Well, I learn things every day, even about stuff I thought I knew everything I needed to know about. So anyway, I learned last month on the St-Viateur Bagel Shop's Facebook page that the mascotte of the business actually has a name: Sésame. He was created more than 40 years ago. For me, he is more Montrealer than Youppi. It is St John the Baptist's Day tomorrow, which is Québec's national day. I am not sure how I will celebrate it, but had I been in Montreal, I would have eaten bagels from St-Viateur. What I will do however, and maybe it is fitting, is wear the shirt I bought there, with Sésame on it. It is blue and white, like our flag, so it is fitting.
Je ne sais pas si c'est une tradition et, si c'en est une, depuis quand, mais toujours est-il que j'apprends j'apprends sur l'une des pages Facebook de St-Viateur Bagel que, comme l'année dernière, ils offrent des bagels en forme de coeur pour la St-Valentin. Je dis ça très sérieusement, mais je préfèrerais recevoir des bagels que du chocolat aujourd'hui. De St-Viateur, s'entend.
I took this picture at the St-Viateur Bagel on Mont-Royal Avenue about six years ago already. I think I made half a dozen trips there during that stay and for one meal, I had decided for some reason not to have the classic bagel with smoked salmon, but the one with smoked meat. Smoked meat sandwich is another great gastronomical institution of Montreal, so I thought this could be the perfect mix. I must say, I was disappointed. The meat was too fatty and it kind of spoiled the experience. The bagel itself was excellent as ever though. So from then on, and I know I am not being original or very adventurous, and I know there are other good bagel combinations, but I stick to the classic one.
Pour les chanceux qui peuvent s'en procurer parce qu'ils sont du bon côté de l'Atlantique et qu'il est encore assez tôt: j'apprends sur l'une des pages Facebook de St-Viateur Bagel que pour un jour seulement, ils vendent des bagels en forme de coeur. Non mais sont-tu cutes? Dites-le avec des bagels. Non mais sans ironie, je préférerais recevoir une douzaine de bagels comme ça au lieu de chocolat comme cadeau de Saint-Valentin. Et vous?
As a tradition, this is what I usually have on Good Friday: bagels from St-Viateur, the very best in the world. (Yes they are, read this if you don't know why.) With smoked salmon, soft cheese, onions, capers, tomatoes. Taken one by one, separately as you see it on the top right picture, it may look like nothing, but as a whole, it is a true feast and a most sacred meal.
It is Good Friday and, more than any other Friday in the year, it means to me fish Friday. I will have tonight my traditional Good Friday meal: bagels from St-Viateur, which I saved from my last trip to Montreal, capers, raw onions, a slice of tomatoes and of course smoked salmon. I know, I have a rather strange way of fasting. But for me, any excuse is good enough to eat a traditional bagels meal. And I have been practicing this tradition since my first Good Fridays in Montreal. So this reminds me of home.
Since my last trip to Montreal, I have decided that I would share to the world, or at least the English world, a bit of Montreal's proudest achievement in gastronomic civilization: our prized bagels. The best in the world. To be more precise, the ones from St-Viateur Bagel. I have been praising their bagels everywhere, but especially to my class of Krav Maga, enough so my instructor asked me to bring back some for him. Which I did. The day I left Montreal, I had one last meal at St-Viateur on Mont-Royal Avenue, then I bought two dozens of bagels: one for my instructor and his family, one for my wife and I.
It is kind of a fitting way to show my gratitude towards my teacher, if you think about it: a Jewish martial art, maybe the perfect martial art in fact, the alpha and omega of martial arts, probably the greatest Jewish gastronomical invention, in its greatest incarnation (since Montreal bagels are the best in the world). My brother Andrew teased me about it, when I wore my Krav Maga tshirt in St-Viateur: "You're wearing a Jew martial art shirt in a Jewish restaurant eating Jewish food. You're really a Jew lover, aren't you?" Which is kind of true, I guess. And it deserves to be a new great unknown line. So anyway, in the end I only gave six bagels to my instructor: the other six had been squashed in the journey to England and while very edible I wanted to give him something that looked better. And I had not specified how many I'd give. And beside giving a dozen might have looked like I wanted to be the teacher's pet. So the first thing he asked when he saw me was: "Where are my bagels?" I gave them to him and made his teenage daughters (who do training too) promise that the family would eat it all. Next class, I learned that they were all gone. My instructor had half of them, saying they were "the best". Which did not surprise me in the least. Because they are indeed the best. So there you have it: I am now a complete albeit unofficial ambassador for St-Viateur Bagel and Montreal.
As usual, a stay in Montreal means for me enjoying as much as I can local food, especially the bagels from St-Viateur. This time has been no exception: this is what was waiting for me the very first night I arrived in Montreal. A dozen bagels from the very best bagel place in the world. I had them for dinner, lunch, breakfast. I bought a second dozen two days into my stay. The man at the till asked me if that would be all, I said: "That will be enough." He laughed. I think it deserves to be a new great unknown line. I also had lunch at their café on Mont-Royal yesterday. So I've had plenty of bagels. That said, I will have some more, as I intend to have my lunch there too. I am having feasts of bagels and it seems I can't get enough.
During my stay in Montreal, I have eaten bagels at St-Viateur on Mont-Royal Avenue three times all in all, from my first meal to the very last, which was also in St-Viateur. This is how much I miss their bagels when I am back in the UK. So on the day of departure, I stock myself in bagels: I bought a dozen which you can see on the picture. Unfortunately, it was twelve bagels I received, they did not make the same mistake as last time when they added a few more, making the total to 15. Oh well. A dozen bagels is enough to last me for a while, especially since I ate many of them recently. Still, I hope they can last until I can get my hands on new supplies.
