Pick Up JKL: A Review

I assure you that this blog post is perfectly safe to read for anyone of any age.
I am not writing a review about an escort service or any other in-appropriate service one may think of when they hear the words "Pick Up".
I'm also not writing about blind dates or designated drivers either.
Feeling better now?  Keep reading!!

Last night was one of those exhausting nights where the kids were hyped up, I had forgotten to put potatoes on the stove so they were happily sitting in a bag on the table ...or maybe the floor...and I was getting stressed about my up-coming Restaurant Day (which is tomorrow...and here I am blogging while hubby helps empty the dishwasher!)...and decided let's just order take-out.

We normally order pizza on Friday nights to go with out sauna night - a nice way to end the work week and the kids are used to it and it's a good rhythm.  But it was Thursday...and it was so close to 8pm that many restaurants stop delivering at 8pm.  I got online and checked with a friend of mine who suggested "Pick Up JKL" - she hadn't eaten there before and wasn't sure if it was good or not - but why not?
Pick Up Pizzeria not only sells pizza - but they also sell Chinese food.  Had I not been to New York before and seen something similar in one restaurant, I would have thought this was an insane idea.  For Jyv�skyl� - it kind of is...but with so many pizzerias around - it's a unique concept and I'm sure that's why they have survived so far.
Here's how the order placing conversation went:

"Hi, are you still delivering?" -me
"Well, where do you live?  Yes well, we can deliver but depends how much you order!"  - her (please note she was screaming into the phone and the background noise was minimal...)
"Oh well, we just wanted two dishes...for my husband and I." - me
"Well, my car is broken...so you need to order at least three - then I can deliver to you.  AND there is 3� delivery fee." - her
So I agree to order a pizza for the kids (and to try it out myself) and I gave her the address, she confirmed they accept bank cards and she'll be there in an hour.

I rushed around finishing up some cheesecakes for tomorrow (I haven't even started anything else really!) and pedaled my bike (I walked beside it while my lovely bike handles carried the cheesecakes) to my Restaurant Day location (Laajavuorentie 5B)...I got some posters and had a quick chit chat with my friends when suddenly my phone began to vibrate and ring...
"I'M LOST!  I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO!  WHERE ARE YOU?"
Very professional lady....so I advise her where to turn and how to get to my building...2 minutes later...
"I DON'T SEE YOUR NUMBER!  I SEE 34!!  HOW DO I GET THERE?! I CAN'T DRIVE PAST THE SIGN!"
I said I'll be there in a jiffy but I can't ride and talk on the phone at the same time AND cross the street safely...
I get there and she found my door after all.  She had a huge Styrofoam box and when I apologized for keeping her waiting, she asked where I was looking for her at.  I told her that I was at a friend's house PRIOR to her coming over and was on my way.
"Why did you go to your friend's home when you knew I was coming here?!" - and the lecturing began....
Finally I lock up my bike, she digs out the food and as I'm digging for my bank card she said:
"So where are you from?"
"I'm from Canada." -me
"Well, you look Asian!" - her  (Apparently Canadians cannot look Asian...fantastic.  Hello stereotypes.)
"Yes, I get that all the time." I managed to say this with a straight face and no hint of humour at all - because let's face it - I'm sweaty, grumpy at her for numerous reasons and hungry.
Eventually I "confess" she's right, I have a Chinese-Malaysian genetic background...then she wants to know if I speak Chinese or Malaysian...nope....
"So, your husband is Finnish?" - her
"No, he's also Canadian." -me waiting for her to go so I can rush the food upstairs...
"Why you live here then?!"
Apparently it's a crime to leave one's home country...? 
"My husband is studying here."
The conversation continues as she asks if it's my first time ordering from her and I said yep and that was that.
"CAN'T YOU SEE THE INTERNATIONAL LOOK OF STARVING ON MY FACE?!" is what I wanted to ask her...
Finally, she is satisfied with my answers and payment - then she leaves happily...in her vehicle that clearly works.   A friend suggested perhaps she borrowed her boss's car - but I think she IS the boss...anyways...

So! The food quality?
Hubby ordered Beef Szechuan sauce and deemed it, "It's okay..." which translates to: Not really the best and I've had way better.
I ordered the Beef with Mushrooms and Bamboo...it was a bit peppery - which is fine...the mushrooms were from a can - big pet peeve as I love fresh white mushrooms...the sauce - not so amazing.  The bamboo was in excessive amounts and that's all I remember about it.  For the amount of bamboo that was in it - they could have cut back by about 1/4-1/2 and added a bit more beef...which tasted weird to me...can't put my finger on it.
I also tried hubby's food and it wasn't very spicy and missed that Szechuan taste I'm used to from every other Asian restaurant I've ever eaten at.
It was pretty late so I didn't bother trying the pizza - but it had real pieces of chicken (various sizes and looked shredded nicely), not the cubed stuff you buy in the grocery store...the kebab meat was probably frozen and the ham was the little match stick pieces of ham that looked more like salami (dark red) to me...I tried some the next day and it wasn't amazing.

My general opinion? 1/5

- Customer Service is quite sad...I felt bullied into buying the 3 dishes when I really only wanted 2 - and then on top of that she was going to charge me the 3� delivery fee anyway.  If you have a minimum order amount to match the 3� delivery fee - then why not list that on your site?  Slightly misleading if you ask me.  Maybe it was my phone - but the screaming has to stop...I held my phone away from my head a good foot and a half and still could hear her perfectly fine.  (It really may have been my volume on maximum...)
- Food Quality - portion size was good for both the Chinese and the pizza, but the flavour was quite bland.  Could have been more meat on the pizza I think...not so spread out so that the pizza toppings look even thinner (less) than what there was.
I have gotten better taste and quality at Sakura Gawa for my money's worth.

