Montreal - Je Me Souviens
- sixstrings17
- Oct 8, 2016
- 17 min read
"Je me souviens", or "I remember", aptly describes sentiments about growing up in Montreal after arriving in Canada as a twelve-year-old with Diko (Aunt Juanita). I first stayed at Ako (Aunt Luisa) and Uncle David's house on Coronation St. in NDG, with their son, my cousin Vincent, who was only two years old. It wasn't an easy adjustment to the new world by any means as everything was unfamiliar, but it got progressively easier to transition when I then lived with Papa a couple of months later downtown and attended FACE school. In my later teen years, I grew out of living downtown and moved to NDG, including after J and I got married. On this trip staying at Ako's apartment, I realized how great it was to be downtown again. It's ironic because I didn't particularly like living in downtown as a kid with hardly any place to play and fewer playmates around. This trip, I went to Montreal on business, but it was also a walk down memory lane with family, friends, and places I've not seen for too long. We often let too many years go by with missing out on people and places that molded us in our younger years as life takes over; and the next thing, years have gone by. I wanted to do something about this, and the business opportunity was another incentive to right the situation. It was too bad that Jeanette couldn't go with me and that Papa was away visiting Manila. Regardless, I had a memorable time, and we're already making plans to visit Montreal in 2017 for the city's 375 anniversary. When people ask where we're from, the answer is "from Montreal." Who we are, how we view the world, most people we know, places we miss, are largely made up of our time in Montreal during our most formative years. It is still home in the most profound sense so going back and seeing people and places I've known for forty years is going full-circle in my own journey.
A Ghost In the Streets
It's always strange that with places I've spent plenty of time in, that returning after so many years, makes me feel like a ghost risen - everyone has moved on without me, yet, here I am, back again, observing life as it passes by. Does anyone notice me as I watch people go about in the city I used to belong in, I wonder? I'd say it's a common emotion to places that we were once so heavily invested in. Some places I used to haunt in my youth didn't look so familiar anymore, and it took some adjustments to figure out where I needed to go. Back then, Montreal was so intrinsically a part of me that I could find my way around without having to pause. It didn't take me long to get reacquainted with the city, however, and no adjustments were needed to rekindle amity with family and friends.
Upon arriving, Vincent and his wife Katie were kind enough to invite me over to Katie's parents’ place for Sunday dinner. Ako was already there to greet me before we enjoyed great company and fantastic steaks grilled up by Katie's dad, Brian. That dinner alone was worth the trip to Montreal. Sadly, we have no photos of this special occasion. I guess the excitement of meeting each other and the meal itself made me forget that I'd brought my camera along. It was great to finally meet Katie and her family, and of course, Ako and Vincent.
(Photos have a description when viewed)
Downtown at Ako's Place
For my visit, Ako was gracious and ever so kind to have me stay with her at her downtown apartment. What a great location it was! Every morning by the time I'd wake up, Ako would already have gone to the "Y" for exercise, read her paper, and would have prepared breakfast. All this before 8:30 am. Seriously, is she wonder woman or what?? Wow...I told her to open a B&B (or AirBnB) as she could blow hotels away. I love egg salad sandwich, but she took it a few level up by adding chicken, then serving it with a warm toasty baguette. The first morning she made it, I told her to hide the rest of it away (Jeanette's trick) or the portion may not last the rest of the week. I had to limit myself to two servings as my days in Montreal consisted around appointments to eat local delicacies. Have a look at this amazing egg/chicken salad made by Ako, so simple yet so good, mon dieu!
