Talking Italian in Montreal

image courtesy of manoirsherbrooke.ca

I'll admit that life has been a bit of a blur lately. The winter blahs have left, summer has come and finally, the heat is totally on outside. It has been an incredible summer so far, there is no doubt. Yet, I am admitting to being somewhat MIA, particularly with the blog. I definitely can't blame the summer sun for that. So what exactly has a hungry man been doing since his last posting? Well, besides renovations and re-designing our home with my partner, there has also been the oh so wonderful dealings with personal illness that I am finally starting to feel back to normal again. Ugh, being sick is the worst but nothing that a little rest, relaxation and healing by a pool won't cure. And of course travel, which is something else that can soothe the aching soul - and stomach.

Something else has changed the life and affected the musings and babble of a hungry man blog. It's been almost a year since I have met my significant other and in that blur of time my life has gone through some upheaval - some of it absolutely necessary, some totally unpredictable, all of it needed. He has turned my life completely upside down, inside out, and continually excited to see where this path takes us. He has also introduced me to more family in one year than I ever thought existed outside of TV and films. Oh, have I not mentioned that he is Italian? He is, hence the quite large, or I should say super-large, extended family.

Since the start of us, there has been what seems like an endless (but what I am told is completely normal) parade of family events, and this summer has been no exception with a marked increase in various social gatherings. I have to laugh at myself because I used to think my bi-monthly visits to my parents home was more than enough and now I can't help but feel a little bit guilty about that. Anyway it just came time for us to breath a bit on our own, which is why we are taking off to Montreal for a bit - just the two of us, to enjoy the city and also to celebrate Pride en Français .

What seems to become a habit with us when it comes to travelling (and may I add completely NOT the norm of my usual hyper- planning nature) is that we really didn't have anything planned for this holiday other than our stay (Hello again Le Germaine) and of course hitting the Pride parade and checking out Pride events. I did plan one thing for us, and that's to eat our faces off starting at Garde Mange one evening, and a visit to Au Pied de Cochon which translates to "Pigs Trotter" - yeah I know how it reads but don't turn your nose up just yet, believe me, this place promises and is noted to be a serious gastronomic delight, so much so I am literally salivating with excitement as I type this.

Although I literally won't be parlé(ing) Italiano dans la ville de Montréal as stated in the post headline, I will however, be taking in some serious culture et cuisine de français with the absolute best Italian company.