Urp
One cannot truly have visisted a city without trying the food. Okay, maybe not, but that's the thought that occurred to me this evening. I had been on my feet from 7:30am to 4:00pm and wanted a chance to sit down. Otherw were going to a vendor-sponsored party, but I just wanted a bite to eat and a chance to sit.
I went into a restaurant in Chinatown that was full of Chinese. I ordered what translated as noodles-with-beef and was in for a major dissapointment. First, there was no flavor. It was so flavorless, that I even tried the broccoli. I didn't gag on it. In fact, it wasn't even mildly broccoli-flavored. I ate, bemused. Looking around, I noticed that there was a separate menu only in Chinese characters. There was menu for easterners and one for westerners.
I ate for a while and then decided that if I wasn't enjoying the food, I should stop eating. The food being so flavorless, the vegetables limp to the point of mush, and the beef rubbery, there probably was no real nutrition. I gave a 15% tip and left. I should have only tipped 10%.
Walking through Chinatown, I noticed that it would be better termed East Asia Town. Unlike 20 years ago (was it really 20 years ago I first visited Montreal?), there were Veitnamese, Japanese, Korean, Hunan, Szechuan, and Thai restaurants. It guess it wasn't only in the US that people woke up to the reality that there is more than the Han in East Asia.
Another thing that I noticed, and depresses me, is that there are few bookstores and music stores. These were common the first time I was in Montreal. I imagine Quebecois get everything on-line, too. Sucks.
I noted that the pastry shops all had the same pastires in them. Probably mass-produced and distributed. Needed some kind of flavor, I bought what looked like a bun with whipped butter. It was a very light, sweet bread, so light that one could not put much pressure on it without deforming the pastry. It was coated with coconut an the filling could best be compared to a gaseous form of sweet cream. It was yummy!
Now it's past bedtime, but I'm feeling hungry from the insufficient dinner. I guess eating bad food is part of the experience of trying new things.
I went into a restaurant in Chinatown that was full of Chinese. I ordered what translated as noodles-with-beef and was in for a major dissapointment. First, there was no flavor. It was so flavorless, that I even tried the broccoli. I didn't gag on it. In fact, it wasn't even mildly broccoli-flavored. I ate, bemused. Looking around, I noticed that there was a separate menu only in Chinese characters. There was menu for easterners and one for westerners.
I ate for a while and then decided that if I wasn't enjoying the food, I should stop eating. The food being so flavorless, the vegetables limp to the point of mush, and the beef rubbery, there probably was no real nutrition. I gave a 15% tip and left. I should have only tipped 10%.
Walking through Chinatown, I noticed that it would be better termed East Asia Town. Unlike 20 years ago (was it really 20 years ago I first visited Montreal?), there were Veitnamese, Japanese, Korean, Hunan, Szechuan, and Thai restaurants. It guess it wasn't only in the US that people woke up to the reality that there is more than the Han in East Asia.
Another thing that I noticed, and depresses me, is that there are few bookstores and music stores. These were common the first time I was in Montreal. I imagine Quebecois get everything on-line, too. Sucks.
I noted that the pastry shops all had the same pastires in them. Probably mass-produced and distributed. Needed some kind of flavor, I bought what looked like a bun with whipped butter. It was a very light, sweet bread, so light that one could not put much pressure on it without deforming the pastry. It was coated with coconut an the filling could best be compared to a gaseous form of sweet cream. It was yummy!
Now it's past bedtime, but I'm feeling hungry from the insufficient dinner. I guess eating bad food is part of the experience of trying new things.