Photography Challenge Day 7
Day 7: Fruit
Photo taken July 3, 2010 at the Marché Jean-Talon in Montreal, PQ.
This post is part of the October 30 Day Photography Challenge
Bad Date with Montreal
Don’t forget to check out my Boston and New Hampshire recaps!
I had high hopes for Montreal, I really did. I went there briefly as a kid and was a bit indifferent to it then, but this time around I truly found myself not liking the city. Something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t like it one bit.
Montreal is a bit like a man. One who I just had a blind date with and one who I never want to see again.
The consensus seems to be that Montreal is sexy and cool with a European charm, a knack for fashion, and artistic spirit. So I finally agree to go out with him and everyone thinks I’ll love him. …and yet…. and yet…. nothing. At first, there’s just no spark, no chemistry between us. It’s not love at first sight but I want to give him a chance. Was I missing out on something spectacular? Not seeing the awesomeness that was obvious to everyone else?
I spent much of our weekend together searching for something to like about him. Sure, Montreal has his good features scattered here and there but by the end of our date I uncovered that Montreal truly is a douchebag.
Montreal tries a bit too hard to play off the hipster vibe, but real hipsters actually have aptitude and don’t need to try that hard to be cool. He has an over-inflated sense of self worth (yes, he thinks he’s the shit). In spite of his European flair, he’s actually really dirty and none of his numerous hair salons (seriously, how many hair salons does one city need?) can keep him looking good. So, sorry Montreal, but I don’t think it will work between us. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find another tourist. One who is enamoured by the ideals you try to embody and is blind to the fact that you truly have no substance.
Now, I don’t mean to completely tear down the city. We had some good times together. It wouldn’t be fair not to share with you the things I DID like about Montreal.
First there was Au Pied de Cochon, a restaurant experience I had been waiting months for. It was awesome. I give it 3 out of 4 stars and only because I ordered the pied de cochon (which I never had before and soon realized that I actually don’t like—they’re very fatty). The service was amazing, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the value was fantastic.
We started out the meal with foie gras cromesquis – that’s deep fried foie gras. The waiter warned us to put the whole thing in our mouth at once and close our lips tight. Good thing I was forewarned because these little cubes are small explosions of melted foie gras deliciousness.
For our main meal, I of course, ordered the pied de cochon which came in a creamy oniony sauce with a side of the cheesiest most delicious mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. Ever.
Matt ordered the ribs. Or should I say, rib? It was one giant beef rib and it was awesome. He also ordered a poutine (when in Rome, right?) which was about as good as any poutine you can get in the city.
After dinner we went to see our first ever Cirque de Soleil show, Totem. I wish I could have taken pictures in the show, but I don’t think they would convey how mesmerizing it really is. In Matt’s words: “Someone could pickpocket me right now and I wouldn’t even know it”. The Cirque de Soleil people should consider it—they’d make a killing.
Some highlights of the show were: Adam and Eve on the trapeze, Charles Darwin standing in a giant glass cone and juggling illuminated balls, and an aboriginal making hula hoops appear out of thin air. It was a hell of a lot of craziness.
The next day we went all around the city just doing sightseeing. We walked through Vieux-Montreal and visited the Notre Dame Basilica which, I would venture, is the most beautiful church in North America.
We hit up 2 markets: Marche Atwater and Marche Jean-Talon.
We stopped for coffee and panetonne in Little Italy. This was probably the best coffee I had the whole trip:
We visited the McGill University campus and saw some of the old mansions on Rue Sherbrooke.
We did some shopping in Plateau and downtown. Then we went for some liquid dinner:
Followed by liquid dessert:
We had some truly gourmet hot chocolate from a place called Juliette et Chocolat. These people really appreciate fine chocolate. You can choose dark or milk hot chocolate, and you also choose from a variety of “vintages” based on their flavour notes and region of origin. Ahhh-mazing. I had the Pure Caraibes.
The next morning (bright and early at 6:30 am) I made Matt stop at Fairmount Bagel Bakery to buy a half dozen of their famous Montreal-style bagels.
(source)
I was really excited to try one because I LOVE baking bread (including bagels). The verdict: Montreal bagels are overrated (a lot like Montreal itself). Honestly, my own bagel recipe is much better. Take that, Montreal.
My Homemade Poppyseed Bagels
day 134: progress report
So far my 8 Weeks to Awesomeness isn’t going very awesome.
Let’s see how I’m stacking up with my goals:
Calories:
Goal: 1500 cal
Avg this week (excl Saturday)-> 1660
Macronutrients:
Goal: 40% protein, 40% carbs (mainly before and after my workouts), 20% fat
Avg this week (excl Saturday)-> 28% protein, 42% carbs, 30% fat
Exercise:
Goal: Keep doing what I’m doing – weightlifting 2x per week; yoga 2x per week; cardio 4x per week
This week ->
Weightlifting: 2 upper body and 2 lower body days
Cardio: 5 cardio sessions @ 180 min total (only 2 morning cardio session)
Yoga: only once this week 
I don’t know why I didn’t do a weigh in last Tuesday. I did one on Thursday though. I’ll have to wait until Thursday to compare and see what kind of progress I’m making. So far though, it doesn’t look good. I might need to cut back my calorie intake to below 1500 (if that’s what it’s going to take to get me to actually eat only 1500 calories)
On a side note: Matt and I are headed to on a trip this summer to Boston, Mt. Washington New Hampshire, and Montreal. If you live in those areas or have visited there before and can recommend some fun, interesting, or active things to do and places to eat, I’d love to hear from you!
Email:
