| French-Canadians Love Their Mayonnaise |
An Amayonnaising Love Story
Although mayonnaise may only be moderately popular in most parts of Canada (on hamburgers, sandwiches, or potato salad), in Quebec, the thick white topping has evolved beyond being a simple condiment (intended to flavour other food) and advanced into the special realm of food staple. In French-Canadian cities like Montreal, Quebec City, and Hull, the creamy emulsion is often substituted at dinner-time for mashed potatoes, or enjoyed a la carte as a whipped snack. It’s placed on desserts instead of Dreamwhip or whipped cream. Mixed in with porridge, placed on omelettes or pancakes, mayonnaise apparently makes for a delightful breakfast topping. Many of those restauranteurs converted to poutine, a viscous combination of French fries and cheese curds covered with gravy or other meat-based sauces. Others experimented with vinegar, chili powder, and steak marinades, but without much success. It wasn't long before the Quebecois settled on the thick, eggy creaminess of mayonnaise. Mmm, mmm! Quebec still has a healthy reputation for its haute cuisine involving salted pork rinds, maple syrup and sugar pie, but for everyday foods mayonnaise has taken the central role. Whether it's mayonnaise soup, mayonnaise sundaes, or triple-thick mayonnaise shakes, the French-Canadians can't get enough of their high-cholesterol, high-fat food product. And French-Canadian children love mayonnaise as a snack. They’ll sit cross-legged in front of the television watching Asterix or Moomin cartoons with a delicious jar of mayonnaise, eating it by the mouthful with a large wooden spoon. Party hosts will always provide a punch bowl full of mayonnaise, letting their guests dip pieces of baguette, croissants or chips into the rich, oily mixture. Whether it's decorated in creamy rosettes on a wedding cake, glopped onto a slice of sugar pie, or layered in a Jell-O parfait, mayonnaise has somehow remained the number one topping of French-speaking Canada. Pas mal, ca! 
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