breakfasts with a connection

“88 Juice and More”
785 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2S7
Phone; (604) 683-6518
(no website)

I notice this little place on my first day in Vancouver when I was walking down town from my hotel to get to a shoe repair shop – because I have given up on hotel breakfasts – far to expensive for what you get. No hotel give good value for breakfast  … doesn’t matter how tasty, plentiful and wonderful it’s.

It said All Day Breakfast .. so I thought I will give it a try.
So the following morning before I jumped on the “Big Bus” I went there for my breakfast. About two blocks walk from the hotel.

Melissa a very pleasant and friendly lady where serving. And I have a feeling that’s totally a family business. Can’t remember what I had for my first breakfast or the others neither.
2 times I think I had their French Toast and it was good – always had coffee with milk – they didn’t have any cappuccino and I had a smoothie most of the times

The cafe don’t have more then max 10 table and 36 seats – very basic – but with daily newspapers available every day.

I wouldn’t say that the place was blowing my socks off – and I’m sure I could have found something more exciting if I had walked a little future on Howe Street, but it was okay for me and nothing wrong with the food.
Opposite “88 Juice and More” are the famous Canadian Coffee brand “Tim Horton” – that has a far better coffee then Starbucks and I passed it every morning, but I didn’t even look what breakfast offer they had.
Not like me, always checking menus – I think I needed a kitchen table and the same table every day .. with familiar faces. Melissa gave me that. Was tired from the heat and travelling, needed a recognizing smile to go with my breakfast.

First morning there wasn’t many guests – but the following mornings it was nearly full and quite a few of the guests I recognized from previous mornings.

Compare to my breakfasts in Seattle at the Public Market – they were not even close, but I liked the little place and I like to see Melissa’s smiley face in the morning. She was so amazed by that I wrote so many post cards every morning.

Melissa and I start talking and became friendly with each other and that was another reason why I didn’t go somewhere else. She took good care of me and always made sure that I was comfortable. She asked about the pills I was taking – and I told her about my cancer and that I had decided that so soon I felt strong enough I would go back to my favourite places in US and Canada.

Before I started on this post I sent her an email – got her business card when we said goodbye and I know she will be happy when she receives my mail. Feel so humble now over what she meant for my mornings in Vancouver.

The same month I left Canada – she arrived from Hong Kong, 22 years ago.

My last morning in Vancouver a fine rain was falling – it was a blessing, but maybe Vancouver was sorry over see me leave –  for sure I was sorry over leaving. But who knows ????? Don’t think that our “love affair” will ever fade. Vancouver, you’re very special to me and will always be.

“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.”
Alfred A. Montapert

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