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Questions emerge as poutine becomes routine
By adamg on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 1:14pm
MC Slim JB tackles nagging questions in a city that seems on the verge of a poutine explosion, starting with the most basic: Can a food with such lowly origins get so gussied up it becomes one of those dishes you can't believe anybody would charge so much for?
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Comments
Poutineanny?
It is foreign and french = upscale. Right?
I'm surprised that I didn't see it around here a lot more a long time ago given the large French Canadian community.
Upscale?
Swirly has demonstrated she knows Canada better than to call poutine "upscale".
I would imagine that the gourmand and chef legions of Montreal would be glad to hear that poutine has not proved one of La Belle Province's exports. That said, if people do insist, I endorse the idea that it should be canonical, with curds that squeek.
As slow as Poutine has been in invading New England, it'll be another hundred years till we're able to pronounce it correctly.
"poo-TEEN" is not correct.
Pronunciation
Poo-tsin?
I did not know I was mangling poutine's pronunciation!
Thanks for the correction, MadMax! I have amended the blog piece with a footnote approximating the proper Quebec French pronunciation.
I can't speak for Swirly, but
I can't speak for Swirly, but I assume her post referred more to the fact that some people equate french/foreign to upscale, not that poutine actually is upscale itself.
How do you differentiate
How do you differentiate between pronouncing poutine and putain (it means whore or f*ck depending on the context) then? Not a mistake I'd care to make...
Oddly enough, this is why the French deliberately misspell Putin
The ribald word is more like pyu-tahn, with the second syllable nasalized. The Quebec French poutine is more like poo-tin, equal stress on both syllables.
That's because they kept it
That's because they kept it to themselves.
I for one welcome our new Canadian cheese fry overlords
also, remember the fancy sliders or fancy pulled pork dishes that were everywhere not so long ago? It's happened before and it'll happen again, at least until we all die of heart disease.
So true about Gallows'
So true about Gallows' poutine. He didn't like the cheese, I liked neither the cheese nor the gravy. A very gimmicky restaurant anyway. Is it possible for food to be ironic and poseurish? Gallows says, "yes"!
Whit
Gimmicky or not
I had one of the best hamburgers I've ever eaten there last night (along with their most basic poutine, which I found satisfying).
I'm a fan of The Gallows's food, too
It's gussied-up tavern fare, and that's mostly a really good thing. Solid bartending, interesting wines, good beer list, too. My Stuff review here: http://stuffboston.com/feed/archive/2010/07/12/the...
A more basic issue
Kethera tweets:
This is correct. Guess I'll
This is correct. Guess I'll have to go to Vermont to get my poutine craving filled.
I would assume that the truest poutine....
...is dispensed by roadside vans.
There is a chain in Canada that specializes in poutine with all sorts of accompaniments -- was not as good as the stuff we got from a truck in Northern Quebec.
Alberta Oil Towns
Hard to find better, squeekier curds and the right gravy for your spuds than in a roadside spot in rural areas of Alberta. Why? A huge influx of people from Quebec, Maritimes, Labrador and Newfoundland.
Same reason you find wonderful Irish food in certain Boston pubs.
I believe you about the vans.
I believe you about the vans. The best fries I've ever had are from a truck that sits in a parking lot under the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia. They have a vinegar sprayer that gets every little fry all nice and soaked... totally amazing.
Sarnia
Back when border crossings were easier -- and we had relatives to drop in when traveling to and from Illinois -- we went through Sarnia several times a year. We never saw your fries van, however. ;~}
Chip Wagons, Formally
I think they're only there during the summer, and you have to go into a park to get to them, but oh man, so good. I haven't been to one in a few years though (no car, haven't driven from hometown to Tobermory lately, been on Huronian sailing vacation, etc.).
Just Make Your Own
Poutine has a reputation as slovenly food for good reason, not limited to its storied use as food to settle out your stomach after a night of hard drinking.
For starters, its easy. The key: real curds. Not cheese, curds. As in SQUEEK your teeth curds. The heat breaks down cheese and makes it slimy and nasty - unless you like that sort of thing!
If you can make easy gravy or even have a can or jar variety you like, all you need is a source of french fries and you are good to go. There are no right answers here - like thicker or thinner gravy, go do it!
chop or crumble curd
make, buy or heat fries
heat gravy
Put some curd in a bowl. Pour in some fries. More curd and fries. Gravy/Sauce all over everything. Eat.
So simple, someone still drunk can make it. So can an itinerant laborer with minimal kitchen access/skills. Actually, I think that's the idea.
I even made it at work using a toaster oven, Trader Joes gravy and frozen fries, microwave, and curds from the Dewey Square farmer's market (Belgian coworker: you aren't going to ... )
Who knew a thread about
Who knew a thread about poutine would elicit this much passion?