ATDTDA (17): Poutine (468.33)

[Tim Strzechowski]

The girl took the ice-cream cone and devoted her gaze to it.

"And, Poutine, here's yours, special of the day, turns out to be my favorite, too."

The younger sister flashed a quick smile of apology and began to whisper, "We're not supposed to -- "

"Poutine."  Coins rang on the marble counter.  The woman gathered her daughters and swept out, leaving a cloud of crabapple-blossom scent behind.   (p. 468)


Poutine (pronounced, roughly, poo-teen; pronunciation in IPA as heard in Quebec French) is a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with hot gravy (usually brown gravy) and sometimes other additional ingredients. The curds' freshness is important as it makes them soft in the warm fries, without completely melting. It is a quintessential Canadian comfort food, especially but not exclusively among Québécois.

Poutine is a fast food staple in Canada; it is sold by many fast food chains (such as New York Fries and Harvey's) in the provinces, in small diners and pubs, as well as by roadside "poutine trucks" and "fries stands". International chains like McDonalds, A&W, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King also sell mass-produced poutine across Canada, especially in Quebec. Popular Quebec restaurants that serve poutine include Chez Ashton, Lafleur Restaurants, La Belle Province, and St-Hubert. [...]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine

http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/poutine.html

http://www.cs.umanitoba.ca/~gedetil/poutine.shtml