ONLY BONUSES:  Our food was piping hot - despite her being late...that Styrofoam box did wonders.  And they accept bank card as a payment option at the door.  And they use real chicken pieces on their pizza...

Would I order from there again?
No.  I'm sorry but I was quite disappointed overall and would not recommend Pick Up JKL.  Perhaps eating in the restaurant would be different - but the take-away service was blegh.
Sure there's "Well, it's better than nothing!"
Honestly, had we known this experience could happen like this - we would have just had grilled cheese sandwiches for supper.

The Fair!

The fair comes to JKL every spring and usually leaves right after Mother's Day.
Most days that it was here, it was quite cold, windy and raining - so thankfully, on Mother's Day - it was warm enough and sunny - so we decided to go!

Here's some photos:

Do you want to know WHY it's called "Mega Flip"?

Swings a bit to the left...

Swings more to the right....

Swings a little higher to the left...

Completely upside down.  (As soon as this photo was taken - I left!  It made me nauseous just watching them!)

FINALLY!  A hat that would fit my huge head! :-)

Poor kid on the far right was screaming and bawling her eyes out.

There used to be a skull dangling from those wrinkly fingers...

Take us to your leader......

Now the small print would say, "You have to actually win before you can have anything!" (One of those claw-games...where you have to pick up a stuffed toy...)

A very tall and swirly slide!

The candy bus.  I didn't see how much it costed - but I imagine it would be safe to call it the "Over-Priced Candy Bus".

From the duck pond...

*Please note: I did not go on any ride at all.  I am a huge wimp when it comes to this kind of stuff and the kids were asleep anyway.*

A Great Deed!

A few days ago, I posted about a lady who is blind and wasn't getting help to get to the bus or off at the proper stop.
Well, I'm happy to let you know - that a couple of days ago, I noticed she was walking quickly towards her stop and a young man who was biking by, waved down the bus, then waited to make sure the bus driver would stop and wait for her!!!
I was so pleased at this genuine act of kindness - I admit - I teared up a bit.

Oh and in case you're wondering, regardless of your age or disability - you have to pay to get on the bus.  (This applies to Jyv�skyl� at least).
In Halifax, those that are legally blind - do not have to pay to use the bus.  And they may bring their guide dog as well, who also gets on for free.
No other pet (unless in a cage/kennel and is small, like a cat) is allowed on the bus.
I don't know if they've changed this rule yet - because I remember reading about people with other disabilities were disappointed they couldn't get on the bus for free and it wasn't considered very fair.  (This was prior to me moving to Finland - I have yet to read anything else on the matter online).

On a funny note, because you're allowed bringing your dogs (on leash) on the bus in JKL, a young man brought his Australian Shepherd puppy (blue-eyed, brown and white patches - aka adorable!) and all 8 high school girls sitting ahead of me squealed/screamed "IHANA KOIRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Lovely dog! - Ihana is like a "cutesy" term too.)
I'm pretty sure I may have lost a fraction of my hearing and the bus driver would've crashed had we not been stopped and pulled over.

And dude, just an FYI - it was written all over your face that you only got the puppy to use it as a chick magnet.

Would You Help Someone in Need?

This is a very sad post.  No - nobody died or anything...but it's a real pity what's going on in Jyv�skyl�.  Once again, from an outsider's point of view...

I hate to point fingers at a particular person that "sticks out" a bit more than anybody else and is fairly recognizable but I think it's something that should be brought to everybody's attention in the JKL and Kortepohja area.  (And if this person finds out - I hope you understand, I'm doing this for your safety and out of deep concern for you as another human being).

There's a lady who has long blonde hair who frequently takes the 18 or 18K bus from the student village to downtown and back.  I saw this lady this past Sunday get off at my bus stop - a bus stop before the student village - and knew immediately she was lost.  I admit I have never spoken to her before because I assumed she spoke Finnish - she does, however, my friend spoke with her to give her directions - and Finnish is NOT her first language.  Not sure what is - but in future, I'll try and help her as best as possible if she speaks English.  And I know the bus number in English and Finnish - so that'll help.

What's the big deal?  She's blind and has a cane - and I live about a 6 minutes walk away from the student village.
I've seen her get on the bus from the student village area - so that's how I knew she was lost when I saw her wandering towards my apartment while I was waiting for my friend to pick me up.
There have been times I've been on the bus and not noticed she was there until we pulled away from the downtown location - and when I finally did notice she was there - I also noticed that nobody offered her assistance, in terms of letting her know what bus number was sitting there for the past 3 minutes.
Not the bus driver and not the other people waiting for the bus.
But yet, nobody has a problem with staring at her and being scared of asking if she needed help "seeing" what bus was there...it's a shame that Finns keep to themselves to the extreme like this, when it comes to someone who has a disability.
I don't know where she's from, I am assuming she's here for the school year as I haven't seen her before (JKL is a small place) and I haven't seen her ask for help either - so perhaps it's an independent/pride thing.


I am incredibly concerned about her safety - because when you're driving from behind her - where there are no side walks in the area leading to my flat - you might not see her cane.  My friend didn't (I don't think) and was a little confused as to why the woman was weaving side to side.
We were able to give her proper directions to go back towards her home and she seemed quite grateful as she didn't recognize the area she was in at all.

So if you see this lady - please give her a hand and ask her if she needs help with the bus number or the bus stop.