Eat the Street – Mammalian Diving Reflex Gets Kids’ Comments on Queen West Restaurants

Over the past few years, theatre company Mammalian Diving Reflex has pioneered a series of projects that cast new light on our social structures by putting power into the hands of kids. For instance, they created one of the best-ever Nuit Blanche events with an all-night dance party deejayed by grade-schoolers, and they’ve travelled the world with their self-explanatory Haircuts by Children.

Now, in association with Parkdale Public School, they’ve created “Parkdale Public School vs. Queen Street West 2: Eat the Street”, a “critical dinner series” where kids document their feelings and observations about a series of dinners at Queen West eateries.

“People like to focus on the empowering effects of this kind of work on kids but while that may or may not be the case, what's certainly the case is that the adults do have their understanding of the world decisively altered,” reports company artistic director Darren O’Donnell.

The series kicked off on March 26 at Shangrila, followed by sessions at Skyline Restaurant, Mitzi's Sister, The Drake, Czehoski, Saigon Flower, Cadillac Lounge and Oddfellows. Photos (like the one above) and comments are posted on an Eat the Street blog. If you’re interested in observing the action in person while enjoying a meal of your own, the remaining sessions are:

• Tuesday, April 28, 7 p.m.: Addis Ababa (1184 Queen West, east of Northcote, 416-538-0059 – reservations recommended)
• Friday, May 1, 7 p.m.: Mother India (1456 Queen West, east of Lansdowne, 416-588-4634)
• Thursday May 7, 7 p.m.: The Beaver (1192 Queen West, east of Gladstone, 416-537-2768)

There’s also an Awards Ceremony, where the kids present their accolades to their favourites, on Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m. at The Gladstone (1214 Queen West, 416-531-4635). Admission is Pay-What-You-Can.