Chez Ashtons, the birthplace of poutine

There will always be alternative views, but Chez Ashtons is believed to be the inventor of poutine. There’s been many claims in the past, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just happy Quebec shared this dish with the rest of Canada. If you speak with the locals and let them know you’re going to Chez Ashtons, you’ll either get a big smile and a thumbs up, or a clicking tongue with frowning shaking face. Perhaps it’s because of the Fast Food nature of Chez Ashtons. Many people feel a cultural dish as incredible as poutine shouldn’t be served in under 5 minutes. I clearly don’t share that philosophy.

I had just left some post Crashed Ice celebrations, which included partaking in a couple St Patricks Day beverages with my younger sister. All that partying and excitement worked up a serious hunger. It was time. We made the trip down Rue Saint-Jean, stumbling past groups of drunk french speaking teenagers and adults. We stayed on course, “This is no time to socialize!”. We came upon Chez Ashtons and B-lined it into line.

Deux très grand Poutine s’il vous plait

I ordered in my best french, which unfortunately after a few drinks, is also considered my worst. The lovely girl behind the counter laughed and deciphered whatever it is I said to her. A couple minutes later we were presented with two large dishes of original poutine. Nothing fancy, no extras, no pieces of sausages or splashes of weird sauces. Just a straight up traditional Quebecois poutine.

I observed this poutine. Crisp fresh cut fries, ooey gooey gravy, and cheese curds the size of human digits. It was beautiful! A drunk man can only observe food like that for so long. My fork quickly made contact with the dish, and crushing ensued. The fries retained their strength, which is to say they didn’t become a soggy mess. The curds were thoroughly spread throughout the fries, ensuring I didn’t eat all of them before getting to the bottom. It was the perfect Poutine. Simple, elegant, and crafted with years of experience. I high fived my sister and laughed, “Wow, that was crazy good! Quebec does poutine right!”.

 Have you ever enjoyed a Chez Ashtons poutine? Ever come across a poutine that’s better? Comment below or toss me a tweet @ibackpackcanada!

The Best Poutine I’ve Ever Had – Chez Ashton’s in Quebec City is a post from: I Backpack Canada

Tire D’érable, Maple Toffee on a Stick

That was the first time I had ever heard of “Tire D’érable“, or Maple Toffee for us english speaking Canadians. Our french teacher intern took our classroom outside in the winter. We were taught that in the old days these types of treats were incredibly popular with children, not only because they tasted amazing, but because they were also fun to make.

We watched as she boiled Quebecois maple syrup to a liquid state. The smell of melting maple syrup filled the entire schoolyard. Aunt Jemima would be proud. Once it was ready, she happily handed out popsicle sticks and instructed to find some clean snow. She proceeded to poor this hot liquid in a small straight line and told us to wait a second before rolling our sticks through the amber trail.

Mmm, “Maple-ee”

As the liquid solidified around the stick, a Maple Syrup “sucker” was born. Forged from heat, snow, and tree guts. We were blown away. Needless to say some kids ended up with more of it on their face than in their mouths. Regardless, we were hooked! French culture was officially awesome from that day on. Unfortunately that was the last time had Home-made Maple Toffee until my recent visit to Quebec City.

Sold on the Streets of Old Quebec

Located on the streets of Old Quebec, little stands were selling these maple syrup treats. A plywood box held a patch of clean snow. I watched as a young man splashed the snow with a gracious amount of liquified maple syrup. A customer waited for it to cool, her smile growing as she saw it was ready. She rolled the wooden stick slowly and confidently through the hardening toffee. This clearly wasn’t her first rodeo.

I promptly jumped in line with my sister and a couple friends, and for about $2.00 I was treated to my favourite Canadian candy. Still sticky, still gooey, still incredibly tasty! I spoke to my friends as I watched them devour theirs. One of the guys I was with was going to town on his. He smiled and began to loudly declaring “Why aren’t these everywhere!?!“. I believe he liked them.

Have you ever had Maple Toffee/Maple Taffy/Tire D’érable?

T’ire D’érable – Why aren’t you everywhere? is a post from: I Backpack Canada

My younger sister and I joked (albeit terribly) about “crashing” Crashed Ice; however, it wasn’t until we figured out that this is likely going to be the last year we’ll both be in eastern Canada that we decided to make it happen. We hopped on a bus full of University students from all over Nova Scotia and made the pilgrimage to see the insanity with our own eyes.

Arriving in Quebec City was a breath of fresh air, and trust me, we needed it after that bus ride. It’s my experience that people tend to spoil, much like meat kept out of the refrigerator, after about 8 hours. Thankfully showers have the uncanny ability of washing off the miles from a 12 hour bus trip, and after a soak, a scrub, and downing one of the complimentary Red Bulls, I was ready to see the course.

