Un Homme Rose

Un homme rose: literally, a pink man, this phrase is used to describe men who are domesticated, that is men like Richard.

Richard does all the cooking when he is home and takes it very seriously. Once I went with him to pick up fish for dinner and he was adamant that we drive to a different city to get the freshest fish possible. He also owns over 300 bottles of wine. Last Sunday we all went to a huge food and flower market to sample, smell, and spend. I would describe the market as an interesting blend of Earl May, farmer’s market, Whole Foods, cafes, and almost every ethnicity under the sun. It can be so disorienting to see a crêpe stand next to a Frites Alors! (stand that sells French fries) next to a Indian spices shop. What a place! But anyways, Richard was in his element here. He was sampling all sorts of foods and picking out the best items. We decided what to make for dinner based on our purchases. It was a delicious and fun experience.

The food and how meals are done here are one of the biggest differences between the US and Canada. The Quebecois take great pride and pleasure in their food. I’ve had a few of the Quebecois specialties now that I’ve been here, and almost all of them have been delicious – fondue with a special type of thinly-sliced meat, something like shepherd's pie, maple syrup treats of all kinds. One that I surprisingly didn’t like was poutine, a Quebecois death wish: French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy and other additional ingredients if you desire. I actually found this dish to be nothing extraordinary, but didn’t dare tell any of the people I was with for fear of being abandoned in downtown Montreal. The Quebecois are very serious about their poutine.

Why do I say meals here are one of the biggest differences? For one, we eat seafood probably 4 days out of the week. That doesn’t happen when you live in Nebraska. Secondly, dinner (although they call it supper here) is served in courses. We sip on wine and snack on a vegetable or cheese plate while the final preparations are made. The first course is then usually salad or soup followed by a main course and a side or two. For me, side dishes at home are often plentiful but consisting of one type of food – broccoli, potatoes, green beans, etc. Here we have usually one side dish but it is usually some sort of vegetable medley or rice casserole. Besides fish, duck is another popular main dish. Then comes dessert and coffee and a happy Meredith. Thank goodness for pink men!