For this installment of 5 Minutes – 5 Questions, I thought it might be interesting to hear what one of the Beach’s more popular business owners might say in response. I called Ed Francis, the owner of Ed’s Real Scoop, the popular ice cream shop at 2224 Queen St. Ed was a hard guy to track down – even just for five minutes! – as he runs between his two Queen Street locations. I finally had to leave a message on his cell phone. But, busy as he was, Ed found the five minutes to answer my five questions.
1. Your favourite place in the Beach? – “Aside from my shop, my wife and I love to walk along the boardwalk. For food we like Il Fornello. It’s a great place for pizza.”
2. Hat or not? – “I am a hat person… due to my lack of hair!”
3. Beer, wine or whiskey? – “I think I drink wine most often.” (Ed admitted he had a preference for pinot noir.)
4. Car, truck, bike, or TTC? – “I generally drive, mostly to pick up supplies for the stores. But in the nice weather my wife and I like to bike around the area.”
5. Cat or dog? – “Cat. I grew up with a dog, but when I was in my 20s a cat adopted me, and I’ve been a cat person ever since. Stray cats tend to find me.”
And because we’re still in January with all the good intentions that the New Year engenders, I decided to ask:
6. Did you make a New Year’s resolution, and keep it? – “Not this year. I’ve only made one New Year’s Resolution in my life. Back in my late 20s I made one to quit smoking – and kept it. I’m batting 1000 so I’m leaving the game while I’m on top!”
Then I decided to call one of the several area captains for Beach Metro News. These are the dedicated volunteers who carry car loads of newspaper bundles around to the volunters who distribute the paper door to door.
Bob Heighway, a retired IBM man, who, aside from volunteering for us, also works as a school crossing guard for the Toronto Board of Education. I caught up with him just after his lunch shift.
1. Your favourite place in the Beach? – “The Neville Park Ravine.” Bob lives on Neville Park. “That’s why we bought the house here.” Bob is also very familiar with Neville, the wily coyote who prowls the ravine. “I’ve seen him a couple of times lately. With the leaves down he’s easy to spot.”
2. Hat or not? – “I’m a hat person. It’s not good to get too much sun so I wear a hat for protection.”
3. Beer, wine, or whiskey? – “I like a glass of rye whiskey… never developed a taste for scotch.”
4. Car, truck, bike or TTC? – “I rely on the car [especially to drop off newspapers], but I like walking.”
5. Cat or dog? – “I prefer a dog, but not too big. I don’t want to pick up after a big dog.”
6. Did you make a New Year’s resolution, and keep it? – “No. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. If I want to do something I just go ahead and do it.”
Keep an eye out for the February 7th 5 Minutes – 5 Questions. I’m going to shake things up a bit, and ask some different questions.
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