Montreal Food Post

I've crossed paths with a number of Montrealers in the past couple years, or people who at least have spent time here, and one thing that always comes up is the food. "Montreal has the best _____!", people would say. Or "If you go, you have to try ______'s." Well, with one or two exceptions, I've tried it, and I have to say I'm not that impressed. Other than the food, I'm totally enjoying my Montreal experience. And the food isn't bad. I've actually had some really good meals*. Nothing has warranted a "you gotta try this", but I'm not going to come home complaining. Among the "you gotta try"s were bagels and poutine. The bagels don't really do it for me. Give me Bellingham's Bagelery anyday. As for poutine, the famous Canadian dish of fries served with gravy and cheese curd, I love the concept, but in practice, was disappointed. I'm thinking maybe I will have to try some homemade poutine sometime and see if I can do better. Another "simply must" was Schwartz's, home of the smoked meat sandwich since 1928. While I can't say that there was any false advertising (their sandwich did consist only of smoked meat), I not only walked away disappointed, but also with a healthy jump on a triple bypass surgery. Yep, so far Montreal's food scene hasn't come close to living up to the hype. The one possible redeemer will have to wait until next visit, as it isn't the season. Sugar shacks, literally shacks that serve everything coupled with maple syrup, definitely have a chance to win it all back. I mean, it's a jug of freaking maple syrup. I'll keep you posted.

Monday May 24 2010

File under: food, travel

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on Mon 24th May, 2010 06:06 pm PDT Saxtor said: Eeeeeeeh, no one ever confused you for a foodie. Montreal is a wonderful food and beer town. ************************ on Mon 24th May, 2010 06:48 pm PDT gretchen said: shiat,per! that sure doens't look vegetarian...guess you gave that up, huh?... ************************ on Tue 25th May, 2010 08:43 am PDT Kat said: I think there is something wrong with you since you don't like the smoke meat sandwich. ************************ on Tue 25th May, 2010 08:26 pm PDT Sean said: Poutine can be hit or miss depending on where you get it from, and how crispy/soggy the fries are with your pout. I made my own poutine recipe using tater tots, and it ROCKS THE HOUSE. And Wren, you would LOVE sugar shack food, along with the whole tour. Some let you stoke the fire and all that jazz where they're boiling the sap. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 06:56 pm PDT per said: Rest assured I had a long conversation with my bowels the days ramping up to Wren's arrival. My diet doesn't really entertain the meats, thought I would be eating byaslag over a yak dung fire if my Mongol bretheren happened to swing through town on their stepped plateau buggies. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 09:22 pm PDT mely said: i agree strongly with kat. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 09:22 pm PDT mely said: i agree strongly with kat. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 09:38 pm PDT mely said: so much so that i posted twice! ************************

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Happy Bike to Work Day

Montreal, Canada - Despite not really having a job and being 3000 miles away from my bike, I'm stoked to say that I got to participate in Bike-to-Work day, an "annual event held on the third Friday of May across the United States and Canada that promotes the bicycle as an option for commuting to work"wiki.        Luckily, Montreal is about as bike friendly a city as you could hope for (except for the severely potholed roads*). There are bike lanes, bike lights, bike racks everywhere, and, at least as far as I have seen, bikers everywhere.      Perhaps one of the most unique contributions to biking culture here in Montreal is Bixi (the Bixi? le Bixi?), a city-wide bike sharing program unveiled 1 year ago and spreading to other communities. As part of my work agreement(-ish), I've got myself access to Bixi bikes for my time here.      In short, this is how Bixi works: there are MANY stations around town where you can check out a bike (with your [extremely reasonably priced] subscription). You then have 30 minutes to return the bike to any other station in town. You can do this as many times as you like. So you ride from your house to the grocery store, return the bike to a holder, and get out a different bike for the ride home. Same for commuting to work.      The bikes aren't your normal road, touring, or mountain bike. They have 3 gears inside the back hub (so no derailleur issues), a luggage rack on the handle bars, and front and back lights run off non-friction based generators. They are a comfortable ride, but not for hard-core cycling; they are definitely utilitarian (as they should be).     Yep, it's bikes everywhere you look. And I've got more bike fun to look forward to. Along with exploring the city by [Bixi] bike, I'm really excited to check out Per's bike making shop. Maybe I'll get a little custom frame work while I'm there. Yeehaw!