Crashed Ice Starting line

It was a short walk between the Delta Hotel and Le Château Frontenac, a magnificant hotel that opened in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Le Château Frontenac is apparently the “most photographed hotel in North America”, but this weekend most seemed to be referring to it simply as “The Starting Line”. Situated at the base of Le Château Frontenac was the Crashed Ice Start platform that would propel equipped skaters, both male and female, along a 580 meter (0.58 km) long urban track.

The Crashed Ice Course

The 2012 Crashed Ice course is roughly 4.5 meters (14.7 feet) wide. Combined with its 60 meter vertical and a length of 580 meters, the ice track requires skaters to plan their path wisely. As the whistle blows, skaters stride down Rue du Fort where they will come across the front of the Post Office. They’ll then come across a new addition this year, the 360 degree turn, right before arriving at what everyone is calling “The Splitter”. A 30 meter section of the course where skaters will be forced to pick sides. Fast & tight, or slow & wide. Once they survive “The Splitter” they’ll have the beauty of the Saint Lawrence in sigh, and it will be a fast sprint down “The Royal Corridor” where they’ll hit the final “Victory Turn” and race for the finish line at “Place de Paris”.

Trois, Deux, Un

Our small group gathered along the boards of the course. The air was heavy in excitement as music and loud cheers were erupting from the growing crowd. The lights seemed to dim, as the announcer counted down the next race in one of the most powerful and inviting of french accents. The crowd exploded in cheers, my head was on a fast swivel as I watched skaters tear through ice, pushing every extra ounce of speed out of their trajectory. The sound of blades slicing through the rock hard ice sent shivers down my spine. The only logical thing to do was scream and hollar with the rest of the 105,000+ attendees.

I proceeded to wander and get as many photos from alternative angles. Unfortunately navigating through the crowd was like crossing a river full of hungry piranahs. Nobody wanted to give up their spot, and everybody was craving a better view of the event. I used my best “Je m’excuse“, holding my camera above the heads of the crowd to snap blindly. I managed to find a few clearings throughout the track, which allowed for some incredible photo ops, along with a couple convorsations with spectators. Some were drunk, some were high, some were confused as to what was going on and just followed the crowd, and others were simply too french for me to understand. Whatever their case was, they were all smiling and enjoying the sights. There was no shortage of high fives that’s for sure.

Ice Cold – Require Beer

As the hours flew by in excitement, toes began transforming into ice. Thankfully I wasn’t the only one feeling the cold. I found my younger sister and a couple of her friends and we proceeded to search for beer. We knew it had to be near the crowds somewhere. This was after all Quebec City, hands down the most “European” Canadian city in terms of liberties. We saw a group drinking beer out of plastic cups and proceeded to ask them “Ou est la bierre?!“, they said something I didn’t quite understand, but followed it by a solid smile and a point in the right direction.

We followed the Crashed Ice track down, took the occasional side street to sneak by condensed groups that didn’t appear to be moving. Then finally, we came upon the finish line at “Place de Paris”. Greeted by lights, a couple of awesome french DJ’s, and a huge crowd of people. All of which had at least one beer in their hand. We made it! The beer warmed our spirits, which in turn allowed us to forget about our numbing feet.

Merci Beaucoup Quebec

Looking up at Quebec City from the bottom of the Crashed Ice course, it was clear to me that this city is something special to Canada. It’s a piece of beautiful difference lined with cobblestone, and spoken almost entirely in french. This is one of those locations where assuming everyone speaks even a bit of english is seen as foolish. While the language barrier can make simple things take an extra minute or two, ultimately everyone in this city is happy to help, even if that means you have to speak in “bastardized” french.

As the final races finished, party’s erupted across Quebec City. Beer was consumed in honour of Saint Patrick, in honour of the winners, the losers, the french, the english, and the beautiful city that graciously hosts this event year. Red Bull Crashed Ice is one of those events that words can only do so much to describe. Next March, pack your bags and see it for yourself!

 Video of 2012 Crashed Ice in Quebec City

A Weekend in Quebec City for Red Bull Crashed Ice is a post from: I Backpack Canada

Photo by RedBull

While I’d love to say I’m crazy enough (and fit enough) to compete with these guys, chances are I’d get trampled. My skating skills are best left on the outdoor rinks, and not “ice slaloms”. My own skills aside, I decided before the holidays that I was going to try to check it out this year! Seeing and experiencing the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in Old Quebec has been on my bucket list since I first heard of it. Living on the East Coast, it’s now way more feasible to just pop by and it out!

