It was lunch time and I was in my car, and was out shopping.
I had come from the house and had taken a cold diet coke with me and thought I
ought to get a sandwich or a hot dog or a piece of pizza. These were my major
considerations.
I was at the bank and next door was Sobeys Supermarket, the
new one with a large “gourmet food section”. I could go to Costco for a cheap
hot dog but it meant parking again and getting through Costco at noon is a bit
difficult most days.
Into Sobeys I went, and looking over a huge lunch counter of
gourmet carry out I realized they had fresh sandwiches to go. They had a few
specials printed on cards, and one was a roast beef and provolone and another
was a Montréal smoked meat sandwich. For my American friends, Montreal smoked
meat is the Canadian equivalent of corned beef. It’s just as popular, but instead
of being a corned brisket, it’s a pastrami kind of thing and it’s great,
especially if it’s fresh and hot! It’s a kosher-style deli meat product made by
salting and curing beef brisket with spices. The brisket is allowed to absorb
the flavors over a week, and is then hot smoked to cook through, and finally
steamed to completion.
I stood at the beautiful new counter, full of food, and
there were no customers. There were also no employees. It was 12:20p.m., on a
weekday! As I looked around I saw one woman in a white uniform with gloves in
her hands and said, “I’d like to order a Montréal smoked meat sandwich please”.
It was if I’d said something very bad. She stared at me and kind of ran away.
There was a big sign over my head that said: Special, Montreal smoked meat sandwich
$4.99. This was a great price.
Another woman came out, with a white uniform on and gloves
on her hands and looked at me and I said, “I’d like to order a Montréal smoked
meat sandwich please”. She looked at me startled, turned around quickly, and
ran into the same place the first woman ran. A minute later a young guy dressed
like a chef came out with the other two women sneaking in behind him, and
another woman way in the back (they must have employees but they hide) and he
had a hat on which seemed to give him secret powers so he could talk.
I said, “I’d like to order a Montréal smoked meat sandwich
please”. He said (HE SPOKE!!!) “We no longer carry that product here but you
can go around to the meat department and they can get it for you” and he said
this very quickly as he wanted to run away. I laughed and changed the order to
a roast beef and provolone and that made everyone easier and they all came out
of the rabbit hole.
I was asked if I’d like it toasted which I did, and they
did. However, they had no steamer or anything so the roll was great and toasted
but the insides, roast beef, provolone and fresh veggies including mushrooms
was all cold as a refrigerator. The man with a hat also told me they can’t
change the sign so it will continue to say Montreal smoked meat.
A piece of tape or a marker would end the sign I guess, but
a multi-billion dollar corporation wouldn’t have the means to figure this out
or pay for a new sign.
I think they will not be in the “gourmet carry out business
much longer!”
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