A Canadian Family

Maskinonge – Caillette Restaurant & Dairy Bar | La Mauricie

All this week I’ve watched in awe as  Karen Resta of Postcards From The Dinner Table wrestled with the notion of Weltschmerz and its application to the serious (?) study of postcards. Karen seems to have invented a new field of study and in her post – The Finer Points of Creative Weltschmerz-ing  - she’s even set down four principles to guide us in our selection of Weltschmerz-ly postcards. Here’s an excerpt:  “1 Find the highest level of acceptable vulgarity possible.  2. Aim for cute-ness. 3. The tonality of the finished piece should ooze cold, not warm – but the external surface must make pretense at warmth. 4. The final concept must scream ‘trite’.”

And so without further ado, here is my first candidate for Welstchmerz-ly Vintage Postcard.

At first glance this seems to be a hunting store or meat counter – but what you’re actually looking at is a 1960s image of the dairy counter at the Caillette Restaurant and Dairy Bar in Maskingonge (Mauricie) Quebec. I think that in some cases, a picture is worth a thousand words, so ….

Giant creamer & spoon. Warmth? Mais oui!

Name tags under cow heads - it doesn't get any cuter than this!

Cow tails? Your guess is as good as mine!

If you’re planning a visit to Quebec, you’ll be happy to know that this establishment is still there – although Caillette (like so many other Quebec milk producers) has been taken over by the Italo-Canadian cheese maker Saputo.

A last word. In all seriousness. I am really grateful to Saputo and the people of the Mauricie region who are preserving this heritage property. All across Quebec diners, taverns and other unique local landmarks are disappearing and being replaced by cookie-cutter, anonymous businesses.

I say let’s keep these heritage properties going and – Vive la difference!

*  *  *  *  *

comment from Karen, the Queen of Weltschmerz

Love the postcard! Is it weltschmerz? I’m not sure. Now if the cow’s tails were braided . . . .

Of possible interest:

Vintage Postcards of Quebec

Shawinigan (1960s) – La 5e avenue dans le centre commercial  Most recent

Trois-Rivieres Hippodrome (Racetrack)

Trois Rivieres, St-Lawrence Paper Mills

Trois Rivieres, St-Maurice Paper Co. Ltd.

FURTHER READING

Produits Caillette Inc

- a companion postcard from the collection of the Quebec Bibliotheque et Archives Nationales.

Laiteries du Québec  

- J.G. Comtois’s terrific site “Quebec Dairies” which includes photos and historical tidbits about Quebec’s dairy industry as well as information for those who collect dairy artefacts such as milk bottles, bottle caps and advertising ephemera.

Photos Historiques Mauricie

- a French language site with many fine photos. Click on the Mauricie tab and choose Maskinonge from the drop down menu.

Restaurant Caillette -

- up-t0-date location and contact information.

Maskinongé Regional County Municipality, Quebec

February 6, 2010 - Posted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault | . | dairy, dairy bar, ice cream, Maskinonge, Mauricie, milkshake, postcard, postcards, Quebec restaurant, Saputo, vintage diner, weltschmerz