Devotion

I arrived in Montreal on New Year's day in the middle of a blizzard. I was very much impressed both by the quantity of snow and the number of plows out clearing and reclearing the streets during the day. I had arranged to meet Hanif in a cafe off St. Laurent that was about 20 minutes from our hotel. On my walk over, however, I saw that everything was closed and the sidewalks were nearly empty. But not so in front of Schwartz's Charcuterie Hebraique, which without prior explanation distinguished itself as some kind of Montreal must-do. Since it was the only-do within miles, I sat down and had my first taste of viande fumee. Don't tell a Montrealer I said this, but it's basically pastrami. And pretty damn tasty pastrami, at that. As for my meal, a real connoisseur will note two mistakes in my order. I should have gone for pickles instead of the slaw and black cherry soda instead of the coke. Duly noted for next time...