Photo by Redbull

When I first heard about Crashed Ice I was blown away. As kids we did almost the exact same thing, only on a smaller scale with a smaller crowd, and without energy drinks. We would play Shinny at the local outdoor rink until we couldn’t feel our toes. -30 degrees celcius and you’d still see us out there, frozen boogers, icy eyelids, rosey cheeks and giant smiles. Being kids, our attention could only be on one thing for so long, and distractions became a routine to a night out at the rink. Our local rink was nearby this big giant hill (giant on a Saskatchewan scale), and one of us had the genius idea of strapping on our skates and using the skates as a make shift “stand-up toboggan”. After the first guinea pig made it down alive, it wasn’t long before we turned it into a competition. I remember telling my parents all about it when we got home and my Dad scornfully laughed as he told us  ”You probably wrecked your skates, but way to go!”.

Crashed Ice takes place this March in Quebec! Stop by, cheer loud, and keep an eye out for me!

[learn_more caption="Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012 calendar:" state="open"]

• Saint Paul (USA) –January 12-14
• Valkenburg (NED) – February 2-4
• Are (SWE) – February 16-18
• Quebec City (CAN) – March 15-17

[/learn_more]

I still haven’t decided where I’ll be staying when I travel to Quebec. I’m considering either checking out the local hostels, maybe splurging on a hotel, or going crazy and finding one of the local vacation rentals! Click here to check those out!

Crashed Ice is Coming Back to Quebec, and this Hoser’s checking it out! is a post from: I Backpack Canada

While I’ve gotten my own poutine recipe down; it’ll never beat true Quebecois poutine & their many variations. So today, join me in watching this hunger-inducing video.

[ Video by WatchMojo ]

Sunday Canadian Travel Video – French Poutine is Awesome! is a post from: I Backpack Canada

Photo by carre23 -

Each year in Montreal, locals and visitors flock to the streets for the world’s largest bike festival. Montreals bike festival includes a few different events, including Operation Bike-to-work, the Metropolitan Challenge, and Tour de l’Île de Montréal and one of the most popular and flashy events, Un Tour la Nuit, where everyone gets decked out in their brightest colours and attach as many lights and glow sticks as possible to themselves and their bikes. This year the Montreal Bike Fest takes place between May 30th and June 6th, so mark your calendars.

I’m convinced that some day I shall be amongst these brightly lit bicyclists and tour this awesome city by bike, while screaming what little french words I have remembered from school. “J’aime le fromage!”

Metropolitan Challenge – Some serious distance

Start time: Sunday – May 30 – 7am
Start location: Saint-Anne-des-Plaines
Length of bike route: 75, 100, 125, 150km
Finish location: Saint-Anne-des-Plaines

Tour la Nuit – Decorate yourself up for this one with all things glowing and lit

Start time: Friday – June 4 – 8:30pm
Start location: Saint-Joseph Blvd
Length of bike route: 20km

Tour de l’Île de Montréal

Start time: Sunday – June 6 – 9:15am
Start Location: avenue du Parc
Length of bike route: 50km
Finish Location: parc Jeanne-Mance

For more information on rates and the history of Montreal Bike Fest head to Velo Quebec’s website.

Montreal Bike Fest lighting up in June is a post from: I Backpack Canada

Crashed Ice is what you get when you amp up a bunch of hockey players on Red Bull, tell them to race to the bottom of an icy hill, and be a hero. At all costs. Mayhem, adrenaline, speed, and nasty spills typically ensue. Fans describe it as a mix of hockey, downhill skating, and boardercross.

The Crashed Ice courses typically take place in an urban environment with thousands of people lining up along the course to get a glimpse of some of the action.

The Next Crashed Ice Event!

Crashed Ice’s next event is March 20th, 2010 in Quebec City! If you have the opportunity to check it out. Please go. For me. I wish to every deity, demi-god, or semi influential political figure that someday I’ll be able to go down a Crashed Ice Course. Every bone in my body aches to be hurt by this piece of architectural ingenuity. In the meantime, I have a date with a lot of drinks on March 20th at the nearest pub. Cheer loud!

Contact Billetech at 1 877 643-8131 or visit www.billetech.com for tickets ($30 + taxes).

Check out last years Crashed Ice in Quebec City and try to not want to be there…you can’t can you?

Crashed Ice is back in Quebec City! is a post from: I Backpack Canada

1. Ask to speak in English

When speaking to a local stranger, be it gas station attendant, bistro staff, or just looking for directions, ask politely if he or she speaks English. You’re more likely to be treated kindly by doing this than by speaking blindly in English with no regard as to whether they speak it or not.

Pardon, madame/monsieur/mademoiselle, parlez-vous anglais?

Which translates to: Excuse me madam/sir/miss, do you speak English?

Most of the time you’ll find out that “Oui“, they do, however if they say “Non“, you’re on your own. Just hope that you’re both good at Charades.

2. Understanding French Road Signs

There are large parts of Quebec where the road signs will stop showing up in both English and French. If you know very little French this can be frightening. Stay calm. There are certain words that you can pick out of those signs to get you in the right direction.

