Don Sparrow’s Guide to Comic Cons for Artists Part 5: THE FOOD
Welcome to Part FIVE of my five-part Comic Con series. Each comic-con has a different personality, and every experience teaches me something new. So having been doing these for a few years now, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned, or comfortable habits I’ve formed in this, Don Sparrow’s Guide to Comic-Cons for Artists.
Click HERE for PART ONE: TRAVEL.
Click HERE for PART TWO: YOU ARE HERE.
Click HERE for PART THREE: SETTING UP.
Click HERE for PART FOUR: THE CONVENTION
DISCLAIMER: Am I saying this is the ONLY way to do a convention, or that you’re a hopeless case if you do a convention differently, or have different motivation or results from a show? NO! Where are you getting that? This is just some stuff that I figured out makes a show go better for ME, personally. Ok? Ok.
EATING It’s just plain hard to eat well on the road. Conventions are long days, and if things are going well, you won’t get many breaks, so convenience becomes king.
Don’t worry, buddy, you’re still king the rest of the time.
PREPARE FOR BEING BAD LATER, BY BEING GOOD NOW! I must admit, I never eat well on the road. Fast food is inexpensive and convenient, especially when you’re keep strange hours. Plus, it’s a treat I really only try to allow myself when I’m on vacation. For that reason, I really try to be as disciplined as I can in the days and weeks before a convention, hitting the gym as much as I can in the days before, and really eating as healthy as I can. I do this both to create good habits that will hopefully carry over to while I’m traveling to a show, and also so that if I do get lazy, then at least it will mitigate some of the indulgence while I’m on the road. Plus, when I stay in hotels, they often have great fit rooms, where you can burn off some pre-show jitters.
And if you have a workout buddy, all the better.
AT THE SHOW
SNACK SMART! Conventions are a long day, even if it’s a fun, or lucrative day. Make sure you plan accordingly, and have some snacks on hand for those times when you don’t have a helper keeping you fed. No matter what, I always have a giant water bottle on hand, as dehydration is a real killer to mood and even drawing ability in a hot and stuffy convention center. It’s an old trick, but if my hotel has a freezer, I usually fill my bottle 2/3rds full, and then freeze it, adding the last third of water before I leave, so that the water is super cold all day.
Not what I meant by a Frozen water bottle, but, still–pretty nice.
Other faves of mine to pack are celery sticks (great to combat dry mouth), raisins and, yes, beef jerky, all for their portability, and the ability to eat them one handed, so your good hand is free for drawing. Plus, none of the above really make much of a mess, nor do they make your hands weird or greasy (especially if you hold the jerky by the packaging). Avoid potato chips for the crumb factor, as well as for the grease spot danger, which can render a drawing very unwanted by the purchaser.
That’ll be twenty dollars, please.
Speaking of eating one handed, the same goes for meals at the convention center. I always try to pick something that’s easy to eat without a mess, ideally something I can eat with one hand. I find pizza a little unwieldy and wide to eat at a show, and burritos, while compact enough for one handed eating, fall apart super easy and get pretty messy. Even burgers, my usual con meal of choice, can be pretty messy, depending where you get them from. Hot dogs are pretty much perfect, though, especially if you take them plain, as I do.
Everything in moderation.
AFTER THE SHOW
WE NEVER CLOSE! As I’ve said before, at these conventions, convenience is king.
You’re taking this too hard.
People love to knock the place, but no matter what time of day it is, if you need a quick and cheap meal, McDonald’s is highly likely to be open.
Inspiring.
Same thing if you need a caffeine hit, to fill up your car, or even just a bathroom, your best bet is a 7-11–any major city has them, and they’re almost always on main drags, so they’re easy to find.
Oh thank Heaven
The only drawback (besides the high fat and sugar content, if you consider those drawbacks) is that all the same reasons listed above (thrift, convenience, open 24 hours) they’re not always full of savoury characters, especially late at night.
“You ever dance with the–wait, wait, wait–you think I’m unsavory? That hurts.”
At a convention last year I had a very bad encounter at a McDonald’s with a very combative mentally ill person, one I narrowly escaped without coming to blows. So, proceed with caution.
*TREAT YOURSELF! This might contradict other parts I wrote about, where I mention one of my con goals is to save money at all costs, but at least once a convention, I like to have a nice meal out. In the first place, it’s a great way for you to connect with friends in the host location, or even new friends you make at the show. Secondly, if you have a great helper, a nice meal out is a way of rewarding them for helping you out at the show. Lastly, cons are hard work, and it’s nice to enjoy at least one perk of your efforts. You have to eat something anyway, and getting out to a restaurant is a good way to see a little of the city and decompress after a busy day. Plus, if you’re keeping every receipt, as I do, the food expenditures are a write-off, which makes it OK to dispense with thrift, for one meal at least.
Might I suggest somewhere everybody knows your name?
I’m pretty predictable when it comes to dinner out on the road. If I did OK, I’ll usually get Chinese food, which is a rare treat for me.
Dim sum, and then some.
