A Few Quick Notes 146

-Today was another unseasonably warm day in Montreal. On my way to school I would guess it that it was approaching 10 degrees, though it has since dropped a little. On top of the warmth we have also had a fair bit of moisture and win kicking around. Moments ago the wind was strong enough to blow my building’s large recycling bins into the street.

It should also be noted that the temperatures appear to be dropping and are forecasted to dip below zero in the coming days, though this is still relatively mild considering the location and that this is supposed to be a harsh winter.

-Last night I was invited to a classmate’s for lunch today. A few of us went over for vegetarian nachos. I was quite impressed with the lentil dish that served as a substitute for ground beef. This dish has inspired me to try lentils again, though I know that I am sure to screw them up, as I seem to be unable to cook beans and legumes properly.

-Upon leaving our host’s house after lunch three of us stopped at Segal’s, a Portuguese grocery store on St. Laurent. The advantage of this store is the range of products, many of which appear to have originated from Portuguese speaking lands, as well as its commitment to low prices.

I ended up purchasing some olive oil, bacon, crackers, and a raspberry pie. Unfortunately, the pie was a bit of a dud and didn’t end up tasting all that much like raspberry. If I had to describe the pie I might say that it tasted like red flavoured goo with a stale crust, fortunately it wasn’t all that expensive.

-Segal’s also sells various salt cod products, most notably full split fillets and split heads. A few months ago, and still kicking around in the back of my head, I was thinking that it might be neat to mount of the cod items on my wall as a decoration. The idea being that in some ways this might be somewhat reminiscent of something that Mary Pratt might do.

Anyway, soon after thinking about the idea the problem of smell came up. Having a salt cod fillet on one’s wall would be a little nauseating after a while, and may frighten any guests away.

As I am lazy and running out of time in Montreal I probably won’t get around to solving this problem (which will also be more difficult as I don’t have that much space), but it seems that I might be able to coat the cod in some kind of clear spray paint or sealer. Several applications of such a product might be enough to seal the smell in and assist in the preservation of the item, as well as making it somewhat more rigid that such things tend to be in their natural form.

-By tomorrow evening I will have completed my first week of my last semester of classes at McGill.