Firstly let me admit my prejudice and state of the many Orthodox rabbis I know very few of them do I trust. But I will keep an open mind when meeting Rabbis in the future.
I am reminded of the Miracle Food Mart's first kosher sections in Toronto where each sect allowed only its Rabbi "Mashgiach" to determine its proper level of Kashruth.
Virtually all Cabot cheeses carry the Orthodox Union label which is good enough for me.
My wife won't let me get into discussions of Kashruth anymore because I must watch my blood pressure.
Secondly mass production Canadian cheeses are more familiar to me but there are some excellent American mass producers such as Cabot which do a good job and with the combining of American and Canadian markets these days one really does not know origin. I am sorry for the generalization but Liberty yogurt is made with Vermont milk.
For my final comment let me state I would be more than happy to buy all my food products were they to contain the religious Orthodox certification and the Conservative Ethically Kosher seal but I guess choosing sides is more important than recognizing the others attributes.
I gave up arguments about Kashruth when I was told by my Orhodox Rabbi why pork rinds and pig cartilage were kosher.

Think of this as an opportunity for new business. Our friends who are operating a new cafe in town will be making their own ice cream using real cream and real ingredients like local berries and mango. The time has come to buy local national brands need not be our first choice. Our friends are college graduates and will never be Ben and Jerry's but they sure make good ice cream. I for one would prefer a good scoop than an inferior gallon.

I have been subscribing to CI for years and hope to continue. Although much of the time the recipes are a little too anal I have found the overall recipe concepts contribute just the little omph that turns ordinary to exceptional. With regards to storing, all the people I know are more than willing to borrow (sic) and I do not obsess about losing them as a delightful meal or two is fair trade. The back covers frame up very nicely and look terrific in the kitchen and bathroom. There is no advertisement and there opinion panels seem unbiased.
On the other hand I live on the US CAN border and I find the national brands not up to the quality available in Vermont and Quebec. I was unimpressed that in the recent peanut butter review the CI and my local (although Kraft is Canada's national brand and very good) peanut butter was not reviewed (Teddy's) which is in another league from the brands tested. Another problem I have is people coming over and becoming totally absorbed in issues that solve problems that have plagued their favourite recipes.
Overall CI is the one magazine I could least give up.
PS The cinnamon swirl bread this month solved a long time problem that I had because of an inability to watch the clock and the bread is wonderful.

As my post above regarding English muffins the regional differences in Phillie cream cheese are incredible. In Chicago I used to wait for passover so I could stock up on east coast Philadelphia .
The Philadelphia in Vermont is much better than the Chicago Phillie but the Canadian Philadelphia is head and shoulders above anything I can get in the US. It is also a bit more expensive but the quality is vastly superior.

Having lived in Chicago before moving back to Quebec I stopped buying English muffins altogether. The texture and taste of English muffins were not what I grew up to expect. When I moved back to Quebec I again tried the Thomas' English muffins in a Vermont supermarket. They were and are everything I had expected. I am happy to report that I am again doing eggs Benedict on a regular basis without the need to make my own English muffins and that the POM product from Quebec, the Thomas' from the States or the US Price Chopper store brand are all up to the task. I find regional differences are greater than brand differences.

Found Akita Brand Tamari soy in local IGA in Stanstead I wonder if it is not available everywhere with it having a DElson Quebec distributor.

I am fairly certain Akhavan does noodles and I remember buying noodles there. The are Halal and therefore their selection is limited to kosher and halal but I really like their quality. By the way their tamari almonds are terrific and not at all too salty. The egg noodles at Thai Foo are labeled egg noodles and have various nations of manufacture. With more and more food out of China carrying halal and kosher certification I am finding new things on every visit to Ahkavan. I have been buying Pearl River Soy for 40 years and it is amazing to me to find the halal certification on what I considered the ultimate Chinese food export.

On this week's trip into Montreal business and friends were the priority so I did little shopping. Thai 1875 Panama in Ville Brossard has a huge assortment of Soy sauce but I could not find a tamari sauce. They have a large number of dry thin egg noodles if that is still on your shopping list. I did pick up a bottle of soba noodle dipping sauce and a light as opposed to dark soy.
It was only when I got back home that I realized that Akhavan has a large number of oriental soys and even though I had purchased the tamari almonds and sushi crackers I had forgotten to see if they had tamari. I guess I will have to check that out on my next trip to Montreal.

