On Saturday afternoon, Shona took a few students to a different part of Montreal to buy some fresh, delicious bagels. The students went to a little shop called Real Bagel in a Jewish community, where they watched bagels made in front of their eyes, baking in a wood-fueled oven. The bagels were so cheap and right out of the oven, so the students delighted in buying a dozen at a time.
Montreal-style bagels are different than New York bagels, since they are smaller, sweeter, and are always cooked in a wood-fired oven. At first glance, a Montreal bagel doesn’t look so impressive, since it has a larger hole than its New York counterpart. But the bagels in Montreal are more dense, so more flavour is packed into each wonderful circle.
Around lunchtime, Shona took a few students to a small, little-known bagel shop. It was close to Côte-des-Neiges, an area to the west of downtown Montreal, which the students had never been to before. Each student bought at least a dozen bagels to bring home, along with a treat from the bakery for lunch. Everyone had heard of “Montreal bagels”, but this was the first time the students had a chance to experience this part of Montreal culture.