Ako also made chicken curry one evening for dinner. Her dish isn’t your ordinary chicken curry - she mixes all the spices together to make the curry powder itself. It was fantastic and worthy of a critic's choice. Her dishes are now on my "to eat" list next time I visit. I surmise that if I had stayed longer, I would have discovered more of her cooking skills...hmmm...I think next time, I'll stay a month. ;-)
Kam Shing Restaurant - Still da best for roast duck and lobster
Being that Vincent loves duck and lobster immensely, for dinner, Ako treated us at the original "Kam Shing" restaurant. This place was discovered by Uncle David years ago, and since then, we've all done our best to spread the word. I can't say how many people have told me that after almost thirty years later, they're still going to this place because we had introduced it to them. We all have Uncle David to thank for his adventurous spirit in trying out new Chinese restaurants back in the day and discovering this gem of a place. As Katie had to work late, Ako, Vincent and I devoured the requisite "Cantonese-style lobster" and roast duck. After years of searching in Vancouver and elsewhere, we still cannot find these dishes cooked in the Kam Shing style. Apparently these dishes are done in a very specific locale of Guang Dong in China and are therefore a regional style. The manager "Kenny" whom we've known from the beginning; I had tears of joy upon seeing him again....as he brought the roast duck to our table. Feast your eyes to these specialties from Kam Shing and if you're in Montreal, go eat there. This joint is a "must-go" place in Montreal for Chinese cuisine. Their General Tao's chicken is delicious, too, but there was only so much Ako could eat. ;-) Notice the trade mark plastic table cloth, only seen in Chinese restos in Montreal.
City Renovation for 375 year anniversary in 2017
I spent the next few days getting around Montreal with my colleague Tyler who came with me from Vancouver. The city is going through a major renovation in preparation for the 375 anniversary next year. Streets, buildings, most major attractions are all getting a makeover. Here are photos of Montreal "under construction." We're planning to return for the anniversary. Montreal loves big celebrations and associated big spending (is the big "O" paid for by now?).
McGill University Campus Area
How fleeting the years have gone by as we've now been in BC longer than we ever were in any other place. Montreal was "in" before any cities in Canada were ever an "in" place; therefore why our family settled here to attend McGill. Montreal continues to be the place for culture, art, fashion, higher learning, music and is the bastion of French North America. The below gallery shows the areas I lived in, hung out, worked in, and went to elementary/high school. Specifically, the McGill University area is very familiar as we've always been around it. Not only did we live around here, but Papa, Ako, and Sape (uncle Roberto) all attended McGill. It was just odd as I walked the same grounds, noticing that students around me seemed so much younger, when at one time, they would all have seemed to be so much older. I tell people that I went to McGill for law, not to study it but to shelve books away at the law library as my first job for $4 an hour that Papa had arranged for me. After about a month, the head librarian told me they were missing books and asked if I might have known where they could have been put away (I'm sure they're still trying to find books I'd randomly stashed away thirty five years ago, too lazy to find the proper spot for them). After two long contemplative summer months working a couple of times a week, I'd quit my job thinking that law wasn't for me. Just way too many books to have to deal with. ;-) I ended up suitably working at Mac's convenient store in Westmount instead, shelving snacks. That job, I excelled at with perks of drinking milk and eating chips....a habit that continues to this day as part of my life-long interest in higher learning and continuous self-improvement. ;-)
Mont Royal - Heart of the City
Mont Royal (extinct volcano) lies in the heart of Montreal, and how the city got its name. Imagine a natural sanctuary in the core of the city right downtown providing a great view all around. Not many cities have a mountain right in its centre. As kids, we used to hike or bike up Mont Royal or to go tobogganing in the winter. It is a place to explore in, to play, to get in touch with nature, and is popular with both locals and visitors alike. There's a man-made "Beaver Lake" at the top where paddle boats could be rented during the summer, and which would be frozen over for ice skating in the winter. To warm up from playing in the bitter cold winters, friends and I would always go into the chalet to get vending machine-dispensed hot chocolate for 50 cents a cup.
Le quartier chinois de Montréal
Chinatown was the place to go for good dim sum and noodles back in the day. It isn't a particularly big area, in comparison to the ones in Vancouver or Toronto, but it had everything one would need for food, ingredients, and other Asian goods. Until Kam Shing opened up, one had to go to Chinatown for authentic cuisine. Papa, Ako, Uncle David, Vincent, and I would all go to Chinatown on Sundays and on special occasions to have our favorite dishes. This tradition would continue years later with Jeanette, where she and I would hop on the metro across town to get to Chinatown to have lobster. My favorite place was Hong Kong Restaurant for its "lo mein" beef brisket noodles, and roast duck. Must try them out again on the next visit to see if they're still good.