Montreal is what it is. I don't know what you mean by exotic by it is unique in the world. It is for good reason chosen as one of the three best cities in the world in which to be in the summer. Montreal is far from perfect but the food is good, the people are friendly and the dynamics of the inner city neighbourhoods are among the best anywhere. It is above all else a very safe, comfortable city and that alone makes it exotic.

If one is to use a moniker like BHO you should at least familiarize yourself with his background. The Hyde Park-Kenwood-Woodlawn area is one of the least consumer driven area anywhere in the USA. Nothing you would recognize as a mall a population that prides itself in owning very few televisions. Many bookstores, wonderful parks ethnic supermarkets and a population focused on quality education. Our friends are not shoppers they relish conversion and a urban ambience where people communicate. When I talk JTM I mean all of little Italy and even a large section of Park Extension. I agree the Asian markets to the east are wonderful for shopping but for the unique flavour of a unique city JTM is wonderful. If you think JTM is expensive don't go to Atwater. I lived in the US for many years and I find the prices for most items at JTM very much in line with similar establishments.

I have lived all over North America and have entertained visitors from many locales. I guess a lot has to do with you you are entertaining. I have never lived in a suburb except for a brief interlude 50 years ago outside Toronto. Our visitors not only enjoyed visiting Jean Talon Market but a number of them insisted on going again and again. Maybe it is just the fact that my wife and I are just such interesting and dynamic people but people from NY, Chicago, Calgary, San Francisco and Paris find the JTM a very special and pleasant place to spend a day. Or maybe it is just such an urbane place for urban people. I cannot fathom taking someone from the west island to JTM but I did live in the other Barack H Obama State constituency for 10 years and can assure you that our friends and neighbours from Hyde Park and Woodlawn all loved JTM and insist on a trip to JTM every visit.

I am going into Montreal this week and will do a shop at Thai Foo in Brossard and will let you know about the soy.

What I remember most vividly was loud live chickens, live rabbits and Rose or La Rose brand fresh cheese curds.I grew up with fresh salads every day and it was wonderful returning to Montreal and tasting fresh vegetables that were as good as I remembered. Long before poutine people would walk around the market eating fresh cheese curds which I still think is the only way to eat them.

Hope you had success in finding the right soy. For thin dry egg noodles I would suggest your ethnic or kosher food section of your local supermarket. Manishevitz, and several other companys make a number of styles of egg noodles that are excellent in oriental cuisine including thin and broad and flat varieties and the quality is very good.

The Bourdain Montreal layover was the first time I had ever seen Mr Bourdain and I must say I was not impressed. Even though I was brought up in Montreal and my first memories of over 60 years ago are of being in a stroller at the Jean Talon market, I cannot help but have sympathy for Mr Bourdain and his Steinfeldesque view of the world.
When I saw this layover episode I cannot help think back to a ferry ride to Goat Island Idaho from Waterton National Park in Alberta. I looked around at some of the most awe inspiring scenery on this planet and all of a suden I heard a gentleman berating his wife for taking him out of New York City to a place where there was nothing but Rocks and trees and water. I cannot understand why anyone would want to watch Mr Bourdain as my idea of hell would be to be in a place where all one encountered was Mr Bourdain.
I love food but the day the food becomes more important than the company is the day I will no longer enjoy life. I love the Jean Talon and Atwater Markets but the people and the ambience make the whole larger than the sum of its parts.

For Japanese dishes you are probably looking for tamari soy sauce a sauce made from mIso soy.
VH was the sauce I grew up with in Montreal and they make a low sodium soy. Conagra has purchased VH but i cannot vouch for quality.
There are a number of brands of tamari soy and I suggest you do your own taste test.
Cook's Illustrated tested a number of Soys in 2007 and reached the conclusion of different soys for different uses but if you can get a hold of Cook's illustrated january 2007 or read the article on line Nama Shoyu might be what you are looking for.

