For years I wasn't particularly fond of french fries. What was to like? My mum's fat golden greasy potatoes were gut busting but not very tasty. They were better raw dipped in sugar, but that was a matter of the dash and grab snack on the run thing. Well after breakfast and long past lunchtime I'd hurl myself through the front door (don't slam the door) around the hall (don't touch the walls) and rocket through the kitchen (don't mess up the freshly waxed floor) and grab whatever was on the counter before hurtling out the back door followed by "Get outta the kitchen!! Get outta the house!! Go play!! Don't come back till dinnertime!!" Raw potato dipped in a sugar bowl didn't taste so bad, but the dash and grab rewards on baking day were far richer.
It wasn't till highschool I discovered what fries were supposed to taste like. Slim golden and crispy on the outside, fluffy hot potato goodness on the inside, soaked in vinegar and cloaked in gravy. That cafeteria food was a revelation. Wow. My highschool sweetheart's very English mother introduced me to malt and cider vinegars with only salt, no gravy necessary. Another wow. (That's how I prefer them to this day.)
I first tried poutine at a Montreal Expos baseball game in the nosebleed section. Another wow. Hot fries smothered in gravy with melted cheese curds. You had to eat them with a little wooden fork sitting on your lap, cold beer in one hand, jasez with les gars around us. Oh look, Andre Dawson's up to bat with the bases loaded. Pass the poutine around again, and don't spill my beer. Ah oui, on besoin un bon grand shlammm esti !!
It's interesting to see the food truck craze hitting the urban streets, bringing foodie fusion out of the restaurants and onto the sidewalks. I like it, although I rarely feel like standing around most city streets eating out of a paper dish. To my way of thinking they're creatively expanding their recipe repertoire and meeting our appetites for fast food. Another dash and grab snack on the run thing?
