Amarula: One Jazzy Beverage

Milli Thornton — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:16:26 +0000

AS ONE WOULD expect, the Montréal Jazz Festival is held largely outdoors.

The festival layout includes stages for the performers, food and beverage stalls, sports cars on display, an alfresco restaurant serving mainly wine and appetizers and a playground for the kids. Stalls devoted to related fun stuff such as festival souvenirs, dance lessons and face painting for kids adds to the festive spirit.

We arrived at the Jazz Fest late on the afternoon of July 2, acutely aware that we had only three days to do it all. To really do the festival you need at least a week (plus some serious stamina).

Our first reaction to the outdoor scene was disappointment, for two reasons: the ominous, cloudy weather—it either threatened to or did rain for three days in a row—and missing our first free concert because we didn’t know the location of the all stages yet.

Montreal Jazz Festival street performers

To regroup, we sat on some steps with a bunch of other people watching a pair of street performers. I polished off a chicken pita roll-up and slowly started to feel grounded after our flight. We enjoyed the antics of the skunk and the Gumby-doll-acrobat-girl in the striped tights, but it was not exactly the peak experience we were hoping for.

However, my gloominess morphed to happy buzz as soon as I tried an Amarula drink from a nearby stall.

I was unacquainted with Amarula but it sounded fun. We were given a choice of flavors and, naturally, I chose coffee.

The result was a frappé style of drink prepared with blenderized ice.

Ohhh and it went down easy! One of those dangerously yummy drinks that could get you into trouble fast because it’s so more-ish. I was supposed to share it with Brian, but he was too busy crawling all over a Camaro SS 2010 to notice that he only got a few sips.

Amarula: La creme de l'Afrique

Amarula is produced in Africa from the fruit of the mystical Marula or Elephant Tree. The fruit is harvested from the veld by locals. The pulp then goes through a fermentation process similar to winemaking.

(Ever watched the YouTube video of the African critters getting rolling drunk? Yep, they were feasting on the marula fruit.)

The marula wine is distilled in column stills, and then in copper-pot stills, to produce a spirit. It’s then matured for two years in oak barrels. The final step is the blending of the liqueur with the finest, fresh cream until a smooth consistency is formed.

From Amarula HQ:

“The creaming process is of the highest standard, resulting in a cream product that is delectably rich and soft, with an alcohol content of 17%.”

I went back to my favorite drink (red wine) during the remainder of our time in Montréal. But that drive-by Amarula buzz definitely put me in the right frame of mind to relax and get over the Rainy Jazz Blues.

Sacré bleu. I regret not going back to that Amarula stall while I still had the chance.

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Yeah, baby! Amarula from a duty free shipper for only $14.99

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Chinatown in Montréal

Milli Thornton — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:13:19 +0000

CHINATOWN IN MONTRÉAL is a bustling slice of street life.

From the happenin’ waterfront, terrace restaurants and cobblestone streets of old Montréal we progressed to Chinatown on foot. The narrow street that turns the corner at Chinatown’s Imperial-looking gates was clogged with Jazz Festival traffic, as well as a youth band and their supporters.

Falun DaFa Youth Band

We followed the band into the square. Dressed in white slacks and blue shirts, the slogan on the backs of their shirts read Falun DaFa: Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance. Falun DaFa is five sets of easy-to-learn gentle movements and meditation. (See end of article for more details.)

The audience sat on the steps of a pagoda-style calligraphy store or joined the old people sitting at stone tables. It was easy to imagine the old men sitting at those tables on a quiet sunny day, perhaps playing checkers or swapping stories of the Old World.

The band was rousing, but I was keen to explore the shops.

Chinese kites hung from the porch of the calligraphy shop

The use of calligraphy as a feng shui tool is the fascination of mine, and I was hard pressed not to spend our tightly budgeted cash on one of these genuine articles. Of course, I can always shop for calligraphy online—where the selection is vast—but to buy calligraphy prepared by a master from a shop in Chinatown would definitely add more spirit to the possession. Wah!

Across the street I found a shop full of feng shui treasures that again severely tested my discipline. I found better prices for genuine red money toads and other lucky wealth objects than I had seen online. Many of these objects, though small, were quite heavy. Since I’m still attempting to master the art of packing light, I didn’t relish the idea of lugging home more poundage.

Lucky bamboo and money cats in the window of my favorite shop

If you can hold onto thoughts of “later consequences” during your travels, it makes it easier to stick to a tight spending budget whenever temptation’s rife.

(Well, maybe not easier. But it gives you a whip for your conscience.)

I was also tempted to sit down with the little old man advertising palm readings on a tattered handwritten sign. He looked bored and lonely and badly in need of a client. But there was so much still to see and do: Reluctantly, I concluded that was the wrong moment to park my bottom for a stationary activity.

We had to stay on schedule so as not to miss our festival shows that evening, so we didn’t get to try any of the restaurants in Chinatown. Yet another reason to visit Montréal again!

A truck delivering Chinese beverages to local merchants

From Go-Montreal.com:

“No trip to Chinatown is complete without sampling some of the local cuisine, the best that Chinatown has to offer will find you at Restaurant Hong Kong, Le Jardin du Nord and Ming Yeng, serving up Chinese specialties for visitors and locals alike. Choose from a variety of dishes such as Won Ton soups, dumplings, Peking Duck, Crispy Chicken, General Tao, Sea Bass and Lobster dishes.”

Alright, already. Stop torturing me! I don’t wanna know what I missed!

Ring, ring.

— “Ming Yeng Restaurant. How can I help you?”

— “Can you deliver to Youngstown, Ohio?”

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Falun Dafa: Over time, the principles of Dafa unveil the deepest and most profound truths of the universe. Following the principles, practitioners of Falun Dafa are able to reach very high realms, enlightening to the true meanings of life, and finding the path of return to their origins and true selves.

While the exercises have deep inner meanings, they also help to reduce stress and can bring great improvements in health and fitness.

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Millivers Travels » QUEBEC

Amarula: One Jazzy Beverage

Chinatown in Montréal