2012/07/02

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  Rue Ste-Catherine - Village - 2012.07.01
  Scènes de Montréal - Montreal Scenes
  

  Above

  There were 84 of those kiosk/tents for the Festival International Montréal en Arts which was ending since most of them were packing up when I took this pic, a little past 18h00. With all the terraces, you can pretty well say that all of the street was occupied. Don't look for Canada flags. Besides at the Old Port, you really, really, have to know it's Canada Day in Montreal on July 1st.

  

  Canada Day this and thats

  I know I shouldn't go there, year after year always the same kiosks, the same stages, at the same places, the same kid's corners, the same performers and the same propaganda stand. I still go to see how things evolve, over the years. To keep informed, so to speak. This year around, they really surpassed everything I had seen before. Not only was there the same booth giving away flags to anyone wanting, but they were giving them by the handful, literally, and they had satellite progaganda spots all over the place, strategically located where people had to pass, like on both sides of mini-bridges and the likes and where they had boxes and boxes of mini flags they had to pass and were giving away also by the handful, I mean here 5, 6, 7 flags, whatever their hand could hold. And of course, the more flags around, the more ending up on the ground, stepped upon. I even saw some adorning and inside a trash can. Ah! Can't beat Canadian pride! They also had a booth where they offered to exchange current 2$ coins for the new ones (temporary ones I was told) with a nice engraving of the 1812 Anglo-American war which about 99% of historians say was of very low significance, so much it is widely unknown, but which the war-mongering Harper has decided to make the founding block of this country. And not only do they change the 2$ coin but they would also want to remove from circulation the current one, featuring a polar bear? Talk of temporary! Unless of course it's only to make sure everyone gets to know about the founding block. It's so obviously gross it's like a zit in the face. There was this report on tv a few weeks ago with a history professor from Ottawa's Carleton University, one specialized in Canadian history I think, where she mentioned that in an over 1000 page history book about Canada, that war occupied four pages. Four! The founding block? Spell propaganda again? These people like war so much that Harper's wife managed to get a 50,000$ grant from Ottawa to build a monument to war animals. I wonder how much would cost a monument to the Afghan civilians killed by Canadians?

  

  Every year we hear that the Gay Pride parade in Toronto is one hell of a huge affair. They talk of one million bystanders! Gee, I thought in my inner self, would Toronto have become more gay-friendly than Montreal? This didn't make much sense to me but hey, the numbers were there weren't they? Well, this year, I found out that they hold it on Canada Day, July 1st that is, a day when everything is closed (over there) and when there is absolutely nothing to do besides going to a gay parade in the afternoon before returning home to watch on TV the bland show staged on Parliament hill in Ottawa, decorated with such an abuse of red that one would think he's landed in a slaughterhouse. After I learned about this, the first time I strolled under the pink balls in the Village, it came back to me that seeing such a thing on Church St in Toronto is as thinkable as seeing Benedict XVI rolling out his mat six times a day for his prayers to Allah. And I felt as good as I felt after having been to see Rufus who, I read in a local paper, gave a concert in Toronto a very short while ago and by the accounts of that music critic, in front of a public showing as much emotion as a cow watching trains go by (my metaphore). But they are rich. Well, richer than us. I guess it counts for those for whom it's a capital value. I'm still glad for Toronto gays, mind you. It gives them a large visibility, even if circumstancial, that can only be benefitting in the long run. On that aspect, they made a smart move.

  Canada Day in Québec, and more so in Montreal, is yearly Moving Day. IKEA distributed free 16,000 or 18,000 (different sources, different numbers) recyclable cardboard boxes for those moving. There were a few pickup spots, but they also had a truck going around, the whereabouts of which were reported live on Twitter. Nice gesture. Worth more than stupid ad campaigns, imho. IKEA is a model corporate citizen, in Montreal at least. When it became mandatory to have French outside signs on stores, they obliged. There is not a word other than in French on it's store's facade. And everything inside is done in French (language of work for employees). When a subsequent government caved in and permitted bilingual signs as long as French was predominant, IKEA changed nothing and stayed as they were. By the way, this same government closed and still closes its eyes when not only did the businesses not respect the predominantly French clause, but also came back to English only ones. IKEA's stance did not prevent it to announce a store expansion which will make it the largest IKEA store in North America. This alone proves by the absurd that all those contentions about French-only signs and operations hurting business is a humongous pile of bullshit. Oh, and since it's Canada Day of which we should be so proud, can I mention that this opposition stems for most from Canadian companies, rarely American ones. Home Depot has an issue about the company name used in Québec. They say changing it to Quincaillerie Home Depot would cost a bundle. Maybe, I don't know. But I remember they first used Home Dépôt, with the accents, which is more of an oxymoron and why it was abandoned I think. But when I go there, inside, everything is in French. Period. And they are not anywhere close to being bankrupt, let's just say.

