Ganesha

I am working on another Ganesha. This is him in progress. I have painted him a number of times in the last year. I made about forty small ones to give guests of my wedding.

Diana says its an english(ized) version. We both comment on the busyness of Indian art. We live in Scarborough in an area rich with images from Southeast Asia. I have had a strange connection to Indian culture most of my life. Indian food is my favourite.

We live in an area populated by Indian, Sri Lankan, and Pakistani people, so the food is really hot. Really really hot.

Yesterday I was picking up some chili chicken. I like spice, and the guy behind me was describing how spicy he wanted his dish. "Very dry, very very dry very hot. No sweet. Tell your Auntie, he said, she knows. He was so insistent.

We are in an old style "Canadian Chinese" restuarant that has been converted to "South Indian Chinese Pakistani and Roti". There is sanskrit and many people tucked into small restaurants getting the day's takeout. I'm still not sure where the Roti comes from.

When we moved into this area and got takeout the first time, we burned the crap out of our mouths. "We like Indian Food" we said. We are going to love this place. The smells are so good and look at all the places to eat.

A mean trick on us, we thught. The food is way too hot and even inedible. We can't take some of the heat. We admit it. All the years I have seen macho people prove they can eat spice, they have nothing on the people around here.

The guy at the counter last night was a black man with an accent I can't place. We don't even try anymore. Everyone looks different. Different from us and each other. There are many shades of brown.

Spice aside, the flavours are wonderful. I pick out the chili's in the chili chicken. It comes with extra and I am picking them out. I can't imagine pouring more on. The chilies themselves are deadly. At first a burst of refreshing flavour, followed by escalating, I can't believe it's getting more intense, outright pain.

We have it about once a week, it's delicous. The only food I both fear and crave.

There is a large mix down here in South Scarborough. When I was a kid I came here to play hockey and later when the subway opened I travelled here many times to go downtown. I grew up 10kms to the north. There wasn't much out here then. The same strip malls still exist, just different signs.The No Frills grocery store dominates.

I'm glad we are getting out though. We are moving to the county. We will still have a place in the city. We are splitting a house with Diana's sister in East York. That neighbourhood is kind of scary in a desparate kind of way. A lot of people looking to take advantage any way they can.

Here, it's the melting pot. New Canadians. I came here with a question in my mind of why I paint these images. I guess I am part of the melting pot. I am affected by what I hear and see. I express it onto the canvas.