Good, eh?
Novelty snacking in Canada was pretty fun because I was finally able to eat some of the foods my Canadian friends often talk about. I mean, I had been waiting three years to get a taste of poutine! Visiting the Jean Talon market also afforded the opportunity to try a few new fruits and vegetables.
Novelty Snack: Toronto street hotdog (veggie dog, really)
Description: A hotdog grilled right before your eyes with your choice of toppings
Tastes Like: Pickles and mustard. My topping choices overpowered the hotdog itself, which didn’t taste like much.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Beavertail
Description: Fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar, shaped to resemble the tail of a beaver
Tastes Like: A thicker version of an elephant ear.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Poutine
Description: French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds.
Tastes Like: What you would imagine. Delicious! (Although Mike says it wasn’t actually that great compared to other poutine he’s had.)
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Green, purple, and orange cauliflower aka rainbow cauliflower
Description: Alternative varieties to the classic boring white cauliflower that may be healthier too!
Tastes Like: Pretty much the same as white cauliflower but perhaps a tiny bit sweeter.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Cerise de terre (ground cherries)
Description: Like a tiny tomato with a papery cloak.
Tastes Like: A bit like a pineapple and a bit like a tomato.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: St. Viateur bagels, sesame variety
Description: Bagels made in the Montreal style: boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in a wood fire oven.
Tastes Like: A normal bagel but a bit sweeter and more dense.
Verdict: Thumbs neutral when plain (I don’t like sweet bagels) but Thumbs up! with spread.
Oh yay! I am so glad to see you had some Toronto street “meat”; whenever people ask me what they have to eat when they visit T.O. I always say they need to get a hot dog because I really think they are some of the best dogs you can get (better than those in NYC and Chigao for sure). Glad to hear the veggie iteration did not disappoint!
And I always think it is so funny that most Americans’ gut reaction to poutine when they hear about it is that it sounds disgusting, as I think it’s one of those subtle cultural differences between Canada and the U.S. as in Canada, fries with gravy is a common thing whereas you never see that in the U.S. So for us, adding delicious cheese curds to the mix is just a tiny step (towards deliciousness!) but for many Americans it really seems to boggle the mind. Tony and his brother were both non-believers, but after one bite they couldn’t deny the artery-clogging amazingness that is poutine!
Also, I love Montreal bagels, but I admit I always eat my bagels with some kind of spread so I never noticed their inherent sweetness.
Pretty much, this post both fills me with joy and cravings for foods I am unlikely to see in the next 12 – 18 months… so, thanks, I guess? 😉
I wish that cheese curds were more available in the States. I only know of one place to get them, and it’s a cheese factory! I’d be eating them all the time if I could.
After eating Montreal poutine we ordered some in Portland from a food cart that specializes in fries. It was not good. At all. From here on out, it’s Canadian poutine only!
And I’m pretty sure you just won longest comment in Battered Suitcases history! Love it! 😉
Poutine! Don’t forget the chocolate Canadian candy care package fiasco of a couple years ago 😉 Ah, Canadian Smarties.
Yay for tasty snacks!
Love the poutine! And believe it or not, I didn’t have my first beavertail until a few months before I moved away from Canada. Makes me look like a bad Canadian!