My Funny Search for Passover Matzah in the Laurentians

I then launched into a brief summary of the Four Questions to these disbelieving French Canadian IGA and Metro sales clerks, trying to describe to them why the Passover is different for us Jews because we eat matzah, not bread and eat bitter horseradish which reminds us of our bitter experience as slaves. But for some strange reason, though we were slaves, we recline on these Seder nights as if we were wealthy Hollywood film producers.

I also tried to explain the Passover plate and the charoset, (symbolizing the mortar we Jewish slaves had to make and use in the building of the Pyramids) the salt water, maror and the Lamb Shank.

I was offered a pork leg, at Walmart, which was close, but no cigar.

You would think the Walmart of Sainte-Agathe which sold Jewish food during the year; St.-Viateur bagels and Snowdon Del rye bread, would have a clue about Passover. But the store manager of Walmart, refused to speak English to me and simply pointed to the challah section as the Kosher for Passover products section, which of course missed the whole point and was a huge no-no on Passover. Hard pass.

The other store managers of Metro, IGA and Walmart, were not only, not embarrassed at their ignorance, but were a bit disdainful that I had the chutzpah to ask about a Jewish holiday, celebrated by many Jewish Sainte-Agathe residents, of which they were clearly ignorant and worse, indifferent.  

I was about to ask for their personal home addresses, paint some lamb’s blood on their doors and you know, hope for the best, but I demurred.

On a positive note, my new Jewish next door neighbor, a recent transplant from Montreal, gave us her extra box of Matzah. She also made us home-made matzo balls and the sweetest charoset.

And saved Passover for us, after all.