Since one of my kids suffers from a severe peanut allergy, I rarely indulge, as it’s tough to find places where the food hasn’t come in contact with peanuts. On the road, miles from home, though, it’s a nice treat, and the carbs replenish my depleted system from a day of eating little and working lots–I just make sure to have a bunch of meals and toothbrushing sessions between that meal, and when I get home to kiss my allergic kiddo.
If I’ve had a great sales day, my preference is a nice steak, medium rare.
Like Ron Swanson before me, I do take a picture of every steak I eat in a restaurant.
SPREAD THE LOVE! Hey, don’t be a cheapskate–at cons, we’re largely relying on the generosity of others to make our money–customers could shop anywhere, but the sales we make mean they have chosen to spend their money on our work. So don’t be chintzy when it comes to sharing the wealth–tip your servers, and tip them well! During convention weekends, servers are probably inundated with the comics community, which can be good, bad and ugly.
Think what rabble these servers have to deal with.
Why not be one of the good ones? Same goes with take-out to the hotel, or room service.
IF ANYONE TRIES TO FORK WITH ME, I’VE ALREADY GOT A FORK! Speaking of take-out, when ordering, for the love of pete, make sure they include cutlery or chopsticks. Because of a nightmarish experience last year, I now have a metal fork, knife, and spoon in my art stuff, just so that I don’t have to eat with my hands like a caveman.
It’s considerably less cute when I do it.
Sure, if you’re in a hotel, you should be able to get it from them (should being the operative word) but in case you can’t (or don’t feel like it because you’re already in bathrobe mode), speak up or bring your own.
Just don’t lend it to that Uri Geller guy.
OTHER AFTER-SHOW TIPS
*DON’T PUSH IT! Know your limits when it comes to the nightlife, and bedtime. When I’m at a convention, I really do consider it my work, and since the con is a workplace of sorts, I don’t want to show up tired, grouchy or hung over (I actually don’t drink alcohol so that last one isn’t a problem, but the other two can be doozies). It’s great to connect with friends in the evenings, but not at the expense of being at my best the next day (and staying in will save you the money you just earned at the con). And the very dumbest thing I can do (and have done) is just flipping channels aimlessly on the basic cable on the hotel TV for hours when I could be sleeping.
Go to bed, weirdo.
Most hotel gyms are open pretty late, so if you can’t fall asleep quickly, it might be worth popping downstairs to burn off some out-of-town blues, especially since I do so much sitting at a busy show.
You never know who you’ll meet.
*MY FAVOURITE PLACES!
In every town there’s a new place I discover and want to come back to the next time I’m there. Here are a few of my favourites from different cities, starting with my own.
SASKATOON
The Broadway Cafe: Not only is it the best breakfast in town, it’s also home to the best milkshakes in the city. Plus it’s decorated like the inside of my head.
The inside of my head is apparently obsessed with the fictional romantic pairing of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe.
VANCOUVER
Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe: Conveniently located right next to a pretty decent Comic Shop, Sophie’s has terrific food, and even better dessert. Literally the hugest piece of apple pie I’ve ever eaten–and I have eaten many an apple pie. Thanks to my brother David R for introducing me.
Not a recent photo.
The Naam: What? Don Sparrow not only eating in a vegan restaurant, but recommending it? Has the world gone topsy turvy? No–the food is just that good. I didn’t miss meat at all, and my lactose intolerant self loved the dairy-free milkshakes. Love to Sarah and Michael for taking me there.
Coincidentally, “Naam” is the sound I made while eating my noodle dish.
EDMONTON
Coliseum Pizza & Steak: Very close to the convention centre and pretty much everything is good, especially the beef ribs. They do take-out and sit-down, and it’s a virtual mausoleum to the greatness of 80s Oilers.
“Museum” would have worked too, but Mausoleum feels closer, given the Edmonton Oiler teams of late.
CALGARY
The Galaxie Diner: We managed to avoid a Portlandia-like lineup by a minute or two, and had a great breakfast in this very cool place. Coke in glass bottles no less! Thanks Mike, for the recommendation.
As always, watch out for unsavoury characters like this fella.
TORONTO
There are almost too many great places to name when it comes to Toronto, but I’ve narrowed it down to just my favourites.
La Fenice: It’s super hard to find good Italian food on the prairies, so we were so glad to have such a nice restaurant so close to the hotel. My wife and I had a wonderful meal here, with great service. Highly recommend.
Try the pasta with red sauce. And the red lighting.
Khao San Road: My wife loves Thai Food, and this place was the best I’ve had in the GTA, including the year I lived there for art college.
Thanks to Alexa for bringing us there, and to the restaurant for letting me in dressed like that.
Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant: Known in Toronto as simply “The Nose”, this place is up there as one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten in my life.
Oh, thaaaaat’s why they call it that!
Not a convenient location if you’re staying downtown, and not easy on the wallet, but also: completely and utterly worth it.
Huge thanks to the great Aylwin Lo for recommending the place.
Ok, that’s it for this series. If there are any places I’ve missed, and need to try, please e-mail me and let me know about them. Thanks for reading, I love you.