Like the waitress who handed us our plates—whose hair was shoulder length on one side of her head and shaved on the other—Montreal has come to terms with its split personality, and the result is unexpected, spirited, and fresh.
I asked Marc, a retired journalist, how Montreal’s culture has evolved during his lifetime. We were sitting in a crowded restaurant eating crêpes topped with sweet Canadian maple syrup. He told me that after years of adversity, the city’s French and English cultures have reconciled, creating a unique North American hybrid.
“Years ago, the city was split into French speaking and English speaking neighborhoods,” Marc said. “If a French person and an English person got into an argument, you would hear them yelling at each other, each in his own language.”
After lunch, we walked to Boulevard Saint-Laurent, where crowds of determined shoppers pushed in and out of grocery stores, boutiques, and restaurants. We passed a charcuterie and took in the pungent, heady aromas. We went into a bagel shop, where families lined up to buy soft, buttery, Montreal-style sesame bagels.
“Now, the city is much more integrated,” Marc said. “More people are bilingual and many families speak both French and English at home.”
A few moments later, a young couple with a baby carriage moved next to us on the sidewalk. The woman gesticulated while speaking in quick, forceful French and the man responded in rapid English. I was enthralled—it felt like I was watching a linguistic high wire act.
“We call that doing the Montreal,” Marc said.
As we walked, I noticed many of the city’s residents had a certain French
élan—high heals, tailored coats, fine fabrics. Still, this fashion sense seemed to coexist with a tendency towards the outdoorsy and athletic. As the afternoon continued, legions of joggers traversed the city’s parks.
This was starting to feel like a place where my love for French aesthetics could coexist with my more down-to-earth North American personality.
But, could I survive the stinging weight of Montreal’s notorious winters?
I asked Olivier, a hairdresser at Coupe Bizzarre salon, how he handles winter. He admitted that during the worst of it, he stays at home and relaxes. “I’m too old for the cold now”, he said. But, he loves the city’s winter festivals, especially Igloofest—an outdoor music festival where DJs spin, vendors sell warm drinks, and people dance in the street all night.
“I put on my one-piece snowsuit, and it’s like a big F-you to winter. You can’t touch me winter,” Olivier said. “And, I look cute too.”
When winter ends and the first week of spring arrives, the entire city of Montreal goes wild, Laurent, a French writer, told me.
“It’s as if the entire city is on drugs. They’re just so happy winter’s over. It’s really something to see.”
