Posted by:
Nightingale
(
)
Date: March 06, 2022 06:32PM
I hear a lot of people mispronouncing the Russian leader's name. Many say "pooo-teen" instead of "poo-tin". I know the situation itself is human tragedy but so sorry, I have to laugh when I hear him referred to as Pooo-teen.
Poutine is described as a "classic Quebec delicacy comprised of fries, cheese curds and gravy". People rave about it but the only time I've ever tasted it I thought someone was joking me. I didn't care for the "delicacy" at all, to be polite about it. (I had to just dump it in the nearest bin, so sorry).
A restaurant in Paris has reportedly received threats for this dish that's on their menu, due to the conflict in Ukraine. "Our dish was born in Quebec in the 1950s" they explain. The Quebec diner called Le Roy Jucep, apparently the birthplace of poutine, is now calling itself "the inventor of the fries-cheese-gravy". A Guardian article calls it a "mushy medley". Mushy is my memory of it, pleasant medley not so much.
Someone on Twitter wrote: "People, please stop confusing Putin and poutine. One is a dangerous and unwholesome mix of greasy, lumpy and congealed ingredients, the other is a delicious food."
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I know it's far from a laughing matter, it goes without saying. But this shows how much the Russian aggression has impacted the world and also the united front against it, in big ways and small.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/06/poutine-not-putin-classic-quebec-dish-under-fire-in-france-----
On another, serious, note, a Russian community centre in Vancouver, B.C. was vandalized the other night, with blue and yellow paint splashed over its outside doors, walls and signs. The people who use the centre are upset at the protest, which has made their hall seem unsafe to them. The irony of it is that a good percentage of those who use the hall are Ukrainian. People should educate themselves a little before they protest, especially by committing vandalism and worse. Be careful who you may inadvertently hurt.
I understand that feelings are understandably running high but vandalism and violence are not acceptable forms of expressing one's opinion, especially if done from ignorance.
They should ask themselves how much personal responsibility they bear for everything, or anything, their government does, at every level. If somebody has a beef with my PM, how thrilled would I be if they made their opinion known by vandalizing my car or home or by attacking me? I have zero input into how the guy makes his decisions. He has yet to ever call and ask for my opinion on his latest moves. Just so with likely most of the Russian people, wherever on this planet they may live. You're kind of stuck with the leader you've got, especially if you don't live in a democracy (but also...).
If people have issues with a leader's choices and actions they should take it up with that person, not anybody who happens by with a similar accent or nationality.
Defacing a building that has nothing to do with the Russian guy? Stupid. Uninformed. A form of violence. All they did was scare people and bring even more grief to people already undergoing unbearable stress.
I'm also not thrilled with the decisions to shun any public figure who is Russian, especially performers and sportsmen and women. They don't have much sway with the head of their country either, same as me with mine, with my one vote every 4 years.
I'm not sure if that's a very unpopular thing to say but that's how I feel. Be informed. Be understanding. Be kind. That's my hope.