Mother’s Day is upon us this weekend and it’s a day where we honour the one we call Uma, Madar, Majka, Mama, Ina, Makuahine, or just plain Mom. In fact, Mother’s Day is the day where we show our devotion to the matriarch of our lives by treating her like the Queen that she is!
So all hail the Queen on this Day of Mothers!
But what to do for the Queen that has everything? Well, fret not! We here at Old Town Toronto have done some research on the lives of Queens throughout history along with watching like half of the last season of The Crown and have brought forth some handy tips on how to treat your Queen like a ✨Queen✨ this Mother’s Day.
The Queen Rises
The sun rises and the clouds doth part
And the light of Heaven shines on our
Good and Glorious Queen forever and ever
Your good and wonderful Queen (long may she reign) has risen from her blessed slumber! From a small family to a glorious empire, the burden of power weighs heavily on your Queen’s head, making ruling a tiring job. Giving tasks to servants and generals helps. Coffee or tea is usually better.
Luckily the fine coffeesmiths of Everyday Gourmet Coffee Roasters in St. Lawrence Market are offering their fine freshly roasted fair trade organic coffee and decadent teas on sale just for your lovely mother. Be sure to use the code MOTHERS2020 for 15% off web orders and pick out a blend she would like. If you’re stuck on choosing, may we kindly suggest the Muskoka Morning Blend to ensure your Queen will be in good spirits when she rises.
Name Things After Your Queen
In the name of the Queen
And all she reigns
I hereby name this land
In her honour
Were you aware that Canada has more places named after Queen Victoria than any other place in the world? Schools, parks, roads, and even two major cities, Regina and Victoria, are named after her. Your objective is clear. All you have to do is buy a lot of land (or in a realistic, less colonial alternative perhaps some custom jewellery) that you can purchase in your Queen’s (long may she reign) name.
For this we would suggest a custom royal pendant to pass down through the generations created by Kate Reid of Up Close and Personal Jewelry, one of the St. Lawrence Market’s vendors in the outdoor area of the Saturday Farmers Market on Market Street from 7am-3pm. Kate’s modern, bohemian style of jewellery takes its inspiration from all over the world, and she takes great care to ensure that every piece is unique and special to the person who will be wearing it. Eventually, you’ll have enough that even ‘ol Vicky will be envious from beyond the grave.
Adorn Her Majesty With Gifts
From far off lands the people did come
To place a gift upon thy throne
Seeking favour or some reward
Perchance a smile or the Queen’s good word!
You love your Queen (long may she reign) and what better way to show your love for her than by offering her a tribute? But as we’ve learned from previous gifts given to Queens, it can be easy to miss the mark a little (No offence, Germany, but did you really need to give Elizabeth II a replica of the Brandenburg Gate made out of marzipan?). Thankfully, the shopkeepers of OTT are here with gifts befitting of your royal mother’s standing!
Toronto’s First Post Office has an online store filled with all sorts of fine items, from cards and stationery to fine art and chocolate. If you’d like a gift that reminds your Queen of her kingdom in the olden days, you’ll definitely hit the mark there! If it’s food your Queen prefers, then a special gift box from the famous George Street Diner is just the ticket! We’d suggest the Grace O’Malley Mother’s Day Box Set. Named after the infamous Irish “Pirate Queen”, the box contains Guinness cheddar cheese. 1lb of George Street Diner fair-trade organic coffee beans, Glenstal old cheddar cheese, Irish tomato relish, 1lb homemade granola, and Farrellys famous homemade crackers
Rebel Against Roman Invaders in Her Name
Her eyes burned with fury
With her crown a flaming red
She commanded her army to press on
Until the Roman hordes were dead
Okay. Um. You know what? This entry was going to be about Boudicca, the British Queen from 60 CE who rebelled against the Roman invaders and rallied thousands to fight in her name. In that time she burned down the Roman settlements of Camulodunum, Verulamium, and Londonium (Now known as London) and supposedly slaughtered over 70,000 people. Other than that pretty interesting Queen fact, we’re not sure how to exactly bring that into the modern-day.
So we’re going to take the L on this one, acknowledge that we kind of got a little too into the “treat her like a Queen” theme, and say that you shouldn’t kill Roman invaders. Rome isn’t invading anyone currently and it’s actually a really nice city filled with wonderful people. Maybe watch the HBO show Rome and get a little angry about it. Some of the characters in there are pretty mean. Anyways. Sorry. Moving on.
Treat thine Queen to the Finest Feast in all the land
Play the music and sing the songs
For the Queen is ready for wine!
Prepare the dishes and lay out the food
For the Queen is ready to dine!
Aye, what good is celebrating your Queen (long may she reign) without a banquet befitting her royal standing? While we recognize that in these trying times a personal chef with large kitchen staff just isn’t feasible at the moment (sacrifices must be made, after all), the restaurants of Old Town Toronto fortunately have a number of Mother’s Day specials on to satisfy the tastes of even the most fickle monarch.
The majestic Queen Salad served by the fine folks at AAamazing Salad! The high quality zero-prep frozen foods from Commo, with over 100 different curated wines to choose from! And of course the fresh menus serving special brunch, lunch, and dinner for mother dearest from the likes of Cafe Nicole, HOTHOUSE, C’est What, and Papillon on Front. All are sure to delight and amaze thine Queen (long may she reign).
