Prairie Child in the City: 2011-04-03

I learned two things the hard way this week:
1. When there's a theme-party in Montreal the common consensus is NOT to actually dress to it
2. In the smaller communities on the outskirts of Montreal racism is rampant and in the open

While these lessons fall into very different categories and levels of gravity, they both have one thing in common. The word 'Sauvage'.

LESSON #1
On Wednesday, there was a fundraiser for Annick's UQAM film faculty. The theme was "Sauvages". Annick explained that an appropriate way to participate in this theme would be to wear things like animal print, fur, ect.. So animal print I did!

Leopard print jeggings to be exact. Along with my leopard-print cardigan, fur boots, tribal-style earings and two buns at the top of my head for ears. Upon arriving, to my horror, I was prettymuch the only one dressed this way. Sure there were a few with some esthetically pleasing tribal face paint, some feather earings, zebra-print heels....but H to T leopard print was all me and only me.

Annick, bartending the event

Joannie in the "jail". A tired party game to Manitoba wedding-social-goers, but a
very new and exciting concept to Quebecois.

That was about my fourth 'we're not in kansas anymore' moment since I've been here. Y m'semble que in Winnipeg, when there's a theme-there's a theme! It's dorkier NOT to dress up. So anyways, whatever regardless, it was an awesome night and in the end, I decided I was the cooler one for having dressed up. Even if they were jeggings.

LESSON #2
The following day, I had a workshop for the Aboriginal Media Project I'm teaching in Deux Montagnes, just outside of Montreal, close to Kahnawake. After the class Pepper, who is the other teacher I'm working with, a (beautiful) very visibly native woman and I picked up some coffee at Tim Hortons for the ride back. We got a little stuck in the parking lot, trying to figure out which road we were getting back onto while three men, standing in the same parking lot were staring at us laughing. Pepper rolled her window down, laughed along and playfully said something along the lines of "Yes, we're lost-can you tell?!"

Somewhere in between the fact that she was native and the fact she was speaking English, one of the men decided to say "Osti de sauvage" as we rolled away. Pepper slammed on her breaks and yelled that she'd heard what he said. I was in total shock. "Osti de sauvage" ???... "OSTI de SAUVAGE?" That is my grandmother's story! What is this, 1925? Needless to say I was fairly traumatized. Pepper laughed and said she was used to it around these parts. How awful! How gross! Where ARE we?

To freak 'em out a little, we scooped back into the parking lot, pulled up right beside them, rolled the window down and I took this photo. Unfortunately they were too stupid to mind.

wtf

Havent blogged in a while but its just that I hate my camera so bad. But until the 7D arrives this will have to do. So these are the best doughnuts I have ever eaten. Forget what you know about Krispy Kreme or Crispy Creme whatever. The Polish bakery at Marché Jean Talon makes what they call Ponçki. Biting into one is an amazing moment in life.

Out for coffee downtown with Annick. Magic hour light was so glorious that even my iPhone camera captured some of its magical'ness.

Last week's Miam Mardi'licious. I made Buddy Valastro's "Aunt Dianna's Tortellini Soup" pronounced 'ONT Dee-on-uz Toe-da-lini Sooop!' Here's the beginning of the bouillon. This is the first time I ever cook anything with beef.

An hour later, I rip the meat from the bones and put it back into the bouillon. Added celery, carrot, tomato, onion, garlic, potato and a few extra beef bouillon cubes and let this simmer for about an hour...

...once the carrots are tender, we add fresh parmesan-stuffed tortellini from my favorite little Italian grocery store at the top of the street.

Minutes later we have our delicious soup! Throw in some fresh parsley and top with a healthy sprinkling of Pecorino cheese. Mmm!

Served with Annick's Italian garlic sticks and some rich red wine.

PS-I also made some avocado/black bean brownies...still working on perfecting this one haha They were a little...pasty.

A few nights later-40's themed fundraiser for independent film in Montreal. As it turns out, half my wardrobe is actually 40s themed. I go for the quintessential 40s look...

...while Annicks opts for the sportier, Katherine Hepburn look.

Our walk home at 2 am through Marché St.Hubert: a mile long strip of 90s style formal-wear shops.

It's no wonder this woman is sad-her friends have been mercilessly decapitated.

I was so afraid she was going to come alive when I took this picture.

Not sure what we were going for with this one...

More creepy baby mannequins. At 2 am the site of this really gives you an uneasy feeling.

The next morning-smoothies on a sunny balcony!

Saw this at Chapters-reality check!

Fantasizing at BCBG-again.

Picking up our baguette for the week at Premiere Moisson.

My now-famous toss. You MUST make this if you love pasta and cheese as much as I do.

Squeeze the juice out of a bunch of Roma tomatoes, chop them up, throw 'em in a bowl and sprinkle white sugar over them. Add green onion, garlic, salt and lots of fresh basil. Then, fold chunks of blue cheese and grated parmesan into warm, freshly cooked pasta. Once they've melted a little, use your hands to massage the pasta until it's coated in the blue cheese/parmesan mixture. Squeeze some lemon juice into the pasta and serve, topped with tomato-basil mixture and some fresh cracked pepper!