In list form

1. Rhinebeck (NY Sheep & Wool Fest) is this weekend, but I'm skipping it this year. (I went in 2007, and I had so much fun; I went in 2008, and I froze my ass off.) There are lots of people I'd love to go and see, but I can spare neither the time nor the cash this year.

2. I defended my dissertation proposal last week, so I'm finally whatcha call ABD. (Remember I submitted the proposal back in July? Well, it took three months to actually get three academics in the same room to talk to me about it.) So that's a big step. I'd feel more excited and relieved if I wasn't in the middle of writing a paper for a conference that's only a week away.

2. b) My conference presentation is going to involve pie charts, and they're going to look awesome. If you need to make pie charts -- which, I recognize, is unlikely -- I can recommend this site.

3. I got my copy of the beautiful Knitter's Book of Wool, and I am sorely tempted to drop everything (including the pie charts) to cast on for Evelyn Clark's Prairie Rose Shawl. It's beautiful. (Why can I find no photos to share with you? Hmmm. Just keep checking Ravelry.)

4. I've become obsessed with Babybel cheese -- those little red wax-covered ones. I love them. On the packaging, it just says they are "cheese." What are they?

5. It's getting cold here. In response, I am working to finish a bulky wool/alpaca cardigan vest: the Heather Hoodie Vest. Mine is neither heathered nor hooded. It's a solid orangey-red. When I get it done, I'll post photos here. If this doesn't take place within the next couple of weeks, it probably means I've gone ahead with the Prairie Rose Shawl at the expense of all other knitting. This is a distinct possibility.

6. I am now going to resist the temptation to make a pie chart outlining the percentages of my thoughts currently occupied with the Prairie Rose Shawl, my conference paper, and Babybel cheese. Time to get back to work. Have a nice weekend, with or without Rhinebeck!

Lunch

Bill took the day off with me today and we went out and ate meat, because that's what we do for fun. If you've been to Montreal, you've probably been to Schwartz's. And if you've been to Schwartz's and you're not a vegetarian, you probably had something like this:


On a completely unrelated note, I realized something slightly disturbing yesterday when I was looking in the mirror: I have the same haircut as the lady on Trading Spaces.

On the road again

I'm sitting in a motel room on the outskirts of Buffalo, NY. (Glamorous, I know.) I'm on a little research trip, looking at old issues of the Buffalo Evening News and the Courier Express on microfilm at the library at the local college. (Remember Evelyn and the torso murder? I'm back on that at the moment. If I can't get motivated to read for comps, I'm going to work on something else.)

While I'm here, I figured I'd do a little cross-border shopping. I went to my very first Target, and ... it's just like Zellers! Maybe I'll do some yarn shopping and get something fancy I can't get at home, like (seriously) Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. The problem with googling "Buffalo yarn" or "Buffalo knitting" is that you end up with results about knitting with buffalo. This amuses me. Or you have to figure out whether, say, Williamsville is actually in Buffalo. (Yes, it appears to be.) Why are there so many different "towns" here?

OK, I'm just rambling now. Maybe it's time to venture out and eat beef on weck. If you don't hear from me again in a few days, send help...

Hello, I'm an open book

I had no idea my insecurities about moving back to Meat City were so apparent in my last post, but you guys saw right through me. I really appreciate the supportive comments. I can't reply to all of them individually, so I'll respond here.

What is poutine?
Poutine -- traditionally fries, fresh (squeaky) cheese curds, and sauce/gravy -- is a fast-food specialty in Quebec. It's been called a heart attack on a plate. Here's a site that explains the dish's sketchy history.

Does Bill eat meat?
Yes, and he also does a lot of the cooking. (He enjoys cooking, I don't.) He never pressured me, but he's very happy about my decision.

May I recommend Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Nina Planck's Real Food?
Yes, thank you very much.

Why did you decide to eat meat again?
I don't really have a good answer for this one. It just feels like the right time. Honestly, I think it has little to do with food and more to do with where I'm at in my life. I was one of those teenagers who always said I didn't care what anybody else thought, but then it turned out that I cared a lot; like everybody, I've tried as a grown-up to sort out what I really think and who I really am. Over the last couple of years I've found myself wanting to peel off some of the labels that I'd always worn to ensure that I would stand out. Two years ago, for example, I shaved my legs for the first time since high school -- and the feminist police didn't show up at my house demanding that I give up my membership card. This past winter I took out my big earlobe plugs and have let the holes shrink. Now, I'm not saying that I've "grown out of" being a vegetarian, or having hairy legs, wearing funny jewellery, or whatever. I'm just feeling more confident in who I am and, as a result, less concerned with proving it. Being a vegetarian was as much a political identity as it was a practice of eating, and I'm ready to peel off that label.

Take it slow, or you might get sick.
I'm surprised and happy to report that my system has not rebelled (yet). I'd expected some explosive digestive action, but so far so good. (I've had small amounts of chicken, lamb, deli turkey, barbecued ribs, and whatever was in that poutine.)

