le marché

what a glorious spring day! there's nothing quite like the first amazing spring day in canada. the sun is out. it's warm but crisply cool at the same time. you can sit outside but still need a jacket. and when the sun goes down, you remember that it's still only april 2nd. but still- it's glorious!

we took advantage of the weather to (finally!) start roaming around montreal. first stop, the jean-talon markets. the market sits in the heart of little italy (which we have yet to explore) and has an abundant amount of local producers offering their goods. the market has been up and running since 1933 (!)  and is open all year round. apparently in summer it's huge. some 300 vendors or so. i'm already looking forward to that.

otherwise, it's just your typical market: fruit and veg, cheese,  meat, florists, fish mongers, yadda yadda yadda. but then, with a great canadian twist (which i'm sure they would say is more quebecois than canadian, but i digress)- the mini-"cabane a sucre" (or sugar bush, for you anglos).

the cabane a sucre is a quintessential part of spring in this area of the world- northern USA, quebec and ontario (maybe elsewhere, i have no idea). the real cabane a sucre is an experience in itself, which i think all folk trying to experience canada should do. the market's mini version isn't quite the same, but it's good nonetheless. not only can you buy maple syrup in all of it's sugary embodiments (suckers, cones, syrup, hard candies, butters, etc) but you can also get the most spectacular treat of them all: maple syrup "tire" (taffy. sort of). they drizzle boiled sap onto some snow, and twirl it around a popsicle stick. bliss. sugary sugary bliss. (actually, we didn't have any today. we had some not long ago at another little sugar shack in old montreal. and after about 2 licks of the maple-syrup popsicle, we had to throw it away because i could feel my teeth and innards rotting. so sweet. so, so sweet. for some reason, i loved it as a child...)

we sat outside the market, in the sun, and enjoyed a coffee (type beverage) whilst listening to a pan-flute band busk. i can honestly say that i 1- haven't heard a pan flute band in years (clearly, not a popular instrument in australia) and 2- only hear the pan flute buskers near markets. in canada. this band wasn't playing to a track though, so we gave them some coins.

but really, i do love markets. in any country i've ever visited, i try to take in the market. it's such a great way to see different cultures in action, see local foods, smell local smells (some more pleasant than others). it makes me feel a bit more like a local, and less like a tourist. i like talking to growers and finding out about the products i'm buying. i like roaming around and feeling like i'm part of the community, even though i'm just one of thousands of folk who also roam.

there was nothing particularly special at the jean-talon markets. but i'm happy there just the same.
xo