A Year Without Chains: Dining Local for 12 Months

I was eating at McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and other delicious, unhealthy, but mainly super convenient fast food chains because I was thirsty, hungry, and lazy. Some weekends, I can have up to 7 bubble shows, and if I don’t pack a lunch, my overall enthusiasm dips and that’s not good for business. I didn’t like the overall quality of food I was eating, the amount, the cost, and feeling like I was at the mercy of the next drive-thru. My solution: stop going to any type of chain coffee shop or restaurant. No Time Hortons. No McDonald’s. No Arby’s. No Keg. Nothing. If it were a chain, I would avoid it. Did I fully think this through? Of course not.

 

 

First question is: So, what exactly is a chain? Is more than one location a chain? What if there are three? What if there is one in Ottawa and one in New Brunswick? These questions kept me up at night. My overall strategy was if there were more than 5 locations, it was a chain. Most successful food establishments have more than one location. You can also visit a store, and it gives up chain vibes, which is not what I was looking for. Another reason for this challenge was that since I run a small, local business, it might make sense for me to support local, since I hope parents choose me over a Michael’s birthday party (yeah, they do birthday parties; actually sounds kinda fun…)

How annoying/challenging was this? I would say it wasn’t too bad, but once summer hits and everyone is eating Dairy Queen and having dollar drinks, I was about ready to snap. Occasionally, clients will ask me if I want a slice of pizza or a cup of coffee from their catering from Starbucks. Here is how that conversation would go:

 

Client: Would you like a slice of pizza before you go? We have lots.

 

Me: (starving and dying of thirst) Umm, where did you get it from? I’m doing this thing where I can’t eat food from a chain restaurant.

 

Client: (while looking at me like there is clearly something wrong) Ahhh, it’s from Pizza Pizza.

 

Me: Oh, ok. Thanks anyway.

 

Then awkwardly walk away. Not exactly leaving on a high note.

 

Do you know what is convenient? Drive-thrus. It’s amazing. You don’t need to leave your car. It was a brilliant idea, but I noticed that there aren’t any healthy food stores offering a drive-thru. You cant drive up to a Freshii and get a Buddha Satay Bowl.

Did I feel healthier after this year of no chains? I can’t say that I did.

 

Did I save money? I suppose I did, but that money doesn’t appear to have bought me a car that can get me up my driveway, so maybe wasn’t that helpful.

 

What lessons did you learn? Tons of food options aren’t chain restaurants. They do cost more and take more time, and aren’t usually located on main roads, but if you want a more local experience, maybe do a month of no chains because only a sick person would do this for a year.

 

What was your first meal back? I believe it was a couple of McDoubles and a junior chicken from McDonald’s.

 

How was it? Delicious.

 

How long did you wait until having it? Well, I didn’t plan this out well enough, but Caitlin and I were downtown after midnight on January 1st and we walked to a Wendy’s I saw on Google Maps. Turns out, it wasn’t a real location, so once we got there we couldn’t get food, so it was a rough start to 2025.

 

What did you miss the most, other than convenience? The occasional McDonald’s ice cream, Wendy’s lemonade, and any free food I couldn’t eat after a show.

 

Have you slowed down your overall drive-thru intake? I might have overdone it the first 3 months back, but things have calmed down a little bit, and now I am struggling with my 2025 challenge.

 

What challenge is that? No new books and no news.

 

How is that going? Not well!

"One of the many downsides of our fast food culture is that food is no longer a revered cultural icon. This is probably one of the most detrimental aspects of our diet: the myriad of fast food restaurants are cultural icons and Sunday dinner with the family is not." J. Natalie Winch. Ditching the Drive-Thru.

Quebec City

 

I am writing this blog post on the VIA Rail train back from Quebec

City. We are riding business to see how it feels to act like the elite.

Here are my thoughts on my birthday weekend in Quebec City.

