Thai food in Canmore

Tonight we had dinner at the little Thai restaurant across the railroad tracks. It was delicious, at least as good as anything we've had in Toronto or Vancouver. And here we are in a small town in the mountains.

It didn't look promising at first. The waiter who seated us looked more German than Thai, and the other, older one definitely was German. But as it became obvious we were delighting in the food, the senior server explained how there came to be a Thai restaurant in the back of beyond.
Many years ago a businesswoman fled Laos and ended up working in a restaurant Grand Prairie. She was the dishwasher at first because she spoke no English. But one day the cook quit and she took over. Business boomed and she kept the job.

As she could afford it she brought more and more of her relatives to Canada. Eventually they moved to Calgary and bought their own restaurant. Seven of them shared a tiny apartment at first, but time passed and their hard work and determination paid off. They bought land and more restaurants that became known for their great food.

The place in Canmore is one of two owned by the neice of the original woman from Laos - her other is in Banff. And she ended up marrying a German man who was maitre d' at a posh hotel. So now, in his retirement, he's looking after her Canmore place, and the family is continuing to bring in cooks and other staff from southeast Asia.

I love stories like that - stories about people with talent who work hard and succeed. And I love the ethnic mix in this country, summed up in this Thai restaurant with its German host. This isn't the Canmore Ron grew up in, and it isn't the Canada we both knew when we were young. It's way better.

It's hard to believe the riches we're surrounded with here. Banff, with its summer festival of the arts, is 20 minutes away. We've been to a great concert there and a photography workshop. Monday we enjoyed a student concert in Canmore, and next week we see the Magic Flute in Banff. There's a folk festival in Canmore this weekend. We're discovering that there are opportunities to volunteer at the library and the museum. There's a decent choir we hope to join this fall. And there's a fantastic, friendly wool shop a short walk away from our condo.

I could learn to like this place. It's kinda nice staying home for a bit.