Why does everyone love Montreal?

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Acajack

He definitely speaks French and has lived in Switzerland, but I don't think that's his homeland. He's from Serbia I am pretty sure.

If that's the case, then there's a good chance he's a war refugee. That was a brutal affair. He's probably been through a lot if that were true.

I regret throwing those barbs at him then...

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Razor

If that's the case, then there's a good chance he's a war refugee. That was a brutal affair. He's probably been through a lot if that were true.

I regret throwing those barbs at him then...

I have no idea about that. Just repeating what he's stated himself on here over the years.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I wonder: Are there pickup truck forums, or maybe country music forums, where Quebeckers get testy about the lower per capita pickup truck ownership there in comparison to in Alberta?

In all my years on http://www.dieselplace.com/ I have never encountered anyone from here doing that!

I know for a fact there are fellow Québécois on that forum, I was with touch with one a few years ago when parting out the rusty 6.5 diesel GMC truck I had acquired for its injection pump.

So, to answer your question, my guess is: No!

[Razor]

Originally Posted by lio45

In all my years on http://www.dieselplace.com/ I have never encountered anyone from here doing that!

I know for a fact there are fellow Québécois on that forum, I was with touch with one a few years ago when parting out the rusty 6.5 diesel GMC truck I had acquired for its injection pump.

So, to answer your question, my guess is: No!

Ya about that.

I never did like that tired old truck and country music stereotype.
In fact, that cliché can be applied to anywhere in Canada. Even around the small towns and rural areas near the GTA.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The difference, though, is that hockey moms in Listowel don't talk about Grant Van Gameron at the arena.

I know this will be met with much skepticism but hockey moms in Baie-St-Paul will talk about Montreal chefs Martin Picard, Louis-François Marcotte or Ricardo Larrivée.

This is not due to any higher level of sophistication (before anyone gets excited), but it does speak to a culture that is way more locally rooted.

I dunno maybe I know weird Quebeckers but I don't think the average rural hockey mom knows that much about Montreal chefs. I don't doubt at a level higher than Ontario, but still not to that extent. Despite what you say there is a difference between a middle upper class civil servant in Gatineau and someone who lives in a small town.

If we want to go there, there are plenty of restaurants in Toronto owned by people who anyone in Ontario who watches Food network will know. My mom in Calgary knows who Lynn Crawford is for instance, and she barely even goes out to eat anymore. You can find people all over the country who know who Susur Lee or Matty Matheson are.

[Laceoflight]

Originally Posted by niwell

I dunno maybe I know weird Quebeckers but I don't think the average rural hockey mom knows that much about Montreal chefs. I don't doubt at a level higher than Ontario, but still not to that extent. Despite what you say there is a difference between a middle upper class civil servant in Gatineau and someone who lives in a small town.

I think Acajack's right about that. I come from a very small village (230 people) and about everyone knew them. No *all* of them indeed, but all the known ones. One word : TV. Since the 80s, cooking TV shows have made chefs real celebrities all over the most secluded corners of this province. Believe it or not. Quebec (and to an extent French Canada) has its very own show business and star system and chefs are a big part of it, even more so since the 2000s.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Laceoflight

I think Acajack's right about that. I come from a very small village (230 people) and about everyone knew them. No *all* of them indeed, but all the known ones. One word : TV. Since the 80s, cooking TV shows have made chefs real celebrities all over the most secluded corners of this province. Believe it or not. Quebec (and to an extent French Canada) has its very own show business and star system and chefs are a big part of it, even more so since the 2000s.

TV chefs are a bit different than actual chefs. And even still I don't think that many people are into food shows. Like I said plenty of Ontario people know about certain Toronto chefs from food network as well. The difference being they probably don't recognize them as Toronto chefs, just generic tv personalities.

In any event I don't think the average rural Quebecker is itching to go to Toque or Joe Beef that much more than the average rural Ontarian is to Bar Isabel or Buca.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by niwell

TV chefs are a bit different than actual chefs.

In Quebec a lot of the TV foodie personalities have their own restaurants. And a lot of accomplished chefs are TV personalities too. One kind of goes with the other due to the small size of the market: you usually can't get rich doing just one, so people do the other to supplement their income and increase their visibility.

Kind of like how many Quebec celebrities (actors, comedians, etc.) do radio shows in addition to their main line of work.

