The Belgian Fry Stand

Belgium's contribution to the world

Sometimes you just need fries. I do, anyway.

Down the street from our apartment in Paris is a Belgian burger stand. I should probably call it a fry stand, really, as that's where the focus seems to be.

One of the big differences you notice between eating in Europe and North America is the portion sizes. Everything is a little smaller here in the old world. The focus tends to be on quality and freshness rather than quantity. That theory flew out the window when my wife and I ordered food from the Belgian burger stand. A small order of fries is enough for both of us. And we like fries. They are always tasty and salty, though I wish they wouldn't pre-cook them. While it does add to the crunch, it makes them too hard sometimes. And it's just not necessary.

Working in the food industry I learned that the best way to make fries is to cook them straight from the freezer, and don't over fry. If done right, they're crispy on the outside and soft but not raw on the inside. A perfect match for sandwiches, burgers or nothing.

A Sandwich With Tapenade, Olive-Style

Memorable sandwich toppings come in many forms, some of which are spreadable.

I got into olives recently.

Why it took 26 years I do not know. I think the green was a turnoff.

But one day in 2005, at 1-For-1 Pizza (you pay for one, you get one) on Bank Street in Ottawa with my friend Steve, I ordered a fresh slice full of black olives. There were too many. It was very salty.

But the flavour stayed with me.

Soon I was craving them all the time. Now I buy black olives by the tiny bagful at the Richard Lenoir market on a tri-weekly basis.

This sandwich, loaded with olive tapenade freshly made by my wife, was delicious. Try something like it.

Debunking Conventional Wisdom: The Eagles

Why don't we come to our senses?

Conventional Wisdom:
The Eagles are a talented musical group, with many memorable, well-written songs that will stand the test of time. In fifty years our childrens' friends' kids will still be listening to the Eagles Greatest Hits, one of the most essential collections in the history of recorded music.


Debunking:
This is not true.

Chocolate Donut Sandwich

Great for breakfast

It shouldn't be a surprise that this chocolate donut is a sandwich. It has a frame (the dough) and an essence (the chocolate) and can be picked up without excessive mess. As long as the dough is baked first, and the chocolate added later, it's a sandwich. And this is obviously the case. See the CUSD for more.

The chocolate is actually Nutella, which I don't like in large quantities. Hazelnut does not always agree with me. But for a day's first meal, few sandwiches are finer.

Roast Chicken Sandwich

Just add pepper.

Bought a roast chicken at the Richard Lenoir Market, near Bastille. The leftovers made two days worth of lunch.

Sandwiches For Bastille Day

Waiting in the afternoon.

On Bastille Day, 2007, we ate sandwiches on the champs de mars, a long stretch of park under the Eiffel Tower where Napolean's troops marched and trained.

We watched Nelly Furtado and others, waiting for the fireworks.

Space Invaders

Another invasion near Bastille

Mosaic Space Invaders are everywhere in Paris. They remind me of being seven. Always a good thing.

This one was in the 11th arrondissement.

Champagne, Great With Sandwiches

Happy underground.

A cave under the town of Reims in the region of Champagne, France, full of bottles. Champagne is great with chips, and sandwiches, especially cured ham.

North Americans in Paris

Don't blame the Canadians.

Music by LDC Soundsystem.

Versailles Made Me Sick

Versailles, from behind


The aptly named Hall of Mirrors


Outside

In 1682, the official residence of the Court of France moved from the Louvre in Paris to Versailles, a chateau 25km to the southwest. Today, more than three hundred years later, Versailles still makes a lasting physical impression on visitors.

In my case, in the form of a cold.

I'll admit, it was a minor cold, more a nuisance than a malady. I first felt ill-effects on the evening of our visit after returning to our apartment. Thinking I had just got too much direct sun, I slept without worry. But the next morning I awoke with a scratched throat and vigorous sniffle.

All week I hoarded kleenex, staging a patient but resolute defense against the medieval germs. While the symptoms were not intense, the bug proved to be an adept networker, spreading to my coworkers, my wife, and my wife's coworkers. Today, thirteen days after my first sneeze, I am cured.

