Auteur : Martine

Booble

The previous renter of my new apartment hasn’t ended his subscription to the Journal the Montreal yet, so I’ve been having fun reading it in the last few days. Yesterday the columnist Michel Beaudry talked about an article from the New England Journal of Medicine claming that:

« Ogling over women’s breasts is good for a man’s health and can add years to his life, medical experts have discovered. « Sexual excitement gets the heart pumping and improves blood circulation, » explains Dr. Weatherby. « There’s no question: Gazing at breasts makes men healthier. » « Our study indicates that engaging in this activity a few minutes daily cuts the risk of stroke and heart attack in half. We believe that by doing so consistently, the average man can extend his life four to five years. »

The columnist claims that this is a serious study which he received from an administrative assistant at a pharmaceutical company.

I knew too many men who would be thrilled to hear this news, so I decided to go straight to the source and do a search on the New England Journal of Medicine. Nothing, of course (sorry guys). A simple Google search brought me to the Urban Legends section of About.com, and of course the whole thing is a lame joke.

What is really interesting though is the extent to which this urban legend has circulated on the Web as a « serious » article. Guys, you really want to believe this stuff, don’t you? We know you watch – big, small, round, pointy, bouncy, fake, saggy, perky, nipply, matronly – just don’t pretend the variety of your lust and the intensity of your curiosity have a scientific interest. And please monsieur Beaudry, stop drooling all over your computer and check your sources before you publish something, even if it’s just for laughs.

Peu importe le blog montr�alais que vous visiterez aujourd’hui (ou hier ou demain…) il y sera question de la chaleur, impossible � ignorer. Lourde, p�nible, polluante, d�testable. Le sommeil tarde � venir quand il fait chaud comme �a et on voit bien que les gens dans les rues n’arrivent plus � avancer au m�me rythme que d’habitude. San Francisco et sa climatisation naturelle me manquent terriblement dans des jours comme �a. Je l’affirme ici sans h�siter: J’�changerais n’importe qu’elle journ�e comme aujourd’hui contre une journ�e d’hiver � -30C. Que dis-je! Je l’�changerais contre deux journ�es � -30C! Le froid me donne envie de bouger, d’�tre active. La chaleur me rend l�thargique.

Comble de chaleur/malheur, le mercredi c’est ma journ�e de tournage. Nous tournons l’�mission que je r�alise dans un loft de St-Henri. Le minuscule climatiseur n’arrivait m�me pas � cr�er une brise dans ce grand espace et nous avons soumis notre pauvre animatrice et ses invit�es � la chaleur additionnelle des dizaines de spots braqu�s sur elles. Je suis certaine que la temp�rature a atteint les 45C sous les projecteurs. L’horreur. La maquilleuse devait constamment faire des retouches. Heureusement, le professionnalisme et la patience de l’�quipe nous ont permis de compl�ter notre programme de la journ�e. L’�mission aura un dr�le d’air quand elle sera diffus�e en reprise en plein mois de janvier!

Vivement les orages, les vrais! Ceux qui font �clater le ciel et expriment notre impatience. Ceux qui soul�vent les arbres et font flotter les rideaux. Si vous voyez une fille faire la danse de la pluie au sommet du Mont-Royal ce soir, ce sera s�rement moi. Je pr�f�re �tre couverte de ridicule que de sueur.

A Cuban summer

I had my first Mojito 5 years ago in a Cuban bar in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. White rum, sugar and fresh mint in a sparkling, fragrant mixture of lime juice and soda water. I’m not big on strong booze but that drink was so good I finished it before the waiter got back behind his bar.

As this site explains it, The Mojito is not just a drink, it’s a way of life… (you’re… hic!… damn right!)
The Mojito was born in Cuba from a drink called the Draque. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Draque’s original recipe was changed to include rum – and the Mojito cocktail was born. Shortly thereafter Cubans everywhere were making them. The Mojito cocktail became a national passion and by the mid-1920’s it was, unofficially at least, the national drink of Cuba.

Since a real Mojito (pronounced Mo-hee-toe) with fresh mint is rather hard to find in local bars (never drink that mint syrup stuff), I decided to try and make my own. I got this recipe from the great (but no longer updated) cocktail section of HotWired.

2-3 ounces light rum
1 ounce lime (from a fresh lime)
2 teaspoons sugar
Fresh Mint
Fill with ice and soda water

Place sugar, a large pinch (small handful) of mint, and splash of soda water in a pint glass. Use muddler to lightly press mint and dissolve sugar until it smells of spearmint gum. (Note: some recipes say that you should crush the mint stalks, not the leaves, to release essential oils). Squeeze both halves of lime into the glass, leaving one hull in the mixture. Add rum, stir, and fill with ice. Top with soda water, garnish with mint sprig and serve.

Too much work? I found two places in Montreal that serve Mojitos worth mentioning. Both of these places are on l’avenue Mont-Royal.

Coq en stock (1241 Mont-Royal): A great little Caribbean restaurant serving mostly chicken. Karl, who loves to dream and comment about Montreal’s waitresses, would love the friendly women who work there, and I bet you he wouldn’t mind their sweet mojitos either!

Barraca Rhumerie & Tapas (1134 Mont-Royal) : A recent addition to the bars on Mont-Royal, with a nice, quiet terrace in the back. The mojitos there are strong on lime juice and rum.