Like this:

Being a Canadian living with Americans has been, at the very least, an interesting experience in self-reflection. While the bunch living at 4486 are certainly not your average Americans, they do still hold on to some very typical American attitudes and idiosyncrasies. One of which happens to be poking fun of habits, cultural differences, and regional accents of non-Americans (namely me). One of the things that we Canadians do is promote our own, often quasi-religiously. Now this is not atypical for most countries in the world; Americans refrain from this behaviour because of their global cultural dominance and because previous American administrations have turned the American passport into a liability. Anywho, this is getting off topic. The point is, when asked about Canadian cuisine, any good Canadian will inform the inquirer of one of our only truly Canadian dishes – Poutine. In reality, Canadian cuisine closely resembles that of our American neighbours. Of course there are regional specialities, but on the whole you could probably count the number of Canadian food items on one or two hands. So we are left with Poutine, a heart-clogging combination of cheese curds, gravy, and fries, often eaten late at night after the bars unleash there merry – and hungry – patrons onto the streets of entertainment districts across Canada. To put it in a few words, Poutine is far from a delicacy.

But, ladies and gentlemen, Poutine has risen from the ashes of its troubled past and is finally getting the respect it deserves. Poutine, much like its friends the hot dog, the hamburger, and the absurdly large t-bone steak, has moved into the upper echelons of global gastronomic events: the eating contest. The event, a debut for Poutine, was held in Toronto, and was sanctioned by Major League Eating, which claims to be the ‘governing body for stomach-centric sports.’ You can find the article detailing the event here.

Pat Bertoletti, a chef from Chicago, won the day. He ate 6 kilograms (13 pounds) of poutine in 10 minutes. That is equivalent, in mass, to 13 sticks of butter, and probably in caloric content. While this contest might not be on par with, say, the Bocuse d’Or, I think it is clear that Poutine has a bright future. Not convinced? Check out some of the photos below from the competition.

Strangely enough, I doubt Guillaume would approve.

Oh, and I guess I should note that an American was the victor in this competition. I’m actually OK with that.

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