By: Amber Lumiere

''Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are''

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

Everything revolves around food. We all need to eat and the reality is that starving people rarely do. Us privileged few tend to take in much more than we can swallow, in a hurry, often forgetting to chew. Food is absentmindedly received, leftovers tossed, and the tip sent to the guy whose  sweat makes sure we get our morning coffees with the heaps of sugar with the hopes that the sweetness will remove the bitterness of our obsessive consumerism.

Image source: Flickr

By: Virago

If you are new to the so-called trendy or starving artist feel shared by many Mile End neighbourhood holes in the wall, Le Cagibi may seem as sketchy as the agency its name suggests. Nestled in what may appear to be one of the city's most ramshackle buildings, it's easy to dismiss this run-down and rickety place upon first glance. Push past the undeniable dirty feeling, the mismatched dumpster dive decor and worthless trashy figurines, however, and you may enjoy one of the best local food and entertainment experiences in town.

By: Sara

At first glance, it is almost difficult to find the entrance to Fruiterie Milano, which is located on St Laurent Boulevard, between Ste Zotique and Jean Talon. The reason for this is that since its opening in the 1950s, the store has expanded multiple times within its city block. The entrance isn't the first door, blocked by the produce section, nor is it the second door, blocked by the sodas. The third door, clearly its the original entrance back in the day, is the doorway to this crown jewel of Little Italy.

The store itself is what I'd call an organised mess. When entering the store, I feel almost claustrophobic - shopping carts and cash registers directly to my left and an overflowing row of imported pastas on my right. The direct route to bakery fresh bread is a quick squeeze past the carts and express lane. I used to pop in on a Sunday morning before work, ready to shop for my week's groceries, but not before shopping for that day's lunch. I'd hop over the carts, grab a fresh loaf and hustle to the deli counter for some freshly sliced parma ham, marinated egg plants and buffalo mozzarella, the combination creating a mouthwatering sandwich and the best lunch ever. For less than the cost of a trio at Subway, where they claim everything is fresh, I'm guaranteed a delicious meal. Once my lunch was ready, I was ready for a leisurely browse through the rest of the store, a tradition I still follow every weekend.

By Han Li

Do you need a cup of coffee to wake you up every morning? For most Canadians, the answer would be "yes", but for the Chinese, the answer would be "we need tea". Most Chinese believe that coffee is as important for Canadians as tea is for Chinese. And even though I am Chinese, my answer to this question has changed. When I wake up in the morning, on my way to school, I usually buy a cup of Moka at Second Cup. Coffee is a habit that has taken over my life and I am addicted to Second Cup. It gives me an unprecedented experience, one which is so different from China and tea.

          

Before I landed in Canada, one of my Canadian friends told me that "when you arrive in Montreal, don't forget to try Second Cup". The chance to try this drink happened before landing. My first impression of "Second cup" came from the coffee served on the flight to Canada. After the first taste, I fell in love. It tasted so different from the coffees offered in China, and it left a lingering fragrance in my mouth. And indeed, on the first day I went to school, I found a second opportunity to try the Second Cup next to the building where I had my first class, at the corner of Guy and St-Catherine Street.