Imagine my surprise, however, when the fellow beside me ordered large fries — with butter if you please ... or as he pleased. As I waited for our order to be filled, I scanned the board and realized for the first time, that butter was, indeed, an option. Yesiree, you can have fries with gravy or fries with butter or fries with both gravy and cheese curds (that's called poutine btw). I knew about the gravy and poutine, but butter on fries was and is totally new to me (on this, only my third visit ever). Sure enough, after they scooped the fries into the container, they poured melted butter over them, just as one would with popcorn. I can't imagine but chacun à son goût as they say in the province to the east.
Off we drove to the park as we often do although seldom with a deliciously greasy lunch in hand. The temperature hovered around freezing, but the sunshine made it quite balmy inside Harriet the Chariot. I gazed out and saw a splash of white way out there on the water. As I studied the spot, I came to realize that it was a swan: a solitary swan. I've never seen a swan around here before, but on the first day of spring there it was. I used a telephoto lens, so the picture isn't as clear as it might be, but I like the fact that I was able to frame both it and the Canada Goose between the tree trunks. I suspect that the goose was one who had wintered over. Some do that rather than go to the trouble flying south — silly things.
How odd: butter on fries and a swan on the river where there has never been one before, even in summer. Did you encounter any oddities on your first day of spring?
Butter?!? That's discusting!
ReplyDeleteNo oddities here. We're still dreaming of Spring - even though the calendar tells us it's here, we're a little sceptical. However, the weatherman tells us that by Sunday it will be 17 degrees. We'll believe it when we see it.
Eeewww! I'm with Heather on the butter issue. But as you say, to each his own.
ReplyDeleteSwans mate for Life, biologists say. I wonder what happened to this one's mate?
14C and soggy here in Mimico at the moment.
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Butter on fries.. somehow that just doesn't seem right.. although I used to wonder about poutine too.. that is ..until I tried it. :-)
ReplyDeleteNot much unusual happening around here.. unless you count the few sighting of grass.. which hopefully will be the norm before long.
Love the photo of the swan and the goose. How very lovely.
Butter on french fries? Sounds awful to me. I can't even imagine.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful Spring gift. A lovely picture, AC.
ReplyDeleteFor our Spring surprise the refrigerator died and took an expensive cache of frozen food with it. I think it wanted to symbolically melt away like winter.
Ugh! The thought of butter on french fries makes my stomach turn!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture of the swan though!
Peace,
~Ch
Just thinking about butter on fries gives me heartburn. Although, I do love mayonnaise with my fries. Is that weird?
ReplyDeleteAs for spring, I know it's coming, it always does but things are looking pretty ugly up here in Winnipeg right now. I'm dreaming of spring.
Fries + butter. That sounds just as bad as fries with mayo, or fries with mustard. When I used to work at Harvey's back in my teenage days, alot of people would order poutine, but with Swiss Chalet sauce. Apparantly, it's really good.
ReplyDeleteI like my fries with BBQ sauce, and the best BBQ sauce for them is from McDonald. mmmmm mmmmmm good.
This image would look beautiful on silk. Really, really beautiful water there, too.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of the water fowl is excellent. By the look of the bark of the trees they are black ash.
ReplyDeleteIf the butter they use on the flies is real butter and not some synthetic substitute, it has possibilities. I think this form of over indulgence is correctly know as "gilding the lily". Great fries are made with great oil to cook them in. Other than a little salt, to enhance the flavour, all else is unnecessary.
What a great photo! A swan on the first day of spring, it's poetic. Talk about being at the right place at the right time.
ReplyDeleteAs for the butter...nope, couldn't do it.
Glad to hear you're a bit better.
Cheese curds?!
ReplyDeleteIt's been YEARS since I've had cheese curds. I used to love the squeeky ones.
are the fries baked or fried? if baked in the oven...then butter would be good. I'm a dipper, i love dipping my fries in horse radish, hot sauce ect.
ReplyDeleteThe swan is beautiful...no pics of fries? :-D
Butter as in popcorn. We won't count the calories there but since fries are already deep fried...?
ReplyDeleteApparently vinegar on fries is a distinctly Canadian thing as well.
Didn't notice anything new for the 21 but the 23rd saw 2 ottawa people walking shirtless and 2 girls in miniskirts with ice cream cones. Summer, ready or not, here we come.
Beautiful bird! I almost went out for McD's this morning for breakfast, but resisted. Haven't been there for a long, long time.
ReplyDeleteAC - On a re-read I noticed your comment about a back problem. Sure hope that's not impeding your forays into Spring. And I hope you're getting a few days where you can open the south-facing windows to let a little promise waft through the house.
ReplyDeleteThe oddest thing about that day down here is that it WAS spring like! Usually there is still snow on the ground.
ReplyDeleteI am loving it, got the fourth bike ride in yesterday but got drenched in the rain on the way home from work.
Hugs!