Maple Magic Canada
Originally published in Medical ObserverExcerpt
“You cannot leave this city without having ‘la tire d’érable sur neige’,” says the guide. “‘Maple sugar on snow’ IS Quebec City.”
I know what he means. Molten maple syrup cooled on a bed of fresh snow is as much a part of life in Canada’s predominantly French-speaking capital as a glass of vin rouge and a bowl of garlicky escargot.
Stepping through a compact 400 years of European history in hot pursuit of a ‘maple taffy’ stall, I notice a kerfuffle at the edge of the ice-skating rink in Place d’Youville, just outside the Old Town. A group of people are standing around something on the ice. It is not maple taffy. It is my teenage son.
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