Friday May 21 2010

File under: travel, transportation

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on Sat 22nd May, 2010 08:06 pm PDT Sean said: I was always told the roads are jacked up in Quebec because the government contracts to the lowest bidder, they use shortcuts and shoddy work/lower quality materials, etc... plus the extreme winters. You'll see potholes EVERYWHERE in the province, not just in cities.i wish Bixi was there when i was there. sounds awesome! ************************ on Sun 23rd May, 2010 06:07 am PDT Saxtor said: When I was driving from Burlington to Montreal, I felt the long rural, 2-lane "main highway" was one of the more harrowing I had ever encountered. It was narrow, people were driving and passing at a breakneck speed, trucks hugged the middle line and you were dodging potholes like a slalom course. ************************

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FC 106 - Nice Try Lady

Oh boy, oh boy. Where to start? I guess firstly I should start by apologizing for this week's comic. Not really that funny. Not at all well drawn. And not really up to Friday Comic standards, which really means it must be bad. Anyway, I'm sorry. Here's the story: I got the idea for this on a plane back from Mexico. This pretty much exactly happened to me. I think I was so aghast by the whole thing, that I set it in my mind to do a comic about it to point out how ridiculous it is. I was hoping that it would help me step back and look at the situation a little bit easier. It didn't. Anyway, I started drawing this at the Toronto airport this morning after getting about 3 hours of sleep on the red-eye from Vancouver. Now I am rushing to get it finished before the deadline (being that I am on East Coast time, I had 3 hours less this week to complete it). When I press post, I will collapse into a well deserved sleep. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The upside, however, of having a rushed comic due to travel is that there should be some good travel posts on the way. Life has a way of balancing the ups and downs. Anyhoo, happy Friday!!!

Thursday May 20 2010

File under: comic

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on Fri 21st May, 2010 04:05 am PDT Dave said: Is that a pocket bible you're reading? ************************ on Fri 21st May, 2010 07:03 am PDT Kat said: Maybe a book of Psalms(like the free ones they hand out sometimes on the street?) Oh, and I like the comic, actually, even if it's sad too. ************************ on Fri 21st May, 2010 03:38 pm PDT jen said: Is the orange jumpsuit of the child a touch of foreshadowing? LOL! ************************ on Fri 21st May, 2010 09:15 pm PDT Mom said: Check out that eye action on the subjects. That really makes it for me! ************************

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Random Internet Anecdotes

As a nerd, specifically an internet nerd, you can imagine how happy it makes me when someone points out that they've seen something I've done on the internet, whether it be troothpicks, People's Guide to Anacortes, or just something from the blog. Well, the happiness factor sky rockets when someone I've just met announces that they actually POSTED something about me on the internet. In the past couple weeks, just that has happened to me....TWICE! Case #1: I went up to the Western Washington University's celebration of Earth Day a couple weeks back. I had some circus friends performing and the year before it was a pretty good time. So while listening to the music and waiting for the circus folk to go on, I did a little juggling, as is my wont. During a break, a pretty girl comes up to me and says, "I used a picture of you and Amiel juggling from last year for the promotion for this event." Ga? I searched for said promotions afterwards but never found them. Next time I encountered the pretty girl, I inquired further and she told me she just did a google image search for "Earth Day 2009 Western Washington University" and there we were. Neat! Case #2: At pub trivia in Portland last week*, I went to sign up with the quiz master. He asks, "You've been here before, right?". I answered, "Yeah. I'm from out of town though, but I try to come whenever I pass through Portland." He says, "From Anacortes, right?" Za? When I dumbly nod, he says, "Oh, I made a post on my blog about you." Ja? I was so confused that I went back to my table without asking WTF. Later, however, said blog post was tracked down by interchallenge expert Sara. It is definitely worth a read. (Here's a screen shot for if the link ever goes dead.) Just a couple of neat little anecdotes, I thought. Yeah for life on the internet!

