Are you in the mood for Greek food? If you’re craving souvlaki or a gyro, a walk through downtown Montreal will yield a multitude of Greek options.

While Greek food is plentiful and abundant in this metropolis, quality is sporadic and difficult to pinpoint. Too often, Greek food can be overly salty and oily. What is it that distinguishes mediocrity from excellence? Simple: authenticity.

Hidden deep within the Plateau is a small family-run restaurant called Terrasse Lafayette, or known to regulars as ‘Lafayette’s’. This restaurant serves a mixture of different cuisines, attracting a wide variety of customers: one can order pizza, pasta, burgers, various vegetarian dishes, and most importantly, genuine Greek cuisine. Others seem to enjoy the whole menu, but I would recommend avoiding the mediocre Italian and American dishes, and opt for the Greek selections.

It may seem like an obvious notion, but Greeks just make the best Greek food. The owners of this restaurant are from Greece, and know how to season and cook satisfying dishes. This is the type of comfort food you crave on a weekly basis. Without fail, I order in once a week, usually the same thing: a chicken pita with French fries.

The chicken pita contains moist and delicately seasoned chicken that is grilled to perfection on a skewer. It is then topped with crisp chunks of tomato, plenty of fresh onion slices, and a smooth, not too garlic-y tzatziki sauce, no mint.  In fact, I cannot remember having a good authentic tzatziki that contains mint.  The sandwich wrap is slightly thicker and a little breadier than the average pita, and provides the perfect contrast of textures: the soft pita, the tomatoes and onions adding some crunch, and moistness from the chicken and smooth tzatziki.  Bonus tip: chilling an extra souvlaki overnight, and eating it for lunch the next day offers yet another tasty experience.

With regards to the French fries, it is challenging, in my opinion, to make French fries crave-worthy, but Lafayette’s manages to do just that. If I do not eat these fries weekly, I experience withdrawal. In addition, Lafayette’s is always willing to accommodate special requests. I order my French fries extra crispy and without salt, exactly how I enjoy them. The fries are always the ideal texture, without being oily.

Terrasse Lafayette encourages both delivery and dine-in eating. The restaurant is relatively small in size, but is newly renovated and extremely clean. The washrooms are some of the nicest I have found in the city. It boasts a warm atmosphere and friendly service. Occasionally, the service can be slow due to the small number of staff, and a frequently-packed restaurant.  If you visit during the off-hours between lunch and dinner, it makes for a much calmer experience.

In my opinion, delivery is the way to go; it’s free and usually takes 45 minutes. However, at peak hours it can take as long as an hour and a half. Be ready to wait, but take my word—the food is worth it. Even if the food does take a while, it always arrives steaming hot.  The price is reasonable, and one chicken pita with fries costs less than $10 (minimum $10 for delivery).

I absolutely love Greek food and am admittedly a tough critic, but Lafayette’s undeniably has the best Greek food I’ve encountered in Montreal.

250 West Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec 

Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

(514)-288-3915

These kids have no idea what they’re missing. If someone told me when I was a child that as I got older, Halloween would get progressively longer I’d have smiled a smile big enough to rival a late October full moon. You might not have seen the smile because I would have been covered with a white sheet with eyes cut out—an extremely frightening ghost—but it would have been there. As I have gotten on in age, Halloween has in fact gotten longer. It has also become the target of much of my post-midterm frustration.

When you’re young, Halloween takes place on the 31st day of October, not before, not after—just one day. It also only takes place at night, specifically in the hours that the parents in your neighbourhood deem it safe to roam the streets. In university, Halloween includes every day deemed appropriate by McGillians for going out—essentially every day but Tuesday and Wednesday —within a week of Hallow’s Eve. Some students have even taken to calling this period of festive costuming as ‘Halloweek.’ This year, Halloween falls on a Wednesday, directly between two weekends. I wouldn’t be surprised if I see superheroes, political figures, and sexy [insert word here]s walking through the ghetto even after the calendar has turned to November. It’s all just too much.

The sheer length of this ‘holiday season’ affects another one of my gripes with Halloween: the stressful process of deciding on and creating multiple costumes. Who would be caught dead strutting in a dollar-store pirate outfit twice? The aforementioned buccaneer must also dress as a binder full of women, a police officer, and Bjorn Borg in order not to look like they’ve worn the same thing twice. Thought coming up with one great costume idea was tough? Try doing it four times.

And don’t do what everyone else is doing. Rehashing a costume you wore when you were seven years old (but likely sexualizing it a tad) is fine, but no one will compliment you on your getup. You think you’re