When you see:

French	English
Nord	North
Sud	South
Ouest	West
Est	East
Entrée	Entrance
Sortie	Exit
Renseignements	Information
Interdit	Prohibited
Ouvert	Open
Fermé	Closed
Cédez la Priorité	Give Way
Défense de Stationner	No Parking
Interdiction de doubler	No Overtaking
Péage	Toll
Ralentissez	Slow Down
Sens Interdit	No Entry
Sens Unique	One Way

Of coarse having a map will significantly increase your chances of not getting turned around. Whenever I travel through Quebec I always do some pre-driving preparations just to make sure I know which Highways to get off and on. My last bit of advice for french road signs, follow the herd. As long as you’re doing what everyone else is doing, you’re probably not breaking any laws, of coarse you might not be heading in the right direction, but there’s no fines for being a lost tourist.

3. Know your French Food Terms

Food and Quebec go together like bikini’s and beaches, popcorn and movies, and peanut butter & jelly. Quebec can be a foodie’s paradise, but ordering your favourite dish can be confusing if you know little to no French. For the most part, pointing to what you want on the menu will normally suffice, but if you want to look extra cool, and not make the mistake of ordering something you didn’t want,  knowing a bit of french can make all the difference.

Food Terms

French	English
Je voudrais…	I’d like (a)…
Je suis allergique…	I’m allergic to…
…aux abeilles	…bees
…aux noix	…nuts
C’est combien?	How much is it?
Est-ce que je peux payer avec…	Can I pay with….
…ma carte de credit	…my credit card
…ma carte de débit	…my debit card (ATM/ABM)
Petit-dejeuner (or) Dejeuner	Breakfast
Dejeuner (or) Diner	Lunch
Diner (or) Souper	Dinner / Supper
Manger	Eat
la Soupe	Soup
la Salade	Salad
le Dessert	Desert
le repas	meal
avoir faim	to be hungry
…	…click here for more French food translations

You may have noticed there are a couple ways to say breakfast, lunch, and supper. That’s not a type-o, Quebec french is a little different than traditional French. It can sometimes be confusing if you were taught traditional French. Most French speaking Quebec people will call breakfast “dejeuner”, lunch “diner”, and supper “souper”. However they’ll completely understand what you’re trying to say should you say “petit dejeuner” in lieu of “dejeuner”. Just smile while you’re saying it and you’ll be fine.

4. Booking accommodations in French

If you plan on booking a hotel, bed and breakfast, campground, or a dorm in a hostel, there’s a chance you’ll end up having to do so in French. Knowing what to say in person and over the phone can make booking a place to stay in another language much less stressful. If you’re not comfortable speaking in French you can always book through one of the travel agencies in Quebec.

Accommodation Terms

French	English
Je cherche…	I’m looking for a…
…un Hôtel	…hotel
…une auberge de jeunesse	…youth hostel
…un camping	….camp ground
…une pension de famille	…guesthouse
Est-ce que vous avez des chambres libres?	Do you have any rooms available?
Je vourdrais…	I’d like a…
…une chambre à un lit	…single room
…une chambre pour deux	…room for two
…une chambre avec des lits jumeaux	…room with two beds
…me coucher dans un dortoir	…dorm room
Quel est le prix…?	How much is it…?
…par nuit	…per night
…par personne	….per person
Je pars aujourd’hui	I’m leaving today

5. Understanding some Transportation lingo

If you’re not going to be the one driving there isn’t much need to know about the road signs. However if you plan on catching a bus, train, plane, or ferry, you’ll probably need to know a few french phrases to keep up with all the hustle and bustle going on around you.

Transportation Terms

French	English
Quel heur le (…x) arrive?	What time does the (…x) arrive?
Quel heur le (…x) part?	What time does the (…x) leave?
…le bateau	…boat
…le bus	…bus
…l’avion	…plane
…le train	…train
Je voudrais un billet…	I’d like a … ticket
simple	one-way
aller-retour	round trip
de première classe	first class
Je vourdrais louer…	I’d like to rent/hire…
une voiture	a car
un quatre-quatre	a four wheel drive
un vélo	a bicycle
le numero de quai	Platform number
le guichet	ticket office
la gare	train station

Quebec is a stunning example of Canada’s mosaic of languages and cultures. Whether you know how to say ‘Bonjour‘ or not, you’ll have a good time regardless. Still, brushing up on your French can help you out a lot on the road. Even if you only end up using it a couple times. I compiled the translations into a more “Printer friendly” version, should you decide to print these out and give ‘em a go along the way.

Click here for a Printer Friendly version of the translations.

5 Things English speakers need to know when Traveling through Quebec is a post from: I Backpack Canada