Tuesday May 18 2010

File under: misc

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on Wed 19th May, 2010 07:38 pm PDT Sean said: That's awesome! ************************ on Thu 20th May, 2010 02:13 pm PDT Kat said: Brilliant, but I think the quiz master has a crush on you. ************************ on Fri 21st May, 2010 07:32 am PDT Horge said: That's a nice picture of you, but when did you take up smoking cigars? ************************ on Sat 22nd May, 2010 12:56 am PDT Juline said: Awesome mention. The Space Room is in my old 'hood. ************************ on Tue 08th Jun, 2010 07:46 am PDT Ben T said: But let's not to give credit to the girl on her way to Guatemala who's mysterious knowledge of Custer's demise won improbably won the game for us. Can't wait to resume our winning ways next week. . ************************ on Mon 26th Jul, 2010 10:35 am PDT Quizmaster JPP said: A crush on the Man from Anacortes? Me? No... I just remember everything and can figure out anything. Like finding this blog. See? I'm everywhere. ************************

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Productive Time on the Road

I just got back from a nice little week-long jaunt down through southern Washington and Portland. But besides being a great trip, I can say that it was productive as well! First stop was in Olympia to help Jule finish up work on his stone patio (with a little extra landscaping thrown in for good measure). The whole thing turned out great* and even left some time for family meals, some frisbee golf, and a trip to the theatre. Next stop: always wacky Portland. The plan was just to hang out, see friends, and of course get in as many pub quizzes* as possible. The result, however, is that I somehow talked my way into helping Andrew and Gretchen build the lovely pathway you see here. We gathered the broken concrete for free via craigslist so the only cost was the sand. I think it turned out awesome! (North agrees. I couldn't even get him to look away from the path to get a decent picture*.) Last stop on my productive week on the road was a trip up the Columbia River for a "business meeting"*. While the meeting was productive, the train ride really took the cake. The views as we cruised along the Columbia were spectacular! It is a nice feeling to combine seeing good friends and traveling around with being productive. Maybe I'll have to try that again soon*...

Sunday May 16 2010

File under: work

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on Sun 16th May, 2010 02:29 pm PDT mely said: soon come! ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 06:30 pm PDT andrew said: Mely got #1!But for realz, the path is superb. Couldn't have been done without you. Next time I guarantee some darts. ...and could you help us take down the Christmas lights? ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 06:43 pm PDT mely said: yes, very nice path, and a cute kid! (wren's not too bad either) ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 06:52 pm PDT Dave said: Is that kid a product of Andrew and Gretchen? (If so, congratulations A and G.. if that's the right word?) ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 09:17 pm PDT Root Mama said: Your path looks great! ************************

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FC 105 - The Sandman Cometh

The idea of another Jeopardy! comic made me smile so big that I moved it to the top of the todo list. For those not around for the early days of Friday Comics, the first comic ever (which never had intentions of becoming a series) was Jeopardy based. FC 6 also poked fun at our favorite television trivia show. Although I'm not super fond of the format (mostly because of technical constraints), I relented and made this a 3 panel comic. I suppose a variety in format isn't a bad thing. Hopefully you will chuckle which will make the format choice, the hours I drug tits over a hot keyboard*, and everything else worth it. Happy Friday!! (Unlike my last Jeopardy comic, this one wasn't traced at all! Having that as a comparison shows me how far my computer comicking skillz have come.)

Thursday May 13 2010

File under: comic

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on Fri 14th May, 2010 08:11 am PDT Saxtor said: I would suppose murder ballads would also be out of the question... ************************ on Fri 14th May, 2010 11:01 am PDT Mom said: I'm quite certain that we didn't have keyboards when you were a child. ************************ on Sat 15th May, 2010 08:29 pm PDT andrew said: uhh. is her name "Mely"? ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 08:55 am PDT Wren said: @Andrew: Yep. It is a shout out to a commenter from the previous post. Next time, I will use "Andrew" and you won't like the drawing I make of you! ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 02:26 pm PDT mely said: yes, my name is mely :-) ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 04:17 pm PDT Sean said: I thought Ken is blond? ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 06:29 pm PDT andrew said: DAmn. I just got served. Sorry, Mely! ************************ on Sun 16th May, 2010 06:41 pm PDT mely said: heh heh heh, it's alright :-) ************************

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Mount St. Helens

The last time I went to Mount St. Helens, I bet I was only 14 years old, if that. It's funny how you can live so close to something that is really quite spectacular and fail to give it the attention it warrants. Well, since the 30th anniversary of the massive eruption is nearly upon us, I thought that no better an excuse to check it out again*. The weather for the day fell into the Oh-this-is-why-Washington-is-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-live category, which made everything glisten and gleam that much more. Unfortunately, the tippy top visitor's center hasn't opened yet for the year, so we couldn't peer down into the crater, see the spectacular documentary movie, etc. Instead, we had to be content with just driving around and taking in some of the viewpoints which made for a spectacular day as it was.

