Canada, Oh Canada

We left Canada with a new project in mind: 1,000 Things to Eat Before You Die. One in particular might kill you: Poutine, the ancient and honorable signature dish of Francophones in Quebec City, Biddeford, and New Orleans. We skipped it because the ingredients consist of gravy over french fries topped with cheese curds. You see the problem.

But from this trip we can recommend rabbit stew, especially as prepared by La Lapin Saute. So good, but the outstanding element of that meal was the accompanying melange of vegetables, the best-ever in my experience. I cannot figure out why. 

The theme of our visit, as defined by me, was the pursuit of game-centered meals. Which should have been easy to come by in that country that has no reservations about selling wildlife.  But rabbit was the closest we got, except for a non-descript stew made of boar. Sounds right, except that to me it was indistinguishable from any beef stew. 

We did score some food fun on our way out of Canada--at Peres Natural, a specialty grocery store, which is to say it did not sell toilet paper--only very interesting food, prepared and to go. I left with close to $100 worth of mustards. Over the top, but it did inspire the idea of some taste tests at theKRC grill nights this summer.

Catwear was not any part of the plan, but it emerged as the Big Takeaway.  In fact, I expect to be able to claim the cost  as business expense. It has changed everything. But more about that later…