First Donair

[tvordlj]

A couple of people mentioned donairs recently. The donair as it's known here in the east of Canada was supposedly invented here in Halifax though it's very similar to many other type fast food often called gyros or kebabs. I think it's the way ours is made/spiced that's probably fairly unique. In any case it's really good, greasy, very bad for you and it's a staple junk food round here. A hunk of meat, usually some sort of beef mixture is roasted on an upright spit and sliced off. They generally heat up a Lebanese pita on the grill and put it in that with chopped tomatoes and onions and they they smother it in a creamy garlicy sweetish sauce. It's the sauce that really makes it different than other places. No chili sauce, no tzaziki (cucumber/yoghurt) sauce, no salad. Some places will melt mozzarella cheese on it. Most places now will also do a donair pizza or submarine sandwich as well, heated.

My first donair was in the late 70's. The memory i have might not have been *the* first time but it was one of the first times. I was on a double date with a guy and his sister and her boyfriend and we stopped in this little take out joint to get donairs. I remember the man behind the counter looked most definitely disreputable, 8 o'clock shadow and a cigarette in his mouth with an ash an inch or more long nearly off the end like a sideways Tower of Pisa. Eek! Anyway, ashless, we ate them in the car, sauce dripping down my arm to my elbow. I've never eaten a donair out in public again LOL But i do like to get them delivered and now i usually get the sauce in a cup on the side and just eat with my fingers and dip the meat in the sauce. I also don't get tomatoes because they are generally kind of mushy i've found.

Comments

[stevenothing.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a variation on the donner kebab, yes? Albeit with different stuff in the pitta.
I used to go to a place in York called Deniz Best Kebabs which did excellent kebab with garlic sauce similar to what you described, although the garlic sauce flavour had a habbit of still being in your mouth the morning after, when it was much less welcome.
Have you seen kebabjournal (http://www.livejournal.com/users/kebabjournal)? It's sadly not been used for a while, but an excellent place to post such things :)

[tvor.livejournal.com]

I had one in Worcester when i was over there last, wiht a garlic sauce. While it wasn't quite the same as our sauce, it wasn't bad. The kabab however tasted quite different as this shop put some sort of curry spice in it. One of my favourite places here, the meat is quite peppery and garlicky which i like too. I"ve seen kebabjournal before.... haven't looked in awhile.

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

I put a big towel on the front of me to eat gyros or take my shirt off. ;)

[tvor.livejournal.com]

A towel to eat something.... that's what we use for lobster :) You just *can't* eat a lobster in a restaurant with dignity! I also never eat spaghetti out.

[psychfringe.livejournal.com]

there was a place in sackville that offered parsley with them{..they all used to put parsley on them but stopped...since when is parsely expensive?}I think I was the only one in sackville that not only had parsley but wanted extra parsley..they dont have it anymore....*sniff*.

I cook boneless chicken on the barbeque...slice it up thin....add tomatoe..PARSLEY...and green onion..I buy donair sauce at Haddads and slap it all on the flour tortilla....YUM

[tvor.livejournal.com]

mmmm i would imagine parsley or anything else green just didn't impress the general public. IN the UK they give you salad on the side with it. Lettuce and stuff.

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

"First Donair" memoirs? Beautiful. This is what Livejournal is there for.
I only wish I could remember my first one but there's been so many since, it all becomes a blur... I think it was in the centre of Wolverhampton but I can't recall for sure. I should clarify, when I say "the centre of Wolverhampton", I mean a shop there - I didn't just scrape it up off the pavement...
Although, there's the burning million dollar question - if you drop your kebab in a drunken fit, is it correct to pick it up and continue eating it??

[tvor.livejournal.com]

LOL considering the condition of the pavements and ashphalt outside some of these er... establishments, specially late at night after chucking out time, i would say.... no. not a snowball's chance in hell. I'd go hungry thanks LOL

[tvor.livejournal.com]

My first UK doner was the one Joel brought back late one SAturday night in Worcester. I'll need further research though. I didn't expect it to be flavoured with curry. Are they all ?

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

Most kebabs don't have curry sauce on them.. but Shakeys in Worcester puts curry on EVERYTHING.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

Well it was an unusual taste for a kebab but not all that bad really. Just different. Everyone makes the same mistake of ordering a large the first time they order from this shop. Their smallis bigger than most large at most other shops. Their large donair is the size of a football!!!