Monday May 10 2010

File under: misc

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on Mon 10th May, 2010 02:41 pm PDT mindi said: Washington is NOT the best place in the world to live. In fact, it sucks. It is absolutely horrible. If you live somewhere else, please stay there. You DO NOT want to come to Washington. Not even to visit. There is nothing here but rain. ;) ************************ on Mon 10th May, 2010 07:52 pm PDT mely said: that *does* sound like a pretty fun day. :-) ************************ on Tue 11th May, 2010 11:47 am PDT Saxtor said: Per Mindi's comment, in terms of tourism, Washington is the new Iceland.In terms of natural disasters, Iceland is the new Washington. ************************ on Wed 12th May, 2010 04:34 am PDT Dave said: Correction: That heron is thinking "with all the lakes this state just stocked with stupid, fat trout, I had to pick the empty one?" ************************

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FC 104 - Please Pass the Mashed Potatoes

While the worst of the comic is seen here, I should probably throw out of a bit of a warning: there is a chicken running around with its head cut off in this comic. If such grotesqueness offends you, it might be best to skip this week's comic. Otherwise, by all means, check it out. In an effort to save time (believe it or not, but I've actually been quite busy of late), I considered cutting and pasting my last chicken drawing into this one. But just the thought of that made me feel a little bit dirty, so I bucked up and drew one from scratch (and then cut and pasted it, with a tweak or two, to come up with chicken #2). Oh if I could just draw things by hand like normal comics people, life would be so much easier. Anyway, I hope you have a fabulous Friday!

Thursday May 6 2010

File under: comic

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on Fri 07th May, 2010 01:39 am PDT Horge said: Nice! ************************ on Fri 07th May, 2010 06:03 am PDT Saxtor said: Nice comic, but you do know, despite what KFC would have you think, a chicken isn't just a chicken leg with head, wings and feet attached, right? ************************ on Fri 07th May, 2010 11:26 am PDT Jen Kay said: I actually laughed at this one! ************************ on Fri 07th May, 2010 03:38 pm PDT jen said: So the warning about today's comic being grotesque unfortunately came a little late... Funny though. Thanks for the friday chuckle. ************************

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Another Compost Experiment

Remember that test I did with the supposedly compostable drinking glass from Pizzeria Pagliacci's a couple years ago? Well, I ran across another product making the "compostable" claim, only this time to a greater degree (to see the info, go here and then click "compostable packaging"*). Call me a skeptic if you want, but I just had to try it. It turns out that the timing is such that the Sun Chips bag is the first item in this year's bin, having just emptied the now well composted soil into the gardens. This means maximum compost time, pressure, and heat. I'll check on it in 12 weeks or so, maybe a little longer to allow for enough other food stuff to really get the party started. Then I will report back. This is skeptical environmental consumer lookout guy signing off.

Wednesday May 5 2010

File under: environment

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on Wed 05th May, 2010 04:24 pm PDT gretchen said: they do say it is going to take at least 14 weeks...but i'm going to stand by what i said in the last prediction, won't get hot enough in a-train. but i could be wrong. on another note, how freaking annoying are those bags? soooo loud! ************************ on Wed 05th May, 2010 11:22 pm PDT per said: If I remember correctly, Hammer pants produced twice as much noise, but you still rocked em tough. ohhh! ************************ on Thu 06th May, 2010 07:45 am PDT katie b. said: awesome! i can't wait to see the results. i'm thinking that bag will look the exact same, with a little dirt here and there. ************************ on Sat 08th May, 2010 03:40 pm PDT Sean said: Ohhh! Ohhh-ohhh! Ohhh! STOP. Hammer time ************************ on Tue 11th May, 2010 03:48 pm PDT mindi said: What ever happened to that cup? ************************

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Quote For Monday - ABCs

A to Z: you're sure to find something that calls to you. P.S.*

Monday May 3 2010

File under: quote

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on Mon 03rd May, 2010 01:07 pm PDT Jenn said: Yeah, xeriscaping is what they call our front yard here -- I call it a whole bunch of rocks. ************************ on Wed 05th May, 2010 05:52 pm PDT The other wren said: I'm gonna "Master Something". Or maybe I'll master-something... ************************

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