With gloomy skies overhead, we ventured into the Haitian region of Montréal. The métro took us from the heart of the city to the northern outskirts. Quickly the demographics changed, signaling that we were entering a Haitian community. Small rows of Haitian stores amongst rundown, working-class apartments surround by busy streets. The market, La Foire Des Antilles, sold hot food to-go, desserts, produce, spices, and many other food products that a convince store carries. From the moment we walked in, it was clear that this was not a typical Quebecois dépanneur or convenience store, it was uniquely Haitian. Both women working in the store were originally from Haiti and helped to explain the traditional Haitian foods. Giant bags of rice and beans lined the shelves, as the women explained how these are the staple foods of Haiti. The women working behind the counter explained how plantains, rice, beans, and chicken would be a quintessential Haitian food. Spices lined the shelves: chamomile, bay leaves, cinnamon, thyme, and cloves are used to spice up the plain flavors of the rice and beans. Other interesting food items that we encountered included coconut evaporated milk, canned sardines, guava paste, fruit sodas, dried shrimp, and pineapple jam. The most unique foods we saw were chicken feet and an entire codfish dried and packaged. On a visual aspect, both of these food items would disgust many people used to a western diet, but these are just simply normal parts of the Caribbean diet.
As we wondered through the store, the lack of cleanliness was obvious. Boxes of cookies on the shelves appeared to be there for years, as the box was faded and duck-taped shut. The produce area had a multitude of foods including: limes, hot peppers, ginger, bananas, eggplant, spinach, parsley, tomatoes, mangoes, avocadoes, and spring onions. When examining the produce, it did not appear to be very fresh, as we found mold on several food items. As a whole, the store was rundown, dirty, and it appeared that many food items had long passed their expiration date.
When it was time to sample the food, we decided on a dish called lola. We were told that lola is a traditional Haitian meal, which included plain white rice and a plantain. Lola is a mix of beef, dark greens, minced cauliflower, and spices cooked together. Unfortunately the plantain was too old and dried out to eat. The lola had a rather peculiar taste and it was a bit spicy. The rice was fabulous and cooked perfectly. It was not that the lola tasted awful, it was just a little hard to eat, after seeing how dirty the store was. We also tried to desserts, a coconut and peanut butter bar. Although dried out, the coconut bar was very tasty, reminiscent of a sugary macaroon. The peanut butter bar was very rich, as it was similar to fudge.
Following our first Haitian food experience, we all went home with stomach aches. Although the region of the Haitian neighborhood that we visited was not charming, clean, or inviting, it was real. It is a genuine urban poor area where the Haitian immigrants live, work, and eat. Hopefully on our next visit we can find a restaurant with cleaner facilities so we can truly discover all that the Haitian neighborhood has to offer.