I wish you hadn't said that. I love Slovenia and I always go there for deli when I am in the city and had taken a close friend and my wife to Slovenia a couple of weeks back and had vowed never again to get their sandwiches. Now I must go back and determine if somehow I had just visited on a very bad day.
Back many years ago when I was a student at Sir George I used to go to Trattoire for sandwiches a slice of French ham you could see through, incredible dijon and wonderful fresh baguette and that is the style of sandwich I most enjoy. Let others enjoy their Montreal smoked meat sandwich with 16 ounces of smoked meat and inferior rye bread I prefer the thin tasty deli and the incredible bread. Chaq'un a son gout. Thank you for the information as my grandchildren will probably prefer your suggestions and I am willing to try them out.
It is kind of like my favourite pizza being Venizza and having lived in Chicago for many years and not finding pizzeria pizza I could enjoy as much as the pizza from the Italian bakeries.
Next time you're in Slovenia do try out the Krakowska Kielbassa ring a little on the lean side but as good as anywhere.

When you check out Capitol make sure to check out their panini sandwiches to me the best sandwich in Montreal.

I have been eating chicken feet for 60+ years. They are high in collagen they make wonderful broth and jelly. My wife won't touch them but my sister and niece enjoy them. They are however not cheap if you buy quality chicken feet as I think they are one of the leading US exports to China.

PS The feet are essentially lizard feet representing a major genetic clue to bird's dinosaur ancestry.

Kraft has acquired a number of outstanding brands. Kraft has been in Canada forever and Kraft Canada in addition to some very nice peanut butter has some very good cheeses Kraft Cracker Barrel extra old is quite good. Kraft now makes McClarens Imperial which is still excellent. There is no comparison between the US Kraft products and what is sold in the US. I think the US consumer prefers the Kraft products they are familiar with like cheddar that melts and doesn't separate. Kraft Belgian, French or Polish chocolates can still be excellent.

Maybe off topic but Kraft and Cadbury are everywhere. I always buy Polish chocolate as well as any number of Polish products because they are generally very good way better than say Hershey's.

I believe the deterioration of Hebrew National has more to do with the loss of Best Kosher as a viable alternative as it does with its purchase by ConAgra.

More and more people are buying Heinz ketchup in Canada and bringing it back south. I also suggest Heinz tomato juice both regular and low sodium. Moving back to Canada after many years stateside I realized that it isn't Heinz which is to blame but the US consumer. Demand better write emails to Heinz and all those others who sacrifice quality for profit. Until the marketplace demands better quality will continue to deteriorate. Here in Canada Heinz must compete with Aylmer brand which is probably why it is so much better.

Thanks for the heads up I lived within walking distance when I was in Montreal. I will check it out next visit.

My regular tea of choice is Lapsang Souchong which is a smoked tea. No you don't smoke it it is smoked before you buy it. Forty years ago it was readily available in supermarkets with Twining s being the main supplier. I have been looking for teabags here in Montreal but have been depending on trips to Chicago to pick up my supplies of Twining bags with loose tea being the substitute when I run out. For those that remember the Lapsong Souchong in the black box the current box is almost a maroon colour. Has anyone seen Lapsong Souchong in Montreal supermarket?

Capitol has beautiful meat and the butcher shop behind it block or half block south is excellent the butchers at marche Atwater are also superb. Zinman's although primarily poultry has excellent meats and sausages. Quebec is a carnivore heaven and Montreal has so many good butcher shops regular Halal and kosher. You could spend many years going to a different butcher shop or charcuterie in Montreal and never be disappointed. It was much easier say in Chicago where if you ask what is the best butcher shop everyone would say Paulina Meat Market.

It ain't the KFC its just the C. The quality of chicken throughout America is very variable. I lived in Chicago for 10 years and I finally ended up buying only Empire Kosher chicken from Pennsylvania. Upon my arrival in the US I was astonished how much water and fat was in the chickens and how little meat. On our frequent trips to western MIchigan we bought chickens at meijers and other super markets and found them to be of reasonable quality and often times very good. Here in Quebec and just south of us in Vermont very good chicken can be had at reasonable prices. I think you might find good KFC in some places and garbage in other places. We would stop at the Popeyes in Michigan City Indiana quite often but after three trips to Popeyes in Chicago we stopped trying to find a decent Popeyes in Chicago. Here in Quebec Villa du Poulet (KFC) while not gourmet food is very good.

Thanks for the heads up one of the few things I miss about Chicago other that the many friends is my visits to Pilsen. Magog is still closer but nice having a Sherbrooke option.
PS Baan Thai in Newport opening for lunch very fresh very good good.

Midgarden the new fair trade and eco-friendly store in downtown Stanstead (Rock Island) will carry the complete covered bridge line. They will be open between Thursday and Sunday.

For those in l'estrie the Intermarche in Ayers cliff has them.