If you asked me four days ago what I could tell you about Quebec

City, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you much other than the

Québec Nordiques had a hockey team and Carnival happens

every February. I now know slightly more things about Quebec

City. 

Quebec City is super old. Looking for the oldest hospital.

You’ll find it Quebec City. Looking for a 400-year-old pub?

You’ll find it in Quebec City. 

Did we explore anything other than old Quebec City? Of course not.

Do you know a good way to spend a birthday dinner? Steakhouse.

Getting a glimpse of how the rich live is a tough way to live because

going back makes it harder to be a commoner. 

Quebec City has a lot of gift shops.  Do you want a coffee mug

Quebec City has 2 million. Do you want a Quebec shirt?

I’ve got one for you and your grandmother. Do you want a postcard?

You better bet your bottom dollar Quebec City postcards for you

and your family. If you’re looking for some art, this place is filled

with galleries. This was our favourite:

https://galeriebeauchamp.com/en

I also learnt that there is a company that will take a picture of your iris

and make it into art.

https://en.irisgalerie.com/

Wow! Amazing. Actually, it is pretty neat.

Apparently, this door is famous:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/korean-soap-opera-quebec-city-1.4201193

Lots of hills, we watched a video about what not to do in

Quebec City and the American's advice was one, be prepared

for lots of hills;  number two, don’t be a loud American

because it’s a quiet, small town. Apparently, word might’ve

gotten out about how Americans are.

The only real downside was that it rained for the entire time

that we were there. However, that made it easier to spend

time gaming and watching basketball instead of exploring

the rainy city.

Does Quebec City need a bubble guy? 

We took a ferry to some other part of the area, and I’m a big fan

of boats.

The food in Quebec City is wild. The city is filled with

put in pogo’s, pea soup clam chowder, French onion soup,

eggs Benedict, ham, popcorn, maple syrup, cheese shops

and maple syrup pies. If you’re looking at losing a few pounds,

I’d avoid Quebec City. If you’re looking at practising your

French and eating as much dairy as your body can handle,

then Quebec City is the place for you.

Lots of tourists. I’m sure the whole town isn’t filled with tourists,

but old Quebec is filled with people taking selfies and

children running wild. Every other building is a hotel.

You see that building over there? That’s a hotel.

See the building beside it? You better believe that’s an Airbnb.

Beside that? That’s a gift shop, but beside that, that’s a hotel.

Apparently, lots of Quebec City is haunted or has ghost sightings.

Unfortunately, we stayed in a place that had no ghosts.

I will be rectifying that mistake on our next visit to Quebec City.

Here are a few other interesting facts about our time in Quebec City.

-Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, it’s one of the oldest European

cities in North America.

-Québec City was the capital of New France until the British took control in 1759.

-The Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759) was a key turning point in Canadian history. 

-The Château Frontenac is the most photographed hotel in the world.

-The Citadelle of Québec is the largest British fortress in North America still in use.

-Québec City was once the capital of Canada (from 1859 to 1865) before Ottawa

-The walls surrounding Old Québec make it the only fortified city north of Mexico.

-Québec was the center of Catholicism in New France and has over 130 churches.

-The Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec is the oldest church in Canada.

-The Port of Québec is one of the oldest in Canada and handles over 200 cruise ship visits annually.

-Québec City has an underground ice monitoring system in the St. Lawrence River to track freezing.

-It was the site of pivotal events such as the 1759

Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which led to British control

and reshaped the continent’s colonial future.

The city also hosted the 1864 Quebec Conference, helping lay

the foundation for Canadian Confederation.

-The Québec Nordiques were known for their passionate fans,

fierce rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens, and iconic blue

fleur-de-lis jerseys. In 1995, due to financial struggles,

the team was sold and relocated to Denver,

becoming the Colorado Avalanche.

In summary, Quebec City is a cute little romantic town that is a fun

train ride away. 

If you’re into food, history, and La Francophonie, make a trip to

Quebec City.

“Québec doesn’t shout—it enchants.”