Day 4: Dining on cake with Surrey's Who's Who list

Saturday, July 2, 2011: Opportunity knocked and I kicked opened the door.  For years, I have wanted to experience a Fijian style pig roast, so I jumped at the invitation to join Bayside Rugby Club for a Fijian pig roast at Crescent Park Picnic Grounds. The irony of the day was, although the event was a lot of fun, with plenty of food and music -  there was no pig in sight,  roasted or, for that matter, squealing! 

Across the field the Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association was having a Canada Day potluck lunch.  Ijaz Chatha, Surrey School Board incumbent came and generously invited us over for the cake cutting ceremony.  I seized the chance for cake and for, yet, another cultural experience – thankfully, I was culturally astute enough to know, the illustrious pig would not be there either. The cake cutting, or in this case cake mutilation, was grand. There were several Surrey politicians and several wantbee Surrey politicians getting into the photo shoot. This was a delightfully humourous process, it took several minutes as a zillion cameras clicked away and Ijaz masterfully orchestrated people in and out of the photos. MLA Sue Hammell had her hand on the knife, as did a few others on the Surrey Who’s Who list. Unfortunately, but I only had the opportunity to chat with Charlene Dobie (Wannabee School Trustee), Grant Rice (Wannabee Councillor) and Stephanie Ryan (Wannabee Councillor) before waddling back across the field in search of the illustrious pig.  

The others from the Surrey Who’s Who list, that I didn’t get a chance to talk to: MLA Harry Bains, MLA Bruce Ralston, MLA Jagrup Brar, MP Jasbir Sandhu, MP Jinny Sims, and candidates for the municipal election  Rina Gill, and Gary Robinson – not a bad turnout for Canada Day, eh? 

The photos may have been good for their political career, but the cake, with it’s many “first” cuts, did not fare as well! However, it was delicious and much appreciated, after all a country only turns 144 once! 

I jokingly accused them of using me for my cultural ethnicity in their photos – yes, I can be bought for a piece of cake! It is election season after all. 

(I have been checking the on-line edition of The Miracle News to see if I made the front page -- or not.)