes with the spear and snare in the traditional way and he’s trying to pass the knowledge down to a younger generation.

“I was teaching my sons how to eel fish. I showed my oldest son, once they got the method, they showed it to their friends. They taught them how to fish. They told me to stay home and make tea.”

Bernard says his four boys were excited about learning to fish the traditional way. He remembers the excitement he felt when he was young.

“When I was a kid we used to snare salmon or trout using a rabbit snare. You’d dive under a big pool of water, you’d find a fish, you’d hold yourself and you’d put that snare over the fish’s head underwater. So that took a skill too. How long you could hold your breath.”

Bernard’s skills are not easy to come by. They give him a sense of pride and comfort. He now works as the Communication Officer for the Mi’kmaw Legal Support Network in Eskasoni, Cape Breton.

“I still have that instinct that I can still live off the land if I had a choice.”

And Bernard has given that pride to his sons, all men now. He says they can all survive off the land now and he hopes they’ll teach their kids the same skills.

He’s not the only Mi’kmaq who is teaching a younger generation how to fish. Kerry Prosper, 57, from Paq’tnkek First Nation outside of Antigonish, has been helping younger Mi’kmaq learn traditional fishing techniques so they have something to do in their spare time.

He teaches them everything from going out and selecting a pole and point for the spear, to how to go out in a canoe and spear fish.

The materials the pre-contact Mi’kmaq used to fish like the birch bark canoe and torches might not be used much anymore. Bernard says it’s a little easier now. He fishes with an aluminum boat and a propane lamp at night.

“We still use the same tools though, same methods, with the spear.”

Bernard remembers his grandfather fishing with an aluminum boat and gas lamp. He’d hold the spear, ready to strike one of the many eels underneath the boat.

“He had a choice of which one to select. He’d be careful of what eel, what size. There is conservation.”
Bernard and Prosper say they only take what they can use from the water. They share any extra with the community, especially elders who can’t fish for eel anymore.

Prosper teaches young Mi’kmaq not only how to fish, but how to fish sustainably. He says there are some “unwritten laws” in Mi’kmaq fishing.

Bernard was taught those same laws. There’s not much science to it, as he explains, “you would know where to fish and how to fish and when to fish, but you would never overfish.”

Bernard is uncertain how well Mi’kmaq fishing traditions will be passed to subsequent generations.

“What’s gonna happen in the next 50 years? Are there gonna be any fish left?”

Prosper wants to make sure the next generation of Mi’kmaq have the skills he has.

“When I’m old and I’m unable to fish,” he asks, “who’s going to fish for me?”

As models strutted the catwalk this weekend at New York Fashion Week, a different breed walked the runway, perfectly poised and flawlessly styled.

From Yorkshire terriers to Great Danes, dogs of all shapes and sizes tried their paws at bringing a satin Best of Show ribbon home from the Halifax Kennel Club dog show last weekend.

Although the pinnacle of the show took place when the immaculately coiffed canines were ranked on obedience and judged by breed, the occasion began well before their trot down the blue runway.

The primping process was by no means a simple affair: whether dogs’ manes were snipped, straightened, sheared or blown dry, the off-runway grooming was not far from the chaos that takes place backstage at a fashion show.

As one golden retriever owner, Heather Jardine, aptly put it: “There’s lazy people, and there’s people who want nice dogs.” Going by her standards, Sunday’s dog show was surely attended by some of Halifax’s most industrious people – and pooches – alike.

Organizer Mitch Underhay makes the “not bad” face while setting up for the student SUB consultations. (Photo: Christian Pollard)

Dalhousie University students began the long process of renovating the Student Union Building Monday.

An open brainstorming session allowed for outlandish and wild ideas like firemen poles and permanent puppy rooms.

The goal was to break away from the business-like grey slab walls of the SUB that are prototypical of outdated Dalhousie architecture.

Students also wanted to increase the size of open and social spaces.

The renovation’s ideas will come entirely from students.

“It’s up to us to shape the priorities,” said Aaron Beale, president of the student union, and leader of the discussions.

Beale emphasized that students are funding the project, so their ideas, and not the administration’s, should drive the renovations.

