My head won't stop nodding. It's agreeing that Tiende Sante is exactly the shop I wanted to tuck myself into on a blustery Montreal afternoon. But why?
It was the overwhelming urge to ask "how much is that monkey in the window? The one with the nodding tail." For your information, it's $7.99. That's less than $10 for everlasting fun.
Inside, wafts of rice cooking, and tea brewing warm you from head to toe. Tea pots, novelty plates and other "Chinese Market" style toys and trinkets like Hello Kitty line the shelves. It's the kind of shop you will browse in, think there's nothing you need, and all of a sudden be struck with the urge to buy something silly. I saw refrigerated dim sum in the back but didn't investigate... the monkeys were calling.
I never would have thought my zen would come in the form of a monkey, perched on his own toilet, sitting beside me at my desk, but he's been in agreement since the moment I shined a little light on him.