Toronto

This week, I spent several days in Toronto, Canada. I gathered my employees from around the world, to meet face-to-face. With the economy so bad last year, we haven't had a chance to meet for two years now. Our group is a little unusual. I have employees located in China, Germany, Korea, UK, Japan, Canada...and the U.S. They don't get a chance to see each other very often. It's one of the reasons that I travel so much - to try and visit with each of them and make sure they feel "connected" to the rest of the group...and company.

The meetings went really well, and a great deal of information was shared. It's important for us to understand what's happening with the videogame market in Asia, as well as Europe and North America. We looked for ways to collaborate and help each other. I have an amazing team and I'm proud to work with each of them. We've known each other for so long, that it's like seeing old friends, when we gather ; )

While in Canada (like each country I go to), I take the opportunity to check out food that we don't get in the U.S. All of the packaging in Canada has both English and French words. This is due to the Quebec province, and a desire on the part of French-Canadians to preserve their language. Let's start with potato chips:

These are the All Dressed chips from Ruffles. They have a variety of spices and flavorings that add up to a delicious chip. I couldn't tell you what the specific flavorings are...I just know they're good.

This was a new find on this trip. Smokey Bacon from Lays are just as good as the name would indicate.

This is probably my all-time favorite chip in Canada. It's the famous Ketchup chip. It comes from a variety of food companies, not just Lays. It sounds strange, but I like it. The flavor is sort of a cross between BBQ and vinegar. It tastes much better than my description. However, you do end up with a little red powder on your fingers, when you're all done.

Outside of the potato chip category, there's plenty to enjoy. In the candy category, there are lots of products that you find in Europe. Candy that I've found unique to Canada include:

Clodhoppers are sort of fudge-covered graham crackers. They come in a variety of flavors (all evil and addicting) The problem is that you can't just eat a few of them...you end up grabbing several "clusters" from the package. Other flavors include vanilla fudge, cookies n' cream and dark chocolate.

I've also spotted the following at every Canadian airport:

I'm not sure if Canadians are actually proud of this, or it's just a tourist attraction ; ) In other snack food, I love this one:

They are peanuts coated in a salt & vinegar flavoring. I know...some may not be able to appreciate this brilliant blend of flavors. However, I love 'em...particularly because they don't have the carbs of potato chips, so I don't run into as much trouble with the Diabetes, when I snack on them.

That's it for now - back to the meetings!!!