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The day I almost died

September 12, 2018 by Ariel 4 Comments

It had been a fun ride, I said to myself as my life flashed in front of my eyes.

The room was spinning and my heart was racing.  As my entire body was covering itself with sweat and the tip of my fingers became numb, I started to wonder why I had put myself in this crazy situation.  A part of me loved the experience but would have never thought it would have ended like this…

Truth to be told, I thought I was going to die laying half naked in the back seat of my car while holding one of Spunky’s poop bag in hope to expel what ever demon I had inside of me.  Not my proudest moment I’ll say but, even through the insane pain that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy, I kept laughing (and crying) at my childish decision.

All this began when I first accepted an invitation to appear on a podcast which could remind you of the same concept as “Hot Ones” on youtube but with the added twist of playing a video game.  Quite a daunting task to concentrate on playing while answering interview questions as the Scoville rating keep going up and your mouth starts to salivate like Niagara falls.

Spicy food doesn’t scare me, I thought… handling a little heat is totally something I can achieve, I thought.

From as far as I can remember, eating spicy food has always been something enjoyable but in all honesty… I’ve never encounter a heat more intense than the Da Bomb – ground zerohot sauce.  Not only it rates at 234 000 Scoville, it’s not even tasty.  It’s apparently made with pineapple but you surely cannot taste their delicious sweetness over the complete overbearing heat of the fire in your mouth.  I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re an adrenaline junkie with a foodie side and a slight death wish.

The few minutes after eating it, I felt fine but, it’s as we went down the parking garage of our building that everything went south.  Even after chugging a HUGE glass of cow milk (which is something I usually find super gross – surprisingly enough, at that time, it was the most delicious glass of milk I had drank in a long time) and a ton of water, the burn kept intensifying and felt like I had ingested a pound of lava.  Kneed on the side of the car, unable to stand up and holding my stomach, I kept laughing while wondering how come Kevin Strahle isn’t dead yet for ingesting so many hot peppers for the Guinness world record.  Some people are made much stronger than others and his stomach must be made of stainless steel.  After that day, I see him as a super human.

It took a lot of power to stand up quick and move my carcasse in the back seat of our Mazda thinking laying down would relieve some pain but, when I got there, it only made things worst.  Instead of the sweet relief I expected, the lava coated my entire stomach lining and it gave me no other choice than to sit up and “hold” my weight on the head rest of the front seat.  Things were not looking good and even with the worst nauseous feeling, my stomach kept on wanting to keep the lava in… So I took the matter in to my own hands… or finger to be precise.

A few second after expelling this burning non sense, the future started to look a little brighter.  Luckily, Max had read that drinking something acidic also help relieve the burn of hot pepper and made me chugged a bottle of lemon juice mixed with a bit of water.

Days after, my stomach still isn’t 100% back to it’s normal self but my mind has a new funny memory and life lesson she wont forget for the next thousand years.  Beside this incident, I had a blast recording the podcast and will notice you the second it’s uploaded on youtube so you can get a good laugh.  You’ll probably find me less eloquent than usual but I did my real best considering.

Until then, I hope you enjoyed this very graphic article lol!

Filed Under: #FoodieLife Tagged With: Arcade MTL, Canada, diary, funny, interview, Montreal

Spending the day at Intermiel

December 16, 2016 by Ariel 3 Comments

As I look through my window, I notice the snowstorm.  The cold and grey weather has officially settled itself over the city of Montreal, plunging it in to a deep sleep.  Although the sunshine is hiding more and more each day, it doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to reminisce about the incredible time Max and I had the chance to spent at Intermiel, at the beginning of November, when the sky was still blue.

Situated about an hour by car off the island of Montreal, in a region call Mirabel, this gem is must see and well known institution in the area.  Founded in 1976 by a passionate French couple, newly moved in Quebec, they created what is today the biggest bee keeping company in north America, who recently won the price for the best bee keeping company in the world by World’s Greatest and, with a brand new awesome website where they ship their products worldwide.

Open all year long with more than enough allowed space to sit inside and outside where you may go to enjoy the breathtaking view, taste their vast selection of artisanal products, learn about bee keeping or just enjoy yourself in nature.  One of the main aspect that triggered something inside of me was the palpable passion of each individuals working there.

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Filed Under: #FoodieLife, Reviews, Romantic ideas Tagged With: Bee Keeping, Bees, Canada, Country side, Intermiel, Mirabel, Montreal, Quebec

Sucrerie de la Montagne #SugarShack

April 13, 2016 by Ariel 6 Comments

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Spring is here! …and even if the weather over Montreal would sometimes make us believe that we’re still in January, some days are sunny and warm enough to remind us that the best of nature has yet to come.

