One of the things I’d like to do with my blog is help folks who plan to attend CHLA/ABSC 2008 get to know about the cultural traditions, behaviours and lifestyle of your basic Maritimer. I gave the following interview at an undisclosed location in Halifax the morning after a particularly raucous kitchen party. I had a bad case of gas and felt like something crawled into my mouth and died. Afterwards, though, a large double-double and a cruller fixed me right up!
Read on. Double-doubles and crullers will be explained in future posts.
Q. Norman, many of these people will never have fed a lobster do you have any specific instructions?
A. Don’t go all fancy with the silverware. Lobsters aren’t big on silverware. Oh yeah, and forget the plates.
Q. Actually, Norman, I was wondering if you have a special diet.
A. Special diet? You think I’m fat?
Q. No, no. More along the lines of are you lacto-vegetarian, do you have nut allergies?
A. I’m coming down with one fast here.
Q. No really Norman, what do you need to eat?
A. Just a simple Donair, extra sauce, hold the onions. Served after the bars close.
(As a Haligonian, Norman’s regular diet consists of Donairs. Your community may consider Gyros as an adequate alternative for a Halifax Donair. We are confident that Norman’s body is acclimatized to Halifax Donairs and you should be advised that any other Gyro or Donair will kill him in very short order. Watch the blog for tips on how to know if you’ve killed Norman.)
§ What is a donair?
A variation on the doner kebab known as a Donair was introduced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in the early 1970s. A restaurant called King of Donair claims to have been the first to serve this version in 1973.
The meat in this version of the doner kebab (Halifax donair, as it is sometimes referred to) is sliced from a loaf cooked on a vertical spit, made from a combination of ground beef, flour or bread crumbs, and various spices, while the sauce is made from evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar, and garlic. The meat and sauce are served rolled in pita bread with diced tomato and onion. This version is generally so packed with ingredients, that the pita is almost there for ceremonial purposes; the pita of any true Haligonian donair will be so soaked in sauce that attempts to pick it up will be fruitless.
This version of the donair is very popular throughout the Maritime region of Canada, and is also available in some other areas of the country, with many fast food pizza restaurants also featuring donairs on the menu. Many of them also offer a donair pizza featuring all of the donair ingredients served on a pizza crust. Donair subs are also not uncommon.
Halifax, in particular, seems to take a certain pride in the donair as its own defining fast food. There are long lines to buy them at 3:30 A.M., after the bars close. The donair sauce on its own used to be provided for free though due to it gaining popularity it is often provided for a small fee with garlic fingers or as a pizza topping (e.g., Barbecue chicken pizza with donair sauce) by Halifax pizza restaurants â even local franchises of chains not based in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Donairs are also featured in the Canadian TV series Trailer Park Boys, which takes place near Halifax. In the episode “A Man’s Gotta Eat”, Julian is found by Constable Erica Miller, “drunk, living by a dumpster behind a King of Donair” In the episode “Working Man”, a short part of the episode takes place inside a King of Donair. At another point, Ricky has to pass Bubbles his donair to climb over a fence, saying, “Don’t eat any of it, Bubbles.”
Source: Wikipedia
Q. Norman, do you have a favourite beverage?
A. Whaddya think? Lobsters and beer go hand in claw. Name me any organism on the face of this earth better equipped to open a bottle of beer.
Q. Captain Hook? The parrot?
A. Is this my interview or yours??
In fact, this is the first of a series of interviews. Watch this space for the next installment!