He told the small crowd of around ten people that the decision made at the meeting – even the crazy ones – would dictate the project, and would be carried into more serious consultations.

The group had three core questions to create discussion: What do you like about the SUB now? What would you change? And what would you like to see in your wildest dreams?

There were few answers about what people liked about the SUB currently. Most of the suggestions for change involved added study space and social spaces – or perhaps a green wall. As for wild ideas – everything between interconnected slides to zip lines was suggested.

“If enough people want a waterslide, we’ll build a waterslide,” joked organizer Mitch Underhay.

The renovation is expected to cost between $4 million and $5 million. A $25 renovation fee has been in place in Dalhousie tuition since the last renovation 14 years ago. That project was just paid off this past year.

“I’d really like something fun and interactive that makes the space more exciting,” said Reed DesRoches, a third-year planning student who attended the meeting. “If you have something like a waterslide, no one’s going to be frowning.”

Participants Harrison Makohoniuk and Joana Trussler agreed that more spaces for studying and social activities would benefit the school’s community.

“More interaction between societies – I don’t think there are enough social events for all the different societies on campus,” said Trussler.

A similar session took place afterwards to discuss changes to the Grawood, Dalhousie’s campus bar that is located in the SUB.

Isaac Silwowicz makes up for lost time in the gym (Photo: Christian Pollard)

Isaac Sliwowicz’s father told him not to lift weights – that it would stunt his growth.

The University of King’s College student is now 20, and wishes he hadn’t listened to the incredulous information weight rooms can create.

“The myth that I heard was that it can stunt your growth … because of compression forces on your spine,” he says. “That’s actually total bullshit, I found out much later.”

Sliwowicz heard a slightly different version of the myth – exemplifying its untraceable roots.

The classic myth says that the growth plates – sections of cartilage on the ends of children’s bones that harden during maturity – are damaged by weightlifting, and never fully develop.

Although it seems to make sense, the experts say otherwise.

“I don’t know if the risk is any higher for a young child than it is for an adult for lifting weights,” says Sasho MacKenzie, a human kinetics professor at St. Francis Xavier University.

“As long as form is correct. I would say that the biggest risk is lifting incorrectly.”

The damage the growth plates take while properly lifting weights is minimal compared to other childhood activities, says MacKenzie.

“If you looked at the kids playing on a playground, the force they exert on their bodies is very high, but no one’s going to say ‘don’t jump off that monkey bar,’” he says.

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology states “there has been a universal acceptance… that (resistance training) for children will improve muscular strength and muscular endurance if performed under the supervision of a qualified instructor, using proper technique, gradual training progressions, and proper warm-up and cool-down periods.”

Despite the scientific consensus that conscientious and safe weightlifting does not harm children, the myth lives on.

“We do not use weight training as a method for dry-land (training). The kids are 13 and 14. They are too young for weight training, in my mind,” said Dave Tzagarakis, a Halifax bantam hockey coach, in an email.

Fitness FX on Quinpool Road doesn’t allow anyone under the age of 15 to use the facilities. Almost all gyms have age requirements of 15 or 16.

It’s less about the damage kids can do to themselves, and “more of an insurance thing,” explains owner Sean Alexander. “Our insurance as a fitness business will cover a minimum of 15, no less.”

Dr. Daniel Robinson, a professor at the Faculty of Education at St. FX in Antigonish  and a former gym teacher, says gym teachers and other fitness educators need to train for “the five components of health-related fitness: muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance and body composition.”

Children are introduced to this style of fitness in Grade 4.A new curriculum in Nova Scotia will soon have children in Grades 1 and 2 striving for the same goals, “and never going to a weight room to do it,” says Robinson.

As for where the myth comes from, Sliwowicz thinks the “mythology surrounding working out and weightlifting (is) not really based on science,” but inference and assumption.

If the myth’s origins can’t be precisely pinpointed, at least the myth itself can be debunked.

Students at Dalhousie and the University of King’s College are faced with increased tuition. The Students Unite group offers a chance for them to voice their concerns. (Photo: Jonathan Bruce)

A Dalhousie University student group is fighting for lower tuition.

