What's up with poutine anyway? It's like a Quebecian [sic?] failure pile except they've apparently been doing it longer than KFC.
Wha.. I can't.. *sputter*.. sir.. I.. good golly. NO, poutine is not a failure pile. Poutine is seven different kinds of delicious and may be the best food to eat when you're a bit drunk ever invented. It is crisp, hot french fries, sprinkled with fresh, squeaky cheese curds (NOT cheese, cheez, or any kind of "whiz") and then covered in thin (not thick 'n' gloppy) spicy beef gravy (duck gravy is acceptable if your name is Lord Fancy Trousers).
It sounds gross, and it is!, but in the best possible way. The hot french fries and gravy melt the cheese, and it's a big ol' goopy mess. ("Poutine" is actually a quebecois slang word for "mess," you see.) It tastes really, really good, especially after a beer or three or at the end of a long night. Quebec is a very very cold land, and they love their beer there, so it's natural that such an.. INSULATING foodstuff became a national dish.
If you ever visit Montreal, you absolutely must get some poutine. La Banquise is a good place to start, but if you really want to push the boat out, go to Au Pied de Cochon and get the foie gras poutine (with duck reductiion). It's the best $20 your mouth will ever experience.