  After my annual self-induced downer at the Old Port, I BIXIed to the Village and was strolling on Ste-Catherine where this girl wearing a Spanish-colors bandera over her shoulders was talking to a few people of her knowing, in the street. Since I had seen a few cars with Spanish flags passing by close to the old port, when I came near her I asked in spanish if Spain had won. By the yelling frenzy she responded with, I knew it was not a good time at all to go shopping in Little Italy. Funeral parlor ambiances is not something I readily rush to. Four-zero! Gosh! This is not a drama, it's a catastrophe.

  Janet Jackson's tit won't be discussed by the American Supreme Court. My goodness, it went that far up in the judicial system? I understand the Supremes for not wanting to fall in such ridicule. I hope the current Canadian Conservative government gets the message. It's pretty much their style to get their tits in the wringer, so to speak, about such things (the exposed tit). Is Ottawa on Madonna's tour schedule?

  When I BIXIed back home, in the early evening, I noticed they had built two square "pétanque" fields in Parc Laurier, large enough for holding each three or four simultaneous games of pétanque. There is another pétanque field closer to my pad, in a small park located near the underpass/overpass seen in my video of the Night Bicycle Tour. There are also some at Jarry Park. In Little Italy, there are bocce fields near the Madona della Difesa church. There are others but I don't know where they are. One day I'll try to find the difference between bocce and pétanque. Maybe for one you drink pastis and for the other you drink grappa?

  My upstairs neighbors came back last evening from a house-sharing week-long trip to New York, with their two small kids. While they were gone, the New Yorkers in question were upstairs. She said she was Algerian. I don't think they came to Montreal for the Canada Day celebrations. She said she had relatives here but wanted to be on her own. I can relate to that. Today upstairs neighbors left again for a week of camping. No frogs are moving in.

  I'm glad this is over. I hate having to rant.

  Yes, I know, Janet has not much to do with Canada Day.

  

  Da food section

  To bring in some fresh air, another instalment of this world-famous segment.

  Stuff I had recently:

  Yesteday: Breaded cod fillet with fries. I stopped at a supermarket on my way back (open until 23h00 as usual) and bought the cod. I usually have this with cooked morcels of potatoes and carrots but yesterday I felt British (hey, Canada Day!!) so I went for it and fries it was. I make the bread crumbs from good bread (miche à l'ancienne) which I cut in squares, let dry thoroughly then scare the hell out of in a blender. I put nothing else on the fish except salt and freshly ground pepper. [add-on: oops, I forgot, I soak it in a beaten egg before covering it with crumbs]. Pan fried in a bit of olive oil. The fries are cooked in duck fat. Normally the fish is golden but I did it outside on my propane camping stove and the heat being slightly too hot, or the cook being slightly too occupied ranting on some site, it was starting to burn which explains those little black spots. Caught just in time, the taste having not been altered yet. Those [sweet] pickles are made locally by a half-artesanal company and are terribly good, both in taste and texture. Nothing to do with regular supermarket-bought industrial ones. A little costlier, but like going to heaven, it's not free. It's just a little noticeable in the picture, but since I hide nothing from my readers when it comes to Da Food Section, I have to add that I had preheated the plate and let's say that pre-heated it was. Very. So I had to put it on one of those round cork thingies made just for that purpose, so as to not be stuck with a permanent design on that placemat which costs 1,000$ to go get another one.

  

  The day before: Meat tortellini in a rosée (pink) sauce. It seems orangy in the pic but I think it's more of a lighting effect. I had a left-over of tortellini in the freezer which I had to pass, and this sauce was perfect for it and is easy to make: contains tomato sauce, onion (this time shallots), garlic, bell pepper, sugar, red wine, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper and light cream. I added a half serrano pepper (deveined and seeded) for that little thing that tickles your palate. Regular cooking method: brown onion in the oil, then the garlic, then reduce the wine then add all the rest and let simmer until done, then add cream, simmer, and this time what I don't always do but should, short voyage in a blender. The extra parsley is only for decoration. The cheese is Pecorino Romano Lupa, otherwise known in some circles as "Carlo's favorite".

  

  The day before the day before: Another Belgian beer I hadn't had in some time. Deep golden. A little spicy if I remember well (it was three days ago, and I'm aging ). With a name like Duchesse de Bourgogne, one would think it's French, but not only is it Belgian, it's also Flemish. Back then Bourgogne spread much higher than today, up to Belgium I believe.

  

  The day before the day before the day before: Rufus night. No supper. Ice cream cone of not pictural interest.

  No pic

  June 27 (it's shorter than a before list): Quiche and salad. Milano (on St-Laurent) have recently expanded and now have a prepared foods section. I let myself be tempted by this zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper and prosciutto quiche. Tried a raspberry vinegar vinaigrette (dressing) on a small mesclun leftover to which I had to add chopped romaine, and dry panned pine nuts. Not bad. The vinaigrette made it to the cookbook [number 210]. The quiche made it on the "anytime again" list.

  

  

  • 19:44
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