Visitors to Versailles, be warned: behind the thick oak panels and priceless gold-foil detailing, under the rigid balustrades, within the mirrored halls, the decorative cornices and tasteful friezes, hidden in the greenery of the sculpted geometric gardens, microbes await.

La tour

Will I Ever See Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres

Will I?

Seriously, that's what it's called. And it's out right now.

http://www.adultswim.com/shows/athf/movie/

Statistics Canada Considers Pizza a Sandwich

According to a recent report by Statistics Canada, Canadians consume way too much salt. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who has read the nutritional information on anything. If it's in a can it has lots of sodium. If it tastes good, same.

The real shocker in the report was what Statistics Canada considers a sandwich. Saying they oversimplified is -- for me -- the understatement of the young millennium. Discussing the amount of sodium in various foods, Stats Can reported the following:

"The "sandwich" category (pizza, sandwiches, submarines, hamburgers, hot dogs) led the way, representing 19% of sodium intake. This was followed by soups (7%) and pasta dishes (6%)."

Even though I disagree wholeheartedly, (see my explanation here), I acknowledge that the uninformed might lump hamburgers in with the sandwiches. But hot dogs? Pizza? The only kind of sandwich a pizza even remotely resembles is the Open-faced. But I don't know a single person or corporation who would put a deep-dish and a hoagie even on the same menu board. They are not siblings, but distant relatives, far removed. Cousins of cousins of cousins.

For those who need an explanation, here is why pizza is not a sandwich: it's all in the baking. An item that, as a whole, requires baking before it can be eaten is not a sandwich. Thus, a pizza, with its toppings added to raw dough, does not qualify. But a sandwich made on dough that is baked to become bread before anything else is added, does. The classification changes when pizza-like toppings are added to a pre-cooked base, which could technically be eaten on the spot. This, according to the CUSD, is a sandwich, as long as it is "capable of being held without great hardship or mess".

It's a technicality for sure, but god loves details. And corned beef subs.

A big thanks to reader Michel for bringing the report to my attention.

Pancho Con Pancho at Mr. Dog

Lunch in Argentina. Fries by McCain.


Mendoza, Argentina is technically a desert.

It blooms with olives and cypress and grapes thanks to the ingenuity of the indians, who, hundreds of years ago, rerouted runoff from the snowcapped peaks of the Andes into channels that irrigate the region and babble down the flat, shaded streets of the city.

The streams provide a fresh, clean quality, one that can only be sullied by the eating of a gigantic hot dog.

The day of our visit to Mr. Dog, there were bees everywhere, buzzing greedily as they absorbed the sweet marinaded trash outside the restaurant. I slid tentatively up to the counter, Metallica blaring and an impatient stare awaiting my order. The "pancho" section of the menu displayed four options: Pancho simplé, Pancho *something*, Pancho *something else* and Pancho con Pancho. I was confused and flustered.

This was one of those moments I'll never get back, I remember thinking. Why had I come all this way, to Mendoza, if not to get the baddest pancho the city could offer? Surely I must go for the fourth and obviously most awesome choice, the Pancho con Pancho.

Combo? Sure, I'll take the combo. Si, Coke, gracias. Straight fries.

I had no idea what a Pancho con Pancho would be, but I did some quick thinking. "Pancho" must be a hot dog. I know "con" means "with". Ergo, Pancho con Pancho must mean a hot dog, topped with another hot dog!

I was wrong, in the most delightful way. Before my eyes appeared a 10-inch dog, covered thick with slabs of salty local ham, and graced with a half-inch of gooey melted cheese. Pancho con Pancho! Pork with pork!

Never before had I eaten so much salt. I left the dregs of my Coke for the bees, their buzzing thanks drowning out the rolling streams.

A Side of Meat in Chile

Carve responsibly.

Chileans like meat. Not really breaking new ground with that insight. Travelling through the long tall country you see evidence of their beef affluence, with grazing cattle a frequent sight. I had many sandwiches, and many hamburguesos, but the best way to enjoy the stuff is cooked over roasting coals, as long as you don't get it too well done.

Ottawa Farewell

Discovery Sandwich is going international for a little while. Here's a video with some memories of Ottawa. We'll miss it, but we'll be back.