Students Unite is dedicated to reducing the level of debt and increasing student grants. The group stages events and activities to raise awareness and support within the university community.

Aaron Beale, vice-president of academic and external of the Dalhousie Student Union, says the group wants to mobilize Dal and University of King’s College students. He hopes PremierDarrell Dexter and the provincial government will cancel the $25 million graduate retention tax rebate.

“The goal is to get the Dexter government to turn $25 million of loans into grants,” he says. “This would remove the need for students to take out loans.”

An undergraduate student in Nova Scotia pays an average of $5,934 per year in tuition. This is an increase of 3.7 per cent from $5,722 in 2011-2012.

Sagar Jha, academic and external commissioner for the student union, says tuition has been rising since 2002. Universities received 12 per cent of funding from tuition, but this has increased to 40 per cent.

“Universities are gradually changing from a public service to a business,” Jha says. “This is something that we are trying to avoid.”

Students Unite has been lobbying for lower tuition since last summer. The group turned its attention to the provincial New Democratic Party, which was elected in 2009.

“The group marched on the NDP Convention in July 2012,” says Beale. “I think it was successful, because the government members promised to adopt a policy of reducing tuition fees by the next mandate.”

Jha says Students Unite is committed to achieving its goal of stopping tuition from rising. He cites the difficulties facing “both Canadian and international students” who are attending university include purchasing textbooks, paying rent, paying international fees and related expenses.

“We have to lobby the provincial government and enable students to graduate without paying off a mountain of debt,” he says.

Students Unite has held events to raise awareness and support of its cause. The group hosted a puppy walk on Feb. 5. Only 25 people participated in the event, but it received television coverage from the local media.

“Any coverage we can get from the media is good coverage,” Beale says.

The campaign is designed to encourage Dalhousie and King’s students to participate. There are activities such as live music events and letter-writing petitions to Minister of Labour and Advanced Education Marilyn More.

Sage Camozzi, a second-year political science student at Dalhousie, says the rates of tuition are “outrageous.”

“How can you expect to educate university students while increasing the cost of tuition?” she asks. “I’m from Ontario, so it’s more expensive for me to come here to school.”

“I’m not even sure what we’re paying for anymore. I understand university is a public institution, but it’s difficult to exist with the costs and living standards being so high.”

Beale says this leads to the accumulation of more debt that affects students “long after graduation.”

“It is definitely a worrying thing.”

Michelle Gallant (right) and Peter Dykhuis (left) of the Dalhousie Art Gallery agree looking at a painting is like going to a movie.; one of your friends
probably isn’t going to like what they see. (Photo: Peter Marrack)

Have you noticed the big painting hanging over the main stairs at Dalhousie University’s Killam Library?

You know which one I mean. It’s of the guy sprawled out on a bed, on top of the sheets, with his shoes and clothes still on. It replaced an old macramé piece in December.

At first, I interpreted it as depicting a student so exhausted from studying — bingeing, if you will — that he couldn’t muster the strength to undress or pull the sheets back.

Which pissed me off.

As a fan of books and writing, I think of libraries as exotic treasure troves, places you go to bask in the fountains of knowledge and marvel at great literary jewels — not to down Adderall and stare at a MacBook for 12 hours straight.

And had it been the 18th century, I may have believed that, too. But then no student’s going to petition administration to throw a kegger in stacks U to Z, let alone visit the library for fun.

So, I reconsidered. I decided the painting’s more of a reflection, a mirror that kicks back an image of its viewer — in this case, the student body, stale and fatigued.

I also did some research.

A Montreal-based artist, Susan G. Scott, painted it for a series of installations that were shown at a gallery in Los Angeles in 1987. Scott says she painted the piece, entitled As for me, I still have you; here, as an homage to gay couples, as some of her friends had died during the AIDS crisis of the ’80s.

Scott also says the title references a line from a letter sent from the French poet, Arthur Rimbaud, when he was 17, to another French poet, Paul Verlaine. They were lovers and Verlaine had traveled to visit his wife and kids in Paris, leaving Rimbaud alone.

“His lover is gone, but in his mind he’s still there. He’s dreaming about him. He’s remembering their time together,” says Scott in an interview, identifying Rimbaud as the boy in the painting.

