(I hope that I can go back to Schwartz. I know the photos are old. I have become much better with taking photos and videos.  And I miss that sandwich and the city so much. Sorry for the shit pictures.)

One beautiful autumn day My friend and I are waiting in line. For what you may ask?
Is it a movie premiere, A new useless Apple product, some new ordinance that needs to be voted on? NOPE. 
It is for the world-renowned restaurant Schwartz’s. Schwartz’s is an 80-year-old European style deli famous for it’s cured smoked meat sandwich. And it is A Cornerstone of the history of Montreal. So much so, that when the Montreal government made a law for every sign to be in French in the province of Qubeck, they added an asterisk specifically for Schwartz so they would be able to keep the original name on their sign; that is how important this restaurant is!!!!

Anyways back to the restaurant, my friend and I are standing In line. We have been waiting 15 minutes and have only made it a  couple steps closer to the restaurant. But I feel like it is a part of the experience. I  am lost in a fantasy about what it will taste like. But the present moment hits me like the 6 am Tim Hortons rush.  I truly take in my surroundings and notice that I can hear people speaking so many languages: Chinese, Japanese, English, French, Spanish and I think that if only we could get all the world leaders in Schwartz. We might have a chance to solve all the world problems over a sandwich. But then I realize we are right in front of the door, just about to go in. The smell is palpable.

It smells like meat, deliciously, salty, fatty meat.
My friend and I are starting to bounce up-and-down on our heels in excitement just like a couple of 4-year-olds about to run into a candy store. And then it’s our turn to step into the restaurant. And I feel as if we stepped through a time warp that has sent us 80 years in the past. Every inch of the walls is covered with black and white photos of people long since dead. And famous people that I have seen in everything for parliament to TV and I love it!!!!! It seems so quintessentially Canadian the only thing that would make it more Canadian is if there were a moose and a beaver sitting down enjoying a Sandwich and chatting about the latest hockey game.

 In any case, it’s our turn to order we already know what we are going to get. A medium fat Montreal smoked meat sandwich with a dill pickle and a  side cream soda.  I order in broken Qebeqwa, smile and pay the worker and we wait to pick up the food. I sit there in and I watch right in front of me what looks like an 80-year-old man slice your meat fresh by hand. it is a thing of beauty. The excitement is growing just like my hunger, they call our number. We get our paper wrap sandwiches and a small plate with are pickles.

We sit down at a table And take our first bite and OH MY GOD. If there’s any sandwich more delicious in this world I do not know what it is.  I practically Inhale the sandwich. If David Attenborough was there he would speak of it as if it was a group of leopards eating a gazelle.
“And as the 2 Canadians attack the sandwiches with fierce voracity. They keep a wary eye out for other predators ready to defend there sandwich and land.”
The rest is quite a blur it washes over me just like really good sex in a sweet fog of sweat, moans and other animalistic sounds. Then it is done I lean back in the chair trying to catch my breath. I look up and I can see my friend feels the exact same way. Our eyes catch we smile at each other and I realize that I probably ate one of the best sandwiches we will ever have in our lives.
Why is it on my list? 

The reason I wanted this on my bucket list is very simple. I feel as if it’s a true part of Canada just like a lobster in the East Coast And Nanaimo Bars in the West. It just seems so quintessentially Canadian. I’ve had this on my bucket list for a long time and I hope to re-cross it off so I can do a video but that is for a different day.