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| - This cafe must be one node of a large system that is Montreal's rich mob culture. With Olimpico, this is only an intuition arrived at by the gruff employees, I don't give a heck attitude and that it's cash only. However, the mob presence in Montreal is more or less undeniable.
If you want to get a sense of this presence I recommend taking a trip to Chinatown's New Dynasty restaurant at 2am for some late night eats. After you get past the bouncer you'll likely see that amongst all the young, belligerent late night costumers there are tables of bald men in suits, silently eating their meals. There is even a YouTube video of a violent fight on the dining room floor between two rival mob members. Chairs are thrown all over the place! Ferocious stuff. In the back of new dynasty there is this big secret room with a long table!
Also there is this bakery on St. Laurant where you can't have your cell phones out and sometimes the sweet mob-affiliated lady who runs the place thinks your microchipped.
I've thought about the mob a lot. I support them. Human nature involves the shadow; greed, lust, power. It is better to give this part of ourselves a sort of penned-off playground to run around in than deny our dark side altogether so it can fester and harm others in chaotic and uncontrolled ways. If the criminal is within you and unready to be purged, it is better allow it to express itself in a relatively controlled manner. Otherwise we isolate and condemn the criminal in each of us and begin cultivating shame and resentment. Shame and resentment are the real danger, not chaos in its selfish and greedy form. As I see it shame and resentment bring the true horrors of the world. Mob members seem dignified. Becoming a non-contradictory and integrated individual who allows for every aspect of yourself and remains virtuous and dignified is challenging, but it's possible through acceptance! And for the few of us who are more shadow than light, mob-type organizations are perfect. Eventually we will grow tired of our most selfish qualities as we see that they don't bring us any lasting happiness and begin the path of self-correction. As far as I can tell this is a natural process, not one that involves self-denial. So yeah, I'm pro-mob for sure.
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