In Quebec, it’s sugar shack season and, like a few years ago, it was time to go stuff our faces in maple deliciousness and heavy comfort food which is exactly what we did a few weeks ago.  On the opposite side of the spectrum of my first sugar shack review, the Sucrerie de la Montagne was like a refreshing and comforting trip back in time.

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Filed Under: Restaurants & Bars Tagged With: cabane à sucre, Canada, maple syrup, Pictorial, Quebec, restaurant, review, Rigaud, spring, Sucrerie de la Montagne, Sugar Shack

Stove top, Maple & Guinness Baked Beans…

March 18, 2014 by Ariel 3 Comments

Happy St-Patrick’s day!!  … a bit late 😛 ahah

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I had some left over Guinness beers in my fridge from my mini celebration and I thought… why not creating something delicious with them!  After all, I had been craving baked beans for some time after hearing some of my friend rambling about the beans they ate at the sugar shack they went to last week end.  Since the end of the winter is near (hopefully), all the sugar shacks are starting to open.  But I haven’t made any reservations anywhere this year and I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to because of the world schedule I gave myself so instead, I’m gonna bring the sugar shack to me and indulge in these sweet, filling and delicious Guinness, Maple & Rosemary baked beans.

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There is obviously a ton of different ways to make baked beans.  I like to do mine on the stove top because my sauce pans don’t go well in the oven.  Feel free to try this recipe and let me know what you think!   I sometime like to eat a full bowl of those in front of the tv (I know it’s really bad but I cant help myself) but it’s mostly served as a side for a classic egg/bacon/potatoes breakfast.  Either way it’s delicious and you just have to try them 😛

If you like Guinness beer, maple syrup and bakes beans… this is a MUST!

Bon Appetit!

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Filed Under: Beer, Legumes, Maple Flavored, Recipes, Side Dish Tagged With: 2014, baked, baked beans, beans, beer, Canada, easy, guinness, maple syrup, Montreal, recipe, side, st-patrick, stove top, Sugar Shack

An incredible night at the restaurant “Le Misto” in Montreal…

November 17, 2013 by Ariel 3 Comments

Ok before I start explaining my amazing experience at the Misto, I wanted to apologize to my friend Bob and his boss for taking such time to write the article.  I wont start explaining why I’ve been so late because it’s not my goal to make excuses for my procrastination but I wanted to make this public to show my dear sincerity.  Now that this is done, let’s start!

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I’m really starting to enjoy this new section of the blog.  I get to visit some amazing restaurants while meeting passionate people to enjoy some amazing food, good wine and a nice night in town.  What’s not to like right?

Today I’m bringing you to the restaurant “Le Misto” situated in Montreal, on Mont-Royal street where my friend Bob le Chef work and share his passion for food with the world.  He has been inviting Max and I forever but we kept pushing it because of our busy work schedule.  One day, we woke up from our “work coma” and decided to start enjoying life so obviously going to Le Misto was on our “to do” list.

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The place was exactly what I expected: small, friendly with some gorgeous & romantic lighting.  When we got there I debated enjoying the nice terrasse (we were in the summer at that time) they have in the front (directly on Mont-Royal street) or going inside for a more relaxing and cozy night.  There was less people inside so it pretty much made my choice easy.  Not that I dislike being around people but I felt like having a relaxing night with my love and my friend so the less people there, the better I felt.  What I realized after, is that Bob had reserved a place for us, right on the side of the window/garage door they have in the front.  How thoughtful 🙂

I got to tell you… even if I didn’t knew Bob, I would be writing a positive article on this restaurant because the food is delicious and the ambiance is just perfectly intimate the way I like it.  Max and I had a great service, the waiters were joking with us and were very well informed on the house menu and wine menu.  Also, just the fact that they are open till midnight 7 days a week is pretty impressive for this type of establishment.  The owner of the Misto is also super sweet and friendly guy…  You can often share a drink with him at the bar and this is one of the reasons why I prefer small restaurants compare to the big places…. you can actually meet the owner, talk to them and discover how passionate these people are.

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Filed Under: Restaurants & Bars Tagged With: 2013, bob le chef, Canada, class, food, foodie, le plateau, misto, mont-royal, Montreal, restaurant, review, urban

The amazing date cookies…

June 15, 2012 by Ariel 9 Comments

I’m calling those the amazing dates cookies because they are literally amazing.  I found the recipe in a “Quebec classic recipes” book and I tweaked it to make them perfect for my own taste.  Max who doesn’t like dates BEG me to make them when I buy dates at the grocery.  They are soft, sweet and healthier than some other cookies you buy or make 🙂  It’s a MUST try!

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Filed Under: Cookies, Nuts, Recipes, Snacks, Sweets Tagged With: Canada, cinnamon, cookies, dates, nuts, Quebec, recipe, sweet, walnuts

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