“I think it’s a dreamy painting. I think it’s a painting that has some reverie in it.”

Bill Maes, the former librarian at Killam, and Tina Usmiani, the former communications coordinator, helped select two of Scott’s paintings, As for me and another called Study, for the library. They picked them out more than two years ago, but they just arrived from the Dalhousie Art Gallery in December.

Maes cites size as a major factor in the selection process, as well as in the lengthy delay. He and Usmiani agree the painting, As for me, helps to calm its viewer.

“In the library space it becomes an image of silence of peacefulness and serenity…. I liked the fact that it was a younger boy. That was something that was unusual to have in an academic library,” says Usmiani.

As for student reactions, the people I’ve spoken to see it as a sleeping person and, burnt out from studying as they are, they envy him. Comments submitted anonymously to the library, which are now posted on the library’s comment board, tell a brasher story.

“Why would you hang portraits of a habit we are deprived of at Dal? This is outrageous. Please be more artistically considerate next time,” wrote one commenter.

“Hanging a picture of someone sleeping is the worst idea ever…. It makes me want to sleep in the library…. zzz,” wrote another.

Peter Dykhuis, the director and curator of the Dalhousie Art Gallery, who helped arrange the loan of the painting, offered an analogy.

“It’s like if the painting was of someone drinking beer. You’d have people piping up that drinking’s not acceptable. But then that says more about them than the painting. Maybe that person doesn’t like beer.”

Scott considers the painting a reverie, a longing for better times. The library team that picked it liked its size, and calming effect.

Students, at least some of them, say it puts them to sleep. And Dykhuis, Dal’s art guru, admits it could mean any number of things, depending on who’s looking.

As for me, I’ve analyzed the darned thing for so long I’m neutral. I see nothing.

All I can do is think back to when it made me angry, and remember.

In that sense, the painting’s of me.

Students are encouraged to research universities and programs to reduce tuition costs. (Photo: Patrick Odell)

The high cost of university and the burden of deep debt could force Nova Scotia students to look elsewhere to further their education.

“We’re saddling recent grads with mortgage-sized debt without the house,” says Rebecca Rose, Maritimes organizer for the Canadian Federation of Students.

“It’s really hard to keep people here when … there are other places where either costs are lower or their job prospects are better.”

Statistics Canada reports the average annual tuition for full-time students in Nova Scotia has increased nearly eight per cent since 2010, from $5,497 to $5,934. The preliminary estimate for average tuition this year is $5,581.

Paul Dixon, associate vice-president of enrolment and registrar at Saint Mary’s University, says even though costs are high, many students choose the Maritimes. He says the “small school” experience at universities such as Acadia and St. Francis Xavier is not replicated anywhere else in Canada.

Kelly Gallant, associate vice-president of communications, marketing and student recruitment at Mount Saint Vincent University, says students can avoid some costs if they have an education plan.

“I think it’s about doing the research and picking the right program and the right school,” she says. Students “need to consider opportunities for financial support.”

Dixon agrees and says the lack of awareness around overall cost — such as knowing what bursaries are available or that tuition in some programs is affordable — is a real problem.

“What is of concern is the low level of financial literacy that both the students and their parents have.”

Marilyn More, Nova Scotia’s minister of labour and advanced education, said in an email the government is helping students in a number of ways, such as boosting minimum wage and offering more non-repayable grants.

“I understand that students are worried about debt. They don’t want to spend decades paying off their loans.”

Despite a wealth of choices when it comes to higher education — 11 public universities plus 13 Nova Scotia Community College campuses — a funding gap exists that these institutions are trying to close by raising tuition and increasing enrolment. Dixon says it’s not sustainable.

“You can’t squeeze students much more than they’ve already been squeezed, and governments are broke.”

Dalhousie University announced in January that it was facing a potential budget shortfall of $17.5 million that will force it to make some tough decisions, including whether to raise tuition.

“The government has created this crisis through consecutive cuts and allowing tuition fees to increase,” says Rose. “It has shifted the burden onto students, their families and the universities.”

