Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[New Brisavoine]

PS: Apparently the Echiré butter has 84% fat.

I also like to buy raw butter (butter made from raw milk, unpasteurized), don't know if you can find that in North America, but its shelf life is shorter (like 10 days only).

This raw butter is a good one (although Echiré, despite not being a raw butter, has more character):

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Lake Ontario is a lot less polluted than the coasts of Europe are.

With Hamilton on its shores?

There was a dreadful documentary last week on French TV about the so-called "eternal pollution" due to the Hamilton steel mills. Pollutants that will never disappear. I would never ever eat fish from that lake.

Pollutants in the oceans get diluted more. Fresh water fish is always more polluted, that's well known (except trouts from the uppermost mountain streams in the Pyrénées).

I actually cook truites aux amandes with plenty of butter from time to time.

That's one dish that absolutely requires butter to cook it.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

I didn't even know there could be butters with different fat contents. Butter is just butter as far as we're concerned here.

You don't know they do things like that over here?


https://www.chronodrive.com/ellevire--beurre-doux-tendre-leger-P372353

I was forced to try it once and never will again. It's a shame, a sin and betrayal to the French culinary art.
Good on you if you don't even know it. Of course, I'm all on your side when you defend real quality butter.

They don't even know what it is in North America. Their butter is kind of awful. That's why bakers import their butter from France in Québec.

It's like their sour cream vs our crème fraîche. Ours is fatter with a long tradition, then it's much better, eh.

[New Brisavoine]

Back to the topic of the thread: the very serious (and left-wing) Le Monde has an article about the consequences of Canada becoming the 51st US state, in particular the linguistic consequences. Trump has probably never thought of that...

« Le Canada, s’il était le 51ᵉ Etat américain, deviendrait de très loin le plus puissant de la fédération »

Le Monde
19 janvier 2025

Prenant au pied de la lettre la proposition de Donald Trump de faire fusionner le Canada avec les Etats-Unis, l’historienne Blandine Chelini-Pont imagine, dans une tribune au « Monde », les conséquences en cascade auxquelles le président élu n’a sans doute pas pensé.

https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/202...ssant-de-la-federation_6505102_3232.html

I'm translating the bit about languages:

Canada’s presence would force the other states of the Union, and even the Union itself, to accept linguistic pluralism. Perhaps French would become a second official language [of the USA], as is the case in [Canada]. Perhaps New York State, Vermont, Maine, the Mississippi River and Great Lakes states could decide to become officially
bilingual, reawakening the Francophone anomaly of millions of Americans whose ancestors were Canadian, native Métis or Creole.

PS: Watching the Bloc Québécois goading Republican senators in French in the US Senate would be fun.

[New Brisavoine]

PPS: French media tonight are all saying "le Canada pousse un soupir de soulagement" because Trump did not announce immediate tariffs on Canadian goods. A reprieve of sort.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

With Hamilton on its shores?

There was a dreadful documentary last week on French TV about the so-called "eternal pollution" due to the Hamilton steel mills. Pollutants that will never disappear. I would never ever eat fish from that lake.

Pollutants in the oceans get diluted more. Fresh water fish is always more polluted, that's well known (except trouts from the uppermost mountain streams in the Pyrénées).

I actually cook truites aux amandes with plenty of butter from time to time.

That's one dish that absolutely requires butter to cook it.

Lake Ontario basically is an ocean, dude.

[harls]

I for one am glad this thread has devolved into butter.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by harls

I for one am glad this thread has devolved into butter.

Clogged arteries are an essential part of Quebec culture. Also, their indentiy is apparently deeply influenced by winter temperatures in Paris.

[harls]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Clogged arteries are an essential part of Quebec culture. Also, their indentiy is apparently deeply influenced by winter temperatures in Paris.

I used to be 160 lbs before I moved to Montreal in 2001. Now I'm 220. Obviously this is because of Québec. I blame the exquisite restaurants I never went to.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by harls

I used to be 160 lbs before I moved to Montreal in 2001. Now I'm 220. Obviously this is because of Québec. I blame the exquisite restaurants I never went to.

Exquisite restaurants serving poutine and sugar pie, sounds like.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by harls

I for one am glad this thread has devolved into butter.

c'mon man, that extra 2-3% fat content is PLENTY enough a reason to cast shade on the heathen North Americans.

That said, I have a great weakness for Quebecois food and especially the delights of French cuisine.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

c'mon man, that extra 2-3% fat content is PLENTY enough a reason to cast shade on the heathen North Americans.

That said, I have a great weakness for Quebecois food and especially the delights of French cuisine.

You can buy higher fat (84%) Canadian butter.

[harls]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

c'mon man, that extra 2-3% fat content is PLENTY enough a reason to cast shade on the heathen North Americans.

That said, I have a great weakness for Quebecois food and especially the delights of French cuisine.

I always ask for extra fat butter imported from France.

[niwell]

Out of curiosity I asked a friend who's an executive chef about this. Apparently you can very easily get 84% fat "bakers butter" through culinary distributors. Chain restaurants are unlikely to do this but for higher end places it's not uncommon, nor is it a huge expense. Lots of places also use Canadian sourced high fat butter too: https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-sec...rald-grasslands-fans-need-to-know-about/

[Acajack]

Article on Quebec bakers and imported butter.

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2022/05/28/encore-du-beurre-du-bout-du-monde

[le calmar]

Lake Ontario fish are considered safe to eat. Probably not back in the 80s, but the water quality has improved significantly since then. I'm sure no one will eat fish caught in the Hamilton area though.

[Acajack]

Henriette fait le tour du monde

https://www.leparisien.fr/video/video-au...9-01-2025-BP47S3ZB6JEJBBYGAY6LSJYDHQ.php

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by le calmar

Lake Ontario fish are considered safe to eat. Probably not back in the 80s, but the water quality has improved significantly since then. I'm sure no one will eat fish caught in the Hamilton area though.

I wouldn't be too keen on eating fish from the lower Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie) but I'd be OK with fish from the upper ones like Superior and Huron, if authorities gave the OK. But I am more of an ocean fish afficionado anyway.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Lake Ontario basically is an ocean, dude.

Yeah right. There are larger lakes in Russia which have been polluted to the hilt.

But we all need a dose of delusion I guess...

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by harls

I for one am glad this thread has devolved into butter.

I knew you (and the other New-Brunswiskois forumer) would.