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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, November 29, 2012 · 6 The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 Guest Column Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Halton Region Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Holiday shopping should fill your senses Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award SUBMITTED PHOTO Marking time for new hospital: The Knights of Columbus, members seen here, from left, Steve Novak, Rod Rafauli, Kevin Philpott and John Newton, selling calendars at Oakville Place. The Hospital Foundation Lottery 2013 calendars are being sold in support of the Oakville Hospital Foundation fundraising campaign for the new hospital. For information on how to buy a calendar, visit http://kofc-oakville.ca/otmh-lottery-calendar/. ow crazy busy is holiday time? We are all doing more with less and that includes doing more with less time. How do we embrace this time of year? Shop locally -- take in the charm and spirit of Oakville. Dining and shopping for those we love should and can be a joy. Julia Hanna Holiday shopping should fill your senses -- rejuvenate at your favourite restaurant with its flavours and aromas and take in the beauty of Oakville's many shops decorated for the season. Christmas is the busiest time of the year for retailers. Shopping locally at this time creates a surge in the local economy. Local shops need to hire extra local staff and wages paid to local employees are circulated within the community. The holiday season is also a time when many of us donate to local charities to help those less fortunate in our community. Shopping locally gives local businesses the opportunity to support local causes. There is a chain reaction that occurs with shopping locally -- tax revenue is used to fund the local infrastructure including education, emergency services, community and school events. Why pay another community's taxes? Local business means local jobs and less commuting. Shopping locally means that your travel expenses are reduced and it lessens your impact on our natural environment. A strong local economy will help attract new businesses. Offering a healthy dose of competition among businesses allows the economy to grow and thrive. Healthy competition keeps prices and product quality in check -- an advantage ultimately passed on to the consumer. Decision making about product offerings and services are based on the local, unique needs of our community. There is a great deal of discussion lately about protecting Oakville's unique character and heritage. What better way to do that than shopping locally and ensuring the survival of the community. We are not advocating to shop Oakville only, but rather to shop Oakville first. We encourage you to seek out your best option -- you will likely be pleasantly surprised to find that your best option is here in Oakville. H Julia Hanna, Oakville Chamber of Commerce chair They may not be epicureans, but they sure are epi-curious T here are innumerable lists available on the Internet that rank restaurants, nationally, regionally, locally -- lists such as Vacay. ca's superb Top 50 Restaurants In Canada. And while these rankings provide food for thought, and a launch pad for discussion, they're not gospel. Because taste in restaurants -- like taste in literature, cinema, music -- is highly subjective. For starters, some people view restaurants as basic sites for sustenance, as places where you can stuff your face and kill hunger, and not have to do dishes afterward. Conversely, some think of restaurants in more elevated terms, as places where you can congregate for culinary adventures and social experiences, and not have to do dishes afterward. My wife and I align with the latter. We frequently dine out in establishments that don't boast a drive-through window. We may not be full-fledged epicureans, but we're certainly epi-curious. We talk restaurants with fellow foodies. We research, experiment, and take pleasure in the discovery of an eatery that awes. We once spent an eternity talking with Windy City wonderment to a savvy concierge about Chicago restaurants. This concierge knew her stuff. Before recommending any restau- Andy Juniper rant she ensured that she knew exactly what we were in the mood for, and what we generally seek in a dining experience. You see, some people like a restaurant to be clothed in casual, while others want the establishment to exude elegance. Some people like a restaurant to be homey, others want it to be hopping and happening. Some like `vibrant,' while others consider vibrant to be an industry euphemism for `too loud to carry on conversation'. Obviously a prime location (easy to find, easy to access) is ideal, but if a restaurant has buzz, charm and a rockin' chef, patrons will come. One of our favorite restaurants is tucked behind a strip plaza in a lessthan-affluent area of Hilton Head, South Carolina. Another is in an area of Chicago that prompted the doorman at our hotel to advise: "If you're going into that district, take a cab. And pack heat." Of course, the key to a memorable dining experience is service by waiters who are equal parts personable and knowledgeable, and for whom timing is everything -- which is to say, they instinctively know when you need them, and when you don't; they're attentive without being obnoxious. All of which brings me to Cliff (not his real name), our least favourite waiter at a restaurant that would have otherwise harpooned our hearts. Cliff let us know from his opening greeting that he was an officious know-it-all, and that this night would be, well, all about Cliff. We'd already had more than enough of the Cliff -- truncating our every discussion with Random Cliff Thoughts -- when my wife slipped off to the powder room. Seconds after entering, there was a loud rap on the door, followed by Cliff's beckoning voice: "Your entrée is about to leave the kitchen, so you should hurry back to your seat." The restaurant for which Cliff toils may well have been a contender for Vacay.ca's list of Top 50 Restaurants in Canada -- it's that good. Meanwhile, Cliff stands alone atop our personal list of Most Bizarre Behaviour By Waiters. A list that is surprisingly long. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook at www.facebook.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/ thesportjesters.