What's Ottawa Food?

I've lived in Ottawa on and off for about 8 years all together. For those that aren't in the know, Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Canada has always had issues when it comes to identifying a national dish. This problem comes from the fact that Canada is a large country filled with people from all over the world. The most prevalent dish in one city will vary greatly from a prevalent dish in another city. Some dishes become popular outside of Canada, like poutine, but often these dishes are very regional inside Canada, and often they have their roots in the immigrant population found in that area. The food you find in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver is all very different, and reflects the people and personality of the region.

This is one of the things that makes Ottawa, the capital of Canada even more complex. Ottawa has a local population, but a majority of the people are from other parts of Canada, most working for the federal government. While places like Toronto and Montreal seem to thrive on collections of outsiders coming into the city, Ottawa seems to suffer. It's not to say that Ottawa doesn't have good food, in fact there are some amazing foods available, I've just always felt like Ottawa doesn't have a personality when it comes to the food. That was until a few days ago.

A few days ago Allison and I where downtown and we decided to hit one of our favourite places to grab lunch in the city, the Elgin Street Diner. This diner has been around for as long as I've been visiting Ottawa, before I moved to Ottawa. It has some great food and a great atmosphere. After enjoying some amazing diner food I ordered the dessert I always get at the Elgin Street Diner, their rice pudding. Every time I go I get the same dessert, and I'm never disappointed.

On our way out the door we talked to the daughter of the owner and she asked if we enjoyed the rice pudding. I told here a meal here wouldn't be the same without it, and as always it hit the spot. She then went on to explain that the rice pudding was her grandmother's recipe and they've been selling it at the diner forever. At that moment I was hit with inspiration.

If I was to define Ottawa food, it would be the consistent diner. Ottawa has a good collection of diners, some more popular than others, but almost all of them are fantastic. One of the key features of these diners is the fact that they don't change. I can go into the Elgin Street Diner and get the same rice pudding every single time. The décor of the diner has not changed at all. The family that runs it has not changed. In many other cities around the world, when a diner becomes the popular hot spot, things start to change. Sometimes these diners turn into fine dining diners. They up the quality, make the atmosphere fancy, and the place just gets classier. Sometimes diners spread themselves too thin and expand to more locations.

I feel like this doesn't happen in Ottawa. Sure new diners open and some close, but so often they don't really change. Some might call this lazy or boring, but I find it comforting. I think that's a good way to describe Ottawa diners, comfortable. Each one of these places is just like the rice pudding at the Elgin Street Diner, I know that if I walk into that place I'll get a dessert that I love. It will be the same recipe that the girls grandmother made a long time ago.

CC