I'm out in Toronto this week visiting my sister and her family. When she was last out visiting me in Vancouver in the Spring after Gavin was born, she commented a few times on how the culture of the westcoast is just so totally different than in Toronto. People tend to be a bit more "granola" about life generally from my neck of the woods, from personal health to environmentalism to fashion style. I was just reading a post at Strocel.com by Amber, a Port Moody blogger, on climate change and crafting one's life to embrace simplicity and healthful living. It got me to thinking about why it is that we westcoasters tend to be more crunchy, and I think I've nailed down at least part of the reason.
The weather in the rest of Canada, well, I don't want to say it sucks. Oops, I guess I just did. Let's be more euphemistic and say that it's challenging.
Think about it. In Vancouver, it's easier to put on a sweater in the winter rather than turning up the heat because you won't freeze to death. And you can live without power-sucking central air conditioning in the summer because we have lovely breezes off the ocean. You can wait in the car for someone and not leave it running because, again, you're not likely to lose your toes in the process. You can wear cute yoga pants and little Lulu hoodies because all you need on most winter days to brave the elements is an umbrella, not a down parka, balaclava and snowpants. Organic gardening and eating locally is relatively easy where we are; there are many backyard and community gardens popping up, and we live close to the Fraser Valley and Okanagan. In TO, there's tons of agriculture but it all seems so industrial to me, (a visitor admittedly, but that's my impression), designed to maximize production from a shorter growing season.
Or maybe I'm just wimpy about the cold now that I've lived on the coast for the past 25 years.
Toronto DOES have beautiful fall trees. And a Bath and Bodyworks not too far from here, so there's that.
No comments:
Post a Comment