What are some of the things you're going to try?
OK, nobody actually asked this question, but it's one that I've asked myself. There are classics I used to like, like barbecued steak, bacon, and roast beef (with Yorkshire pudding, of course). There are things I've never tried, like prosciutto, chorizo, pot roast, tandoori chicken. There are lots of lowbrow meats that are calling to me, including chicken mcnuggets, cheeseburgers, those little red sweet-and-sour pork balls from food-fair Chinese places. There are soups and sauces made with meat stock, like French onion soup and wonton soup. And there is Jell-O, and marshmallows. (I didn't eat gelatin, either.) I don't actually plan to eat Jell-O or marshmallows, but if I stumbled across a pan of Rice Krispies squares, I would be happy to eat those.

Thanks again for being so cool. I'll be back soon to show you my new dress. I also cast on for the Josephine Top from the last IK, so I'll show you that too. Enjoy your Friday!

My summer of meats

I'm not going to defend it, I'm just going to say it: one week ago, I started eating meat again. I thought about it for a long time, and then I did it.* This summer, I plan to eat lots of things I've never had before -- the list is long -- and on Monday I chose non-veg poutine:


I figured if I was going to eat poutine for real, I should go to a place that's been called the best in the city. On Monday afternoon, Bill and I trekked over to La Banquise for plates of poutine classique. (There are 25 variations on the menu, like poutine with smoked meat on top, but I'm going to walk before I run.) And yes, it tasted as good as it looked; in other words, if the photo above looks tasty to you, you'd love it.

* I remember my first big family dinner as a vegetarian -- it was Easter, and I wouldn't eat any turkey, and my dad was annoyed and said it was just a phase. That was a little over 16 years ago. I think I made my point.

Poutine

Yesterday afternoon was another one of those can't-get-to-work-till-I-spend-some-time-out-of-the-house afternoons. And it was a gray and gloomy day. The kind of day where it seems like a good idea to make fries your main meal.

Bill had never had poutine before; I have a vague memory of eating it on a high school trip to Quebec City, but I had already quit eating meat by the time I first came to Montreal, and vegetarian poutine had simply not been an option back then. (I did order a poutine sans sauce once, very early on, but it wasn't really worth trying to explain myself to the Quebecois poutine-serving guy -- plus it was only fries and cheese curds, which just isn't right.)

We headed out to La Banquise, which is on the Plateau, close to Parc Lafontaine. Supposedly this is some of the best poutine in the city, so we figured it was the perfect place to break us in. We went in and sat down, and looked at the 20-ish different varieties of poutine on the menu. When our waitress came over, I said, "I have some questions. For a vegetarian--"

"There is nothing. Vegetarian. Here," she said, punctuating each word by poking our tabletop with her index fingers, "except the lettuce."

Au revoir, La Banquise. Next stop: Mondo Fritz on Blvd. St-Laurent. It's by no means a vegetarian restaurant, but the poutine sauce contains no meat or dairy products, so it's very vegetarian-friendly. It is not, however, the most "authentic" poutine experience: they serve grated cheese instead of squeaky cheese curds, and of course the peppercorn sauce. But it was so tasty! I couldn't finish my giant portion, but I got pretty close. Bill enjoyed his, too, but then he also coined the slogan "Poutine: Once in a Lifetime." I know people who eat poutine more than once a week, and I can't imagine that, but every couple of months I'd be happy to go back to Mondo Fritz for a big messy plate of it.

Since I didn't take my camera, I'll point you to a poutine Flickr group (yes, really) -- guaranteed to either whet or destroy your appetite.

This little piggy went to market

I went to Jean-Talon Market this afternoon, and it was like a vacation from winter! I love going to the market, not just for the produce, but for some of the crazy peripheral bits that remind me of being in an Asian market: fifteen different things plugged into an outlet, with wires hanging all over the place; music coming from a crappy radio that's hanging from the wall with rope; prices on hand-lettered signs; just the general jumbliness of things. All that stuff that makes the market different from a big grocery store.







Does anyone actually eat those bunnies made of maple sugar? Dentists must love seeing those for sale. Just looking at them makes me crave a glass of milk.

Montreal smoked wheat

That's right. You heard me. I said "Montreal smoked wheat." This city may be famous for smoked meat, but what's a vegetarian to do? Enter the smoked wheat sandwich:


You know what? It's not bad! I've never actually eaten smoked meat; I quit meat in early 1991 and first moved to Montreal in late 1991, so it was too late. (Ditto for poutine. I know, I know -- don't rat me out to the locals.) So I can't say whether or not it resembles smoked meat at all. And I know that not all vegetarians are as into fake meat as I am -- I think it rules. I don't want to eat it every day (or, frankly, every week), but overall, a thumbs up for smoked wheat!

Can I get this awesome T-shirt now?