EAT
COAST to CRUST
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Clayton Howe’s pie odyssey takes him from frozen Canada to the balmy valleys of California
t has been a COLD journey as Waitress has passed through Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon on its US tour. But Calgary takes the cake when it comes to pie. Pie Junkie, near the downtown area, was empty when I visited with my friend and cast member Jake Mills (who plays Cal), so we got to dig into four different pies. Pie #1: Chocolate hazelnut, which was fudge in a small pie crust. It was incredible! I could only eat about half before the sweetness got to me. Pie #2: Banana toffee, which made me seriously homesick for Levain Bakery’s banana bread pudding. The taste was almost identical and irresistible. Then we tried something different – savory pies. I’m not a fan. I’ve probably just divided some of the readers but hear me out! When I set out to eat pie, I expect sweet. If it’s not sweet, then it could be considered a quiche or a flat bread or panini of some sort, but that’s just my point of view. The word pie with meat just doesn’t do it for me. My memory of Sweeney Todd and their meat pies may have skewed my view. In Edmonton, I sampled pie at the Upper Crust Café, which had an excellent lemon meringue, and an apple pie. The lemon was tart but sweet, with a perfect meringue. I feel it’s pretty difficult to mess up an apple pie and they didn’t – the perfect mix of cinnamon sugar and apple made it the perfect treat. Saskatoon was such a short stay I barely got to try pie other than the one served to
me on stage, which was made with marionberries. Similar in flavor to a blackberry, the marionberry is slightly tart and sweet; certainly one of my favorites in the show. Then to Palm Desert – and finally some warm weather. I couldn’t find a local pie shop and, being short on time, I decided to stop by an old American chestnut: Walmart. I have to be honest, that pecan pie didn’t disappoint: sweet, chewy, and one of the least expensive 12-inch pies ever. Well done Walmart, well done. Learning and experiencing other cultures, even if they are pretty darn close to your own, can still open your eyes to so much in the world: ways of being, crossing the street when the light is red, holding doors – all of that is different. Humans are generally kinder and more trusting in the smaller cities. People actually wait for the “walk” sign to cross the street (which added five minutes to my commute to the theatre). Side note, Canada has done a pretty great job with public WiFi. In every city, there was a public network to connect to and IT WORKED! While getting to visit these other cities, I find myself growing with each move. In my life, I’ve connected growth and security to staying in one place, which is now changing with each city on this tour.
DIGITAL EDITION
Above: Our resident pie junkie on tour. Below: Chocolate hazelnut and banana toffee pies go in for the Clay test.
Constant moving is teaching me that security, comfort, and happiness come from within. If nothing else, my mind is truly opened to how many people actually inhabit this earth. I’m looking at 2020 as a year of perfect vision for what my true life is and will be. I know some of us love to make resolutions, and I’ve found these thoughts help me follow through on them.
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Keep it simple. If you want to start working out, plan to go to the gym three or four days a week, not six; especially if you’ve never regularly worked out before. Ease into the new activity, keep it realistic, then raise the expectation in February.
About
CLAYTON
Clayton Howe is the creator and host of the Entertainment(x) podcast and is currently on tour through the US and Canada as Earl in Waitress.
2
Change the words “I should” to “I must.” Make it definite. In order to be someone you’ve never been before, you have to do things you’ve never done before and take actions in a way you’ve never taken before.
3
Be kind to yourself. Any resolution, be it ending a bad habit, starting a good habit, or just changing your thoughts for the better can be difficult, so be kind. Realize it’s not easy and it will take more than a month (of consistent work) for a new habit to become a constant habit. As Oprah says: “Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right.” I hope you have a very happy new year full of kindness, love, and light. Happy New Year’s, Hell’s Kitchen.
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