I have a Twitter follower reader,Ariane Bellamar, who is taking me to task for a sentence I wrote in a review of The Blind Butcher in the December issue of D Magazine . Here is the paragraph that offends her:
His best trick? Sitrin has almost singlehandedly raised the image of poutine from gross Canadian fast food to a wickedly delicious bar snack. He starts with thick-cut fried potatoes and tops them with rich gravy and cheese curds. Then he goes wild. He might add braised duck or pork belly. Maybe seared foie gras and a sunny-side-up egg. Chances are good that you’ll spot an order at every other table.
Bellamar, who is from Canada, claims “the image doesn’t need to be raised” and that I have “insulted an entire nation” by writing such “foolish comments.”
I have spent too much time in Canada to count and have eaten my fair share of poutine. Like nachos in the states, the quality of the dish varies by the level of the restaurant serving it. It has been my experience that Americans crinkle their noses at the mention of poutine. Therefore, I complimented Blind Butcher for raising the bar. And for Ms. Bellamar’s enlightenment, when I interviewed Canadians and Dallas Stars hockey players Jamie and Jordie Benn, they asked me where they could find decent poutine in Dallas because the only versions they’ve found here are “gross.”
So, let’s celebrate Boxing Day a little early and toss this idea around and see how people feel about (ah-boot) poutine.
Update: Ms. Bellamar does not follow me on Twitter. My bad. She is an “actress with 825,000 followers who just happens to be a Canadian living in Dallas.”
