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The invisible men of Montreal
More than 1.7 million people live in Montreal, a metropolis where life is bustling. Some were born there, others chose to live here, or were forced to. Whatever the reason people live here, they enrich their living environment, shaping it over time. A stay in Montreal often starts and ends at Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau airport. As the days go by, we travel by taxi and eat in a wide variety of restaurants. We thus get to know the city, its history and its culture thanks to the drivers and staff of these catering establishments.
During these conversations, people show us the historic churches where they got married, where they prefer to drink coffee, and they share their favorite places with us. These exchanges, although short, are powerful; they contain tender stories of love, loss and belonging, told in a confidential manner. Here are five, told by Montrealers with few words.
Behind the wheel of Raymond
During the trip between Marie-Anne Street and Jean-Talon Market, with his thunderous voice, Raymond encouraged passengers to practice their French. “Try it,” he said. Your French is better than my English! ” In a conversation combining both languages, he recounts his arrival in Montreal three decades earlier. In Haiti, he had an ordinary office job, he worked his hours every day at work. “I prefer my job as a driver,” he admits.
Canadians of Haitian origin have been choosing Montreal as a place to stay since the 1930s. Many came first as students and returned to Haiti after studying in Canada. Their numbers grew exponentially in the 1970s, as the political climate forced many Haitians to migrate. Many of them, like Raymond, now work in low-paid jobs, such as taxi drivers, which are not spared by racism and discrimination.
Raymond will not tell us what brought him to Montreal, only expressing love for the city, where he says he is at home. “I feel good here,” he says. He shows his biggest smile in front of the camera before saying goodbye to his passengers and wishing them a good day.
A city tour
Direction Saint-Denis Street. The race starts with a warm welcome in Elias' taxi. Expertly navigating the streets of the metropolis, Elias has become a traveling guide who tells the history of the city. But when we ask him if Montreal is his home, he answers us with a sigh.
“Now it is,” he said. In another life, Elias worked for 10 years in Dubai, in an architectural firm, before settling in Beirut and starting his own business. While visiting his brother on Long Island, New York, civil war broke out in Lebanon.
It was April 1975, and the war lasted until the early 1990s. During this period, more than one million people left the country and over one hundred thousand people lost their lives. With no way to return home once the war broke out, Elias and his family were forced to seek refuge and start a new life in Montreal. “I don't like this place,” he says.
Living in Montreal was a constant reminder of what he had lost in circumstances where it was not his fault. His qualifications were not recognized in the metropolis. And with a family that included three children (and now two grandchildren), he couldn't afford to go back to school to continue his education. So he had no choice but to drive his taxi for a living. “For now, that's what I'm doing,” he adds in a nostalgic voice.
The man with Dosas
On Sainte-Catherine, right in the city center, scents ofIdlis, of Vadas And of Dosas escape from a commercial building. In the small kitchen at the Chennai Express, the chef is busy preparing Dosas, a delight served in every home in southern India. This dish and its side dishes — the Sambar and chutney — are highly sought after by many customers looking for a quick bite at a reasonable price to fill their fill.
“You can take a picture of Dosas, if you want. Not from me, okay? ” the owner of the restaurant tells us. Les Dosas sizzle in the pan, and their white batter takes on a crisp texture and a golden color. The cook hastens to add a potato garnish in the center, which he sprinkles with raw onion. With an expert gesture, he folds the Dosas In a square, remove them from the pan and pack them carefully, not to mention the coconut chutney and Sambar with vegetables.
“I taught at McGill. Now I run this restaurant,” he said, handing a plate of food to a customer. Our interlocutor is from Chennai, in the Tamil Nadu region, in India, a port city where you can see the sky with Gopuras temples, church steeples and mosque domes. His restaurant was the first to serve authentic South Indian dishes in downtown Montreal. Although it is not a luxury establishment, the food served there gets a 10 out of 10.
“Okay, you can take my photo. But I'm keeping my mask on, okay? ” concedes the owner of the Chennai Express. His name, on the other hand, remains a mystery. Like the superheroes we only know by their work and their pseudonym, he earns the nickname “the man with Dosas ” — that he wears so well.
Normal people
Back on the Plateau-Mont-Royal, on Gilford Street, we meet at the Maharaja Palace. The restaurant doors open into a long dining room with a ceiling decorated with a bamboo work of art. The subdued light mingles with the sun's rays that enter the establishment through a large window left open, through which you can glimpse traffic and pedestrians on Saint-Denis Street.
Robin and Jasmeet are from Punjab, India, where great minds and people with liberal ideas flock, like the five rivers that cross the region. This is where the Harmandir Sahib is located, a place of the greatest spiritual importance for Sikhs. It also offers delicious Nordic Indian cuisine, with specialties such as Chloe Bhature And the chicken Tandoori.
Photo: Prajwala Dixit
Punjabis are known for their sociable nature and their warm nature. Robin's love for his homeland is reflected not only in the food he offers, but also in the paintings and art that adorn the walls of his establishment. “I opened the restaurant four years ago,” he says. An environment where it is difficult to navigate, especially during a pandemic. His business has survived thanks to the delivery services offered by various applications.
Robin is unmoved, but his eyes speak, evoking the work and effort that went into making an establishment like his work since 2018. He and his chef, Jasmeet Singh, prefer to serve their customers rather than talk about their personal journeys. Jasmeet, who is particularly shy, says nothing. He nods politely and simply smiles when you compliment him on his cooking. He expresses himself through the dishes he prepares for the customers of the Maharaja Palace. All it takes is a mouthful of sound Kulcha Very hot and to hear the show play The Kapil Sharma Show in the background to believe you were thousands of kilometers away, in Punjab, India.
Both are hesitant to have their photo taken, and then decide to show us their kind smiles. “Why do you want our photo? We are just normal people,” they say in Hindi. That is precisely the beauty of their stories.