Accidental Hedonist

Canadian Club/Hiram Walker today, and I am DONE! WOOT!

When visiting Canada, and you ask the waiter/waitress/grocery clerk for some Canadian Bacon, they will generally respond in one of two ways.

1. So…what part of the States are you from?
2. BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!

For the record, in Canada, it’s called ‘Back Bacon’, a center cut of meat from the loin of the pig found on the…let’s say it together…back. American Bacon (or streaky Bacon) comes from the belly cut, where there’s a tad more fat to be found.

This has been a pubic service reminder designed to promote goodwill and joy between the Great White North and their American Neighbor.

As someone has dutifully reminded me, I have never fully reported upon my recent trip to Whistler. As I’ve been a tad more political in my posts of late, today seems like as good of a day as any to let you know how the trip went, and bring a bit of simple foodie pleasure back to this site.

First and foremost, I need to acknowledge the picture up above. It’s poutine, which I’ve talked about before on this site. Poutine is one of those meals that if you’re concerned about your health, you should only eat once or twice a year. It’s basically French Fries, covered with cheese curds, with a healthy dose of gravy. Consider this dish the Canadian equivalent of cheese on a stick — Except that it tastes better.

I have now decided that I will look up a plate of the stuff every time I head to Canada, which, thankfully for my heart, is only once or twice a year.

I realize I may get some grief for enjoying a meal that is essentially enjoyed by folks after they’ve imbibed more than an adequate amount of beer, but it’s a bullet I’m ready to take. Eating this outdoors, when it’s a brisk 55 degrees F out, is a wonderful simple pleasure. Why oh why hasn’t poutine caught on below the 48th Parallel?

Dinners at Whistler are okay. I had a decent seafood chowder, and a nice German meal. But generally I find the restaurants overpriced for the food that one gets. Alas, this is what happens when you go to a tourist attraction for people with a fair amount of disposable income.

I will say that I enjoy the lunches up there far more than the dinners. Reasonably priced and quite good. Especially the Lamb Burger I had. Lesson learned here? Bean sprouts go remarkably well on a burger.

That’s pretty much all there was to the trip. I was up there for three days, had some decent meals, watched some mountain bikers, took some really decent pictures, and walked a whole lot. This is my idea of what a vacation should entail — with less mountain bikers.

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