John Berman delves into the sticky world of poutine (Image: abcnews.com)
In the rare moments when Americans consider Canadians, do they still think of self-conscious, snowmobile-riding, backwoods-living lumberjacks out to stymie their convenience with vending machine–defying coins? Probably not—unless, of course, they work for ABC News, which recently posted this video profile of Canadian cuisine. The venerable broadcaster tells viewers that, although it would be impossible to spot a Canadian on Fifth Avenue (we are so unremarkable), our food is gaining popularity all over Manhattan. But what exactly does ABC consider “food” from the land of socialized health care and gay marriage? Why, Tim Hortons, of course, which represents all things Canadian: hockey, maple-covered doughnuts and curling (yes, curling). And then there’s poutine, that trendy Québécois concoction that was recently profiled in the New Yorker and that Lower East Siders are scarfing down by the kilogram.
That we would export our beloved poutine isn’t surprising. According to a CBC viewer poll of the country’s most prized inventions, Canadians value the dish more than the BlackBerry, paint rollers and caulking guns—probably because we all eat poutine to survive the long, harsh winters. But painting and caulking the inside of an igloo is pointless, and who among us is smart enough to figure out how to work a BlackBerry, eh?
• Canadian cuisine? [ABC News]
• Letter from Montreal: funny food [New Yorker]
Canadian cuisine is not poutine, that is moronic dish concocted by and for gastronomic idiots that haven’t grown-up their taste buds to date, whether they’re Canadian, or, American.
December 8, 2009 at 9:00 am | by Richard MaloneyTim Horton’s is not Canadian, either, in my books, the coffee is characterless, and the atomosphere is as sterile as the “prepared” foods served. Canadians that know anything about gastronomy shouldn’t be proud of Tim Horton’s.
December 8, 2009 at 9:02 am | by Richard Maloney