Originally Posted by niwell

And even still I don't think that many people are into food shows.

In Quebec they are.

Originally Posted by niwell

Like I said plenty of Ontario people know about certain Toronto chefs from food network as well. The difference being they probably don't recognize them as Toronto chefs, just generic tv personalities.
In any event I don't think the average rural Quebecker is itching to go to Toque or Joe Beef that much more than the average rural Ontarian is to Bar Isabel or Buca.

Places like Toqué or Joe Beef or Europa in Montreal, Café Ricardo in St-Lambert, Martin Picard's high-end cabane à sucre in Mirabel, are filled with people from all over Quebec. In the exact same way that people will go to the Cake Boss place in NYC. Or Wolfgang Puck's.

The same phenom does not exist at all in Ontario or in the rest of the country.

I've mentioned it many times but a chunk of my family are anglophones who mostly live in a swathe of Ontario from east of Ottawa, in Ottawa, and then down into the GTA. I spend time with them all the time. I am on Facebook with them. I have other Ontario friends on Facebook or that I visit in person.

No one says: "OMG I just went to restaurant X in Toronto by chef X!" EVER.

What they do say is stuff like: "OMG! I just saw Brian Bulmer at Canadian Tire in Oakville!"

Which is an interesting point. You do have this mainstream household name celebrity thing going on with home reno and decorating people. Brian Bulmer, Mike Holmes, Sarah Richardson, the two Scottish guys who got married, the sell or renovate couple, the Property Virgins lady, etc. For some reason the phenom has taken root in this niche. These people are true celebrities - even outside Canada. And Americans even know them for being Canadian! The HGTV modus operandi...

But in cuisine? Not so much.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Laceoflight

I think Acajack's right about that. I come from a very small village (230 people) and about everyone knew them. No *all* of them indeed, but all the known ones. One word : TV. Since the 80s, cooking TV shows have made chefs real celebrities all over the most secluded corners of this province. Believe it or not. Quebec (and to an extent French Canada) has its very own show business and star system and chefs are a big part of it, even more so since the 2000s.

Thank you for confirming.

And it's not just TV. The Quebec foodie celebrities are in your face everywhere. They are spokespeople for grocery chains, they have magazines and books that are promoted to the hilt. They are on radio shows. People post about them on Facebook. My kids want to try out their recipes. Even if you go watch a hockey game at La Cage aux Sports (the biggest sports bar chain in Quebec), you have Louis-François Marcotte in your face because they hired him to re-do their menu and let you know it all the time...

And even on TV they are generally not limited to "food" networks or even food-only shows. In fact, most of the big stars are not on Zeste, which is the upstart specialty foodie channel in Quebec. They are mostly on the mainstream or more established networks probably because Zeste cannot afford to pay them. There is also a lot of cross-pollination between mainstream and generalist TV and "foodie" content in Quebec.

Note that I did not mention Soeur Angèle. Or Recettes Pompettes with Éric Salvail.

[Acajack]

OK maybe Recettes Pompettes does merit a post on here. After all, it is something to "love" about Montreal and Quebec. Though doesn't actually drinking booze on screen on a TV show violate CRTC regulations? I've always wondered about this...

First video is a sampling. The second video is better - one of the more famous episodes.

http://noovo.ca/videos/les-recettes-pompettes/les-recettes-pompettes-en-rafale_89192

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x43r23n

[WhipperSnapper]

Celebrity chefs are in your face in Toronto and a fair number of people can finger them in a line up with no problem. There are many more that couldn't care less who these people are. Perhaps your Ontario family is just not into food. It's another one of your grandiose generalization based on your own experiences that is nearly impossible to prove. There's nothing to suggest a more established food culture in Quebec.

There definitely are more provincially based chains/businesses in Quebec but, why does this always matter so much to you? For most, language is the only distinction from outside businesses whether its media, food, fashion, etc. Every city/region has their peculiarities . It's unfair to always paint them with the same brush.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Acajack

OK maybe Recettes Pompettes does merit a post on here. After all, it is something to "love" about Montreal and Quebec. Though doesn't actually drinking booze on screen on a TV show violate CRTC regulations? I've always wondered about this...

