of poutine and The Da Vinci Code

Poutine

Poutine is a culinary delight native to Quebec, and people are taking notice. It's good stuff:

Quebec's signature dish, made of fried potatoes covered with melted cheddar cheese curds and gravy, is slowly spreading beyond Canada and winning fans as far away as New York City and Florida. But the really big culinary news is that poutine is becoming haute cuisine.

I don't know about being haute cuisine, but it sure is damn good. I have yet to see poutine in NYC, but I am looking forward to finding it. Shockingly, poutine has been thought of as junk food and Quebecois were ashamed of their dish:

"People were ashamed to say, 'I want to go to a restaurant to eat poutine,' " said Mr. Picard recently in an interview at his restaurant. "You'd eat it at 3 in the morning when you are drunk or after a party..." "When you go to a restaurant for a salad, you have a problem," he said with a stern look..."And when you eat poutine, it makes you happy."

Truer words were never spoken. Quebecois chefs are getting creative with poutine in an attempt to make it more popular, one of them is even putting foie gras on it. If you've never been to Montreal, go go go, it's a wonderful city. Have a poutine and a "point" for me while you're there.

The Da Vinci Code

Typically, if I see everyone reading a bestseller book on the subway I assume it must be total trash. Nearly every day last year I saw someone reading "The Da Vinci Code," either on the subway or where ever else. According to this New York Times article, the book is causing people to question their faith in Jesus and now the Catholic church is on the defense. Maybe a book that is so controversial is worth reading.

Both stories via The New York Times.