One solution students have found is to abandon ship and seek education elsewhere — namely Newfoundland and Labrador. Dixon and Rose say the large gap in tuition, which represents a more than 50 per cent savings compared to Nova Scotia, can be too enticing to pass up.

For the students who choose to stay, mobilizing them is integral to the Canadian Federation of Students strategy, says Rose. In 2011, students across Nova Scotia took to the streets to protest the provincial government’s decision to raise tuition fees. Starting in the fall of 2011, students entering into a four-year undergraduate degree have had their maximum debt capped at $28,560, a reduction of up to $16,320 compared to the previous system.

Debt caps and tax credits are just “band-aid solutions”, she says, and the government must get at the root of the problem by increasing the education budget. She believes there is enough money to do that, but it’s up to the province — which has reduced its grant to universities by three per cent for 2013-14 — to allocate it properly.

“A lot of people don’t buy the idea that there is no money. We need to make investing in post-secondary education and students politically advantageous.

“I’m hoping they see the value of keeping students and youth engaged and prioritize it in the next platform.”

More says the money spent on lowering student debt does reach the universities.

“We continue to invest significantly in our universities … to help (them) respond and lead in a world where rapid changes are facing all universities.”

Dixon, who has worked at Saint Mary’s for more than three decades, says although the outlook is bleak, it might serve as a wake-up call.

“I’ve been around this game a long time, and I’m concerned there aren’t many who realize how serious their problems are,” he says.

“But eventually they will.”

The SPCA in Burnside houses as many stray cats as it can. (Photos: Megan Rudson)

The cat overpopulation crisis in Halifax is filling shelters to capacity, forcing some animals to be turned away at the door.

The overpopulation is a result of pet owners neglecting to neuter and spay their cats, says Kristin Williams, executive director at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Burnside.

“We got to have everyone spaying and neutering their pets, but we can’t do that until we have resources where people can access that realistically,” she says.

Many cat owners can’t afford the cost of surgery, which can reach $300, creating a niche for low-income spay and neuter programs.

As this year’s initiative to curtail the overpopulation crisis, the society is opening a new high volume, low-cost spay and neuter clinic in April.

The clinic is meant to encourage people who previously couldn’t afford it to now get their pets fixed.

The new program will charge approximately $95 to spay a female and $65 to neuter a male.

While the costs are significantly lower than those in veterinary clinics, Williams says 80 per cent of breeding-age animals need to be altered in order to make a difference.

“At this point, I don’t see us turning a corner for some time. We just don’t have the resources,” she says. “Until we can catch up with the problem, we’re just not going to make a dent.”

In Nova Scotia, cats tend to breed twice a year, once in summer and once in fall.

This year a third breeding cycle occurred in November. Williams says the third cycle could have been due to environmental conditions.

“At one point in the summer, all our branches were full to capacity with expansive waiting lists,” says Williams.

A report conducted by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies in 2012 combined research from 164 participating shelters about cat overpopulation.

It showed that in 2011, 150,350 cats were abandoned at shelters in Canada.

Approximately 59,939 of those cats were euthanized and 18,022 remained homeless.

Linda Felix, who in 2011 discovered a pregnant cat and several other strays in her backyard, says the city has made no efforts to control the problem.

Felix tried contacting Animal Control, but was told they only deal with lost or stray dogs.

She phoned shelters, but they were all full.

“I think cat owners need to take some responsibility,” she says.

“Even if you own your cat, it should be spayed or neutered. Some say it doesn’t matter because there cat doesn’t go outside, but you never know…I can’t tell people enough to spay and neuter their cats and keep them indoors.”

To discuss the adoption of a cat, contact the SPCA in Burnside at (902) 835-4798.

Felix started Spay Day HRM as a response to her own cat problem, which is a program that partners with animal clinics to help those on social assistance or pensions pay for spay or neuter surgeries.

Encouraging participants to pay what they can, she provides transportation to and from surgery and educates cat owners on proper care.

“There’s no services for cats in the city … I think it’s an old fashioned idea that’s never been addressed by any modern council.”

An example of an expanded service Felix would like to see is the inclusion of cat protection by Animal Control.