Old Montreal
About a block or so from Chinatown, Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal) is within walking distance. This is the old city where Montreal was founded 375 years ago by the French. It has plenty of quaint restaurants, great architecture, and the magnificent Notre Dame Basilica. The Old Port fronts this old city where traders used to harbour before continuing on to the rest of the continent. You see, Montreal isn't just a story of Quebec and Canada, but also of North America. It's great how this old area has been preserved and has continued to be a living and working part of daily life; not just a hollow tourist attraction as in other cities.
St. Joseph's Oratory
One place I used to see daily was St. Joseph's Oratory since I used to park at its grounds being that it was close to St. Mary's Hospital where I worked. A place of solitude and worship dedicated to St. Joseph and Saint Brother Andre of Montreal. From the highest point of the Oratory, St. Mary's Hospital can be seen. Brother Andre has achieved sainthood mainly due to his miraculous healing of the sick in the name of St. Joseph. My old colleague Stephane and I used to go to the Oratory regularly; no, not to pray as most people would, but to eat. ;-) Somehow we stumbled upon the cafeteria where they served Quebecois fare such as tourtiere, pea soup, for a good price. What a perfect place to say grace, and then eat, n'est ce pas?
Murals
Walking around Montreal, murals are found all around the city. I love the artistry and talent shown in creating this artwork! There is one graffiti below created by Katie's cousin with the words "Flow." I took these pics for cousin Yasmin. I can see her doing one of these easily. A great way to add colour into any city!
Schwartz's Deli - Best Montreal Smoked Meat
Shalom! A trip to Montreal is never complete until one has had a smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz's Deli on St. Laurent street. The best smoked meat is found here, indisputably. Going early is key to avoiding long line ups at this place. It is now partly owned by Celine Dion; you've heard of her, haven't you? I bought a brisket to bring back with me along with some karnatzel (Jewish pepperoni sticks). This place is a veritable institution founded in 1928, and is still great after all these years. We just cannot find smoked meat as good as this place anywhere else.
Arahova Souvlaki
For lunch, Tyler and I found a fast food counter for Arahova Souvlaki. Years ago, one had to go to the one Arahova restaurant on St. Viateur St. to have their great souvlaki. Now, they've become a fast food chain. Regrettably, I found their meat has shrunk dramatically, but the tzatziki sauce was still great. I would often buy tzatziki to bring back home, but this joint didn't have any in larger portions for sale. A bit of a disappointment due to the case of their shrinking meat. That's progress, I guess, albeit backward. Maybe the original resto is better...I don't give up so easily, on food, anyway. :-)
Bar B Barn on Guy Street
Friends and I used to frequent Bar B Barn on Guy Street on Fridays and pig out on the huge "whole hawg" order of pork ribs. Apparently, impression received is that the place isn't as good as it used to be, but for me, it was still delicious. One used to have to line up to get in, but on a Tuesday night, there was no crowd. We don't know if this is always the case now or because we went on a school night. In any case, good food and good time was had by all. The whole family went and we invited Tyler to come along, too.
Quebec Delicacy - Poutine
The story has it that years ago, a diner ordered a plate of fries and gravy, and requested that cheese curds be added. Voila, the venerable dish of poutine was born in La Belle Province! Not only does Quebec make the best fries, but one cannot find a better poutine anywhere else. Tyler and I happened by a pub called "McCarold" in Cote de Neiges, where I introduced him to authentic poutine and great local beer. These days, one can get poutine with different stuff, but in the past, only regular and "Italian" poutine were available. The latter being topped with meat tomato sauce instead of plain gravy. Can you believe I didn't have poutine on this trip? Sacre bleu, c'est pas possible! It took some wherewithal on my part (the mouth part) to not eat all hours of the day in Montreal, so some dishes had to be sacrificed...what a big sacrifice this was seeing Tyler gulp down bite after bite of hot gooey cheese curds, lathered in brown gravy!
Various Scenes
Below are various random scenes around the city.