First video is a sampling. The second video is better - one of the more famous episodes.

http://noovo.ca/videos/les-recettes-pompettes/les-recettes-pompettes-en-rafale_89192

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x43r23n

I've wondered this too. Chefs on cooking shows in the past always drank too much and were stumbling around by the time show was ending. James Barber in the Urban Peasant stood out in particular. Saw it in other media as well.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Celebrity chefs are in your face in Toronto and a fair number of people can finger them in a line up with no problem. There are many more that couldn't care less who these people are. Perhaps your Ontario family is just not into food. It's another one of your grandiose generalization based on your own experiences that is nearly impossible to prove. There's nothing to suggest a more established food culture in Quebec.

There definitely are more provincially based chains/businesses in Quebec but, why does this always matter so much to you? For most, language is the only distinction from outside businesses whether its media, food, fashion, etc. Every city/region has their peculiarities . It's unfair to always paint them with the same brush.

You're perfectly entitled to believe all of this, mon ami!

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I've wondered this too. Chefs on cooking shows in the past always drank too much and were stumbling around by the time show was ending. James Barber in the Urban Peasant stood out in particular. Saw it in other media as well.

The thing that gets me on cooking shows is not alcohol, but the amount of salt that the chefs seem to use. More salt added to a single dish than I would use in six months.

Re alcohol, I am reminded of Dan Ayckroyd's parody of Julia Child:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=drun...19D9AB16A8A255586D4D19D9AB16&FORM=VRDGAR

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

The thing that gets me on cooking shows is not alcohol, but the amount of salt that the chefs seem to use. More salt added to a single dish than I would use in six months.

Re alcohol, I am reminded of Dan Ayckroyd's parody of Julia Child:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=drun...19D9AB16A8A255586D4D19D9AB16&FORM=VRDGAR

How else does one season their food? Salt and pepper are the most basic combo, before you add sauces, herbs or spices. I would lose my sh*t living without them and im someone who hasnt eaten any processed sugar or wheat in years.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

How else does one season their food? Salt and pepper are the most basic combo, before you add sauces, herbs or spices. I would lose my sh*t living without them and im someone who hasnt eaten any processed sugar or wheat in years.

I abandoned added salt (only exceptions - mashed potatoes and oatmeal) years ago. Flavour-wise, you can easily compensate with herbs and spices. The biggest issue I now have is that when I dine out, the food can taste too salty - I always mention it to the server. I just shake my head when I see people add salt to their food before trying it.

I also dropped added sugar about a year ago (far easier than I thought it would be), along with sugary processed foods/drinks. In my case, that has contributed to an ongoing weight loss of about 2-3 pounds per month - nothing dramatic, but nice at the end of the year!

By the way, re Montreal, I'm in the "it's OK" camp. My party days are long behind me, so that key element of Montreal's reputation is no longer a factor. The colonial architecture is pleasant, the restaurants can be very good, and it would be hard to criticize the MSO and the MMFA. And the shopping is vastly better than in Ottawa.

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I abandoned added salt (only exceptions - mashed potatoes and oatmeal) years ago. Flavour-wise, you can easily compensate with herbs and spices. The biggest issue I now have is that when I dine out, the food can taste too salty - I always mention it to the server. I just shake my head when I see people add salt to their food before trying it.

I also dropped added sugar about a year ago (far easier than I thought it would be), along with sugary processed foods/drinks. In my case, that has contributed to an ongoing weight loss of about 2-3 pounds per month - nothing dramatic, but nice at the end of the year!

By the way, re Montreal, I'm in the "it's OK" camp. My party days are long behind me, so that key element of Montreal's reputation is no longer a factor. The colonial architecture is pleasant, the restaurants can be very good, and it would be hard to criticize the MSO and the MMFA. And the shopping is vastly better than in Ottawa.

Great habits man!

[Acajack]

We barely use salt at all on our food in our household. Almost never in cooking and we certainly don't have it on the table as an odd-on to something that's already been prepared.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

We barely use salt at all on our food in our household. Almost never in cooking and we certainly don't have it on the table as an odd-on to something that's already been prepared.

Your blood pressure thanks you.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by Acajack

We barely use salt at all on our food in our household. Almost never in cooking and we certainly don't have it on the table as an odd-on to something that's already been prepared.

Yup. Plus I always say that someone who uses onions in a recipe doesn't know how to cook.