In 2002, the Halifax Regional Council addressed this issue of cat protection.

The proposal included a recommended cat by-law that would enable citizens to use humane live traps. Any cats captured would then be turned over to an Animal Control Officer.

If the by-law ensued, trapped cats were to be impounded until the owner was notified.

If an owner could not be found, the pound service was to hold the animal for 72 hours then “dispose of the cat in an humane manner.”

Today, the city has yet to contribute a solution to the overpopulation problem.

But, being a cat-person, Mayor Mike Savage says it is time to consider the crisis, although no plans have been made to fund cat services or assist in spay and neuter programs.

Research is being done to find a solution that considers all economic, financial and humane factors.

“While some people look at it and say, ‘oh, it’s just cats,’ this is an issue that needs to be dealt with and I think that we can.”

The Lemongrass stir fry at Thai Ivory Cuisine. (Photo: Gerry Wood)

The bright yellow walls with gold-coloured medallions, Thai statues, glass-topped tables and muted Thai music made an immediate positive impression about our forthcoming lunch. Fragrant scents hung in the air.

This second location of Thai Ivory Cuisine at 6303 Quinpool Rd. opened two months ago in the former location of the Greek Village Restaurant. The original location is still open on the Bedford highway.

It wasn’t busy for a Friday lunch hour — only eight of the 40 two-person tables were occupied when we entered.

The menu had a full page of lunch specials, none specific to the day, with another dozen pages showing a variety of exotic food and drink choices.

Most of the dishes on each page had a choice of chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, seafood or “Vegy & Tofu” giving a broad variety of dishes for a local Thai restaurant.

There were more than a dozen possible lunch “combos” all priced at $10.99. Each came with a spring roll and hot and sour soup.

My typical Thai lunch preference is “Pad Thai” with chicken, and that’s what I ordered. My companion ordered the “Lemongrass stir fry” with pork and jasmine rice.

We also split an appetizer — the calamari for $11.99.

The waitress gave us slightly more than 10 minutes to decide on our order. Ten minutes later, the appetizer arrived.

The hot and sour soup was good, although salty. The vegetable bits were crisp and crunchy, as they were supposed to be. The temperature of the soup was perfect — in between too warm and too cool.

The wrap on the spring roll was a bit too thick, but suitably crunchy both outside and in.

The waitress then brought the calamari. They were the largest calamari rings either of us had ever seen. We wondered what species of squid they had come from.

Despite the batter, which we both found too thick, the calamari was perfectly cooked — an accomplishment given the size of the rings and the thickness of the batter.

Both the main dishes were a generous portion size.

The vegetables all, again, crunched as they were supposed to. The pork in the lemongrass stir fry was also properly prepared — we were reasonably certain it was cooked from fresh meat — but both my companion and I decided we would prefer the dish with chicken.

The pad Thai arrived with a healthy sprinkling of freshly ground peanut on one side and a handful of bean sprouts on another. Crisp beans, broccoli and other vegetables were part of the offering. The bean sprouts were quite good — superior to most I’ve encountered in restaurants.

The chicken in the pad Thai appeared to be cooked from fresh, unfrozen chicken as well. Bonus points for this, as we both noted how uncommon a practice this is.

One minor quibble: the rice noodles were slightly over-cooked — I would have preferred them to be slightly firmer.

Despite wanting to sample a dessert we were both full by the end of the meal. Clearly, ordering the calamari appetizer was overdoing it, given the soup and spring roll that was part of the combo.

To end the meal the waitress brought us each a small sampling of fruit  – two types of melon and a piece pineapple – and a guava-flavoured hard candy.

The coffee was the one significant down note of the meal. It was bitter.

Even three creamers did not render the small mug of coffee palatable.

Combined with the extraordinary charge of $2.50 plus tax for the coffee, it stood in strong contrast to the rest of the meal.

Overall we found the lunch specials, all of which are $10.99 plus tax and tip, to be of quite good quality and value, but we both thought the calamari was somewhat overpriced for what was served.

And the coffee was not something we would ever order at this restaurant again.

The Thai Ivory Cuisine restaurant is open seven days a week. There is a take-out menu and it offers a five per cent cash discount.