Family & Friends
A visit to Montreal could never be the same without seeing our family and friends. The city will always be much more than a collection of buildings or places to eat at, as the best of times are always made up of amazing people who've touched us throughout our lives, and up to the present day. We may go years without seeing them, but it doesn't mean we do not miss them. A visit home is always about being with people we love. Isn't that what going home is all about, after all?
Betty
I've known Betty and her family (husband Robbie, children Christina & Erica) for almost thirty years having met her at St. Mary's Hospital. She had started a couple of years before I had joined the old "computer department"; which had a total of four employees. I was the PC tech, and Betty worked on the mainframes. Betty was fun to work with, extremely helpful, funny, down to earth, and along with our other colleagues, we often went out for lunch together around the restos near the hospital. Incredibly, thirty five years later, Betty is still at the hospital as one of two remaining employees (with Stephane) who all started about the same time in the late 80's early '90's. I worked at the hospital for four and a half years before I left, which eventually led to our move to BC a year later in '95. One thing's for sure; I'd meet up with Betty each time I visited Montreal. Speaking of St. Mary's, I also still keep in touch with Stephane and our former manager and good friend, Ian, and his wife M.C., who was also from St. Mary's. St. Mary's was a great place to work because of the great colleagues who have remained friends to this day.
If I'd had more time, I would have gone to see Betty's husband Robbie who owns a butcher shop with his cousin Stevie in NDG. His shop makes the best Italian sausages! Alas, didn't have enough time this trip to pick some up. In any case, seeing Betty is truly like seeing family again. We would always pick up where we'd left off, and the food is always good to get the ball rolling. We went to Cafe Pervis, right behind The Bay department store downtown, for pizza. If one wants good food, go with Betty. It sure was great to see her and she didn't look a day older after all these years!
Vincent & Katie
On my last night there, Ako and I were invited to visit Vincent and Katie's new home. They'd just been married earlier this year. From Ako's apartment, it was a 15-minute ride in the metro and a two-minute walk thereafter. Again, so convenient to get around the city. It was a meal to remember as I had never had the Jamaican dishes Vincent had ordered from "Boom J's" Jamaican take out place in Verdun. I've had patties, roties, but, never ackee, oxtail and jerk chicken. It's not because I don't like Jamaican food, but in fact, it's quite the contrary. I love patties and roties so much I can't get myself to order anything else in years of eating Jamaican cuisine. Difficult to believe, eh? Well, after dinner, I told Vincent and Katie that I had the meal of the year as I loved my newly discovered dishes. I know, I know, what do you feed a guy who's had everything...well, how about some ackee, jerk chicken, and oxtail? Yum! Vincent is a professional musician, who teaches and tours with his jazz band playing the saxophone- not that he's the type to blow his own horn (in this case, I hope it's his own, what with diseases these days). That's talent in the family! A night to remember...ya mon!
Best Friend Adi & Family
I spent my last day in Montreal with my best friend Adi, his wife Tina, their kids Christopher and Amanda, at their home on the West Island. Not by coincidence, Adi and Tina were also the last people we said goodbye to before we drove out of Montreal and made our way to BC in 1995. To my happy surprise, Adi had also invited his older brother Joe to join us for lunch, before Adi dropped me off at the airport a few hours later. You see, Adi, Tina, and Joe aren't just long time friends going back forty years. To us, they are as close to being family without actually being blood-related. I have known them most of my life, including their parents (Adamastor & Isabel), sister Ana, and even their extended family. Adi and Joe have been like brothers to me. I spent countless days and nights with them years ago, eating the same food that their parents had cooked, usually after a day of playing together (oh man, they were great cooks). I would frequently sleep over at their family home on Girouard Street in NDG, too. I had met Adi going to FACE school, and along with our love of sports, we also frequently got into trouble together. He's a year or two older than me, so I tagged along and looked up to him as he led me into the principal's office. I still look up to him today.
When I went to school for electronics in 1985, I struggled mightily at the start but Adi was the one who was patient enough to teach me the basics late into the night that allowed me to finally do well at it. Adi had a way of finding solutions to problems or answers to questions that I could never have come up with. He had been the stabilizing friend I needed when life threw curve balls. His brother Joe had always been good to me as well, and the three of us had lengthy discussions about many things particularly with religion (Joe is a pastor now at the First Filipino Baptist Church). This visit was no different. Most wonderful of all, it was lovely to see how much their children Christopher and Amanda have grown. Both beautiful kids, and no doubt, as leaves don't fall far from the branch, very well grounded. I went over for lunch to enjoy dishes that Adi and Tina had prepared. We ate from 1 pm to 5 pm, because of the amount of food that had been served. Adi's family (father and grandma) has a talent for concocting unique Portuguese liqueur; we thoroughly enjoyed some (can't get them in any store...only at Adi's place).
Jeanette and I owe Adi, Tina, and their entire family a lifetime of gratitude for making us a part of their lives and for introducing me to my favorite sausage years ago - the Portuguese chorizo! We could not have asked for better friends. We will have to visit Adi's parents on the next trip back. (And to those wondering, yes, I brought home a couple of rings of chorizo from this trip, too!)
A memorable time with family indeed and that includes Daisy! Obrigado!
"Ako" or Aunt Luisa
Not least of all, our aunt, Luisa, whom I call "Ako." I had last seen her years ago when Uncle David was still with us. Words cannot adequately express what Ako has done for our family countless times. Personally, from having me stay with her and Uncle David at their home when I first arrived in Canada, to all the help they had both given to many in our family in times of need. She has touched everyone she's come across with her kindness, patience, generosity, devotion, and willingness to help however she could. If not for her, those of us who are here in Canada today likely could not have been able to come to prosper. I wanted to be sure on this trip, that I let her know everything she had done for so many of us have not gone unnoticed. From welcoming me to Canada as a child to spending time with Jeanette showing her Montreal when we first got married, even teaching me how to light my first charcoal barbecue. Can you believe that she was the one who taught me how to light a bbq?? lol (looks like she created a monster). There is no effective way to repay back what Ako has done for all of us except to say "Thank you." Many of us in the extended family everywhere have our own personal story of how Ako had helped in impactful ways, without doubt.
My stay in Montreal with her was time to reminisce and have fun, and we surely did. Years have a way of showing us that our best moments are with family and friends..
Of course, on this trip, it was also tinged with sadness due to the passing of Uncle David just three years ago. Ako and I remembered the good old days and how Uncle David loved roast duck, as I told Ako how much he had helped me with encouragement in electronics studies. We all miss him greatly and shall never forget him.
So what is Ako doing these days? After a lifetime of being a busy-body teaching and raising family, aside from her daily regiment of exercises, reading, being online (or rebooting her PC over and over), and cooking, she is excitedly planning her trip to Vancouver, Taipei, Hong Kong and Manila for early 2017! ;-)
Check out these photos of Ako...lovely in her golden years, eh? ...you can ask her yourself why she was laughing so hard...I have ways; I tell you.
Ako and I were walking and taking the metro together going places. Back then, it was what we used to do to get around. I was young and unemployed with no income...forty years later, I'm back to having no income and taking the metro with her, but alas, am no longer so young. ;-) How life will turn things around sometimes...c'est la vie!
Someone else we've missed...
I lost my electronic agenda years ago during one of my travels. Over the years, I've been able to regain contact with most people, but one person I couldn't find was Andrea.
Andrea was someone I had met at St. Mary's, and we'd become good friends. She had moved to Toronto, and had started a family, and that was the last time I had seen her. That was likely more than 15 years ago. J and I had her often at our place in Montreal when we lived there. She was more than a friend to us and we've missed her over the years. She made great chocolate cake and key lime pies! Seeing Place des Arts brought back memories of the James Taylor concert we went to years ago. Will have to do another search to find her.
Adieu de Montreal
After this trip, I no longer feel like an old ghost alone and haunting old places. The city and the people have made me feel welcome and right back at home. There is so much more to our story as former Montrealers that it would take a few more visits to tell. I wouldn't change a thing about our years there as they made us who we are today (in my case, an enthusiastic glutton). Until the next time, which will be sooner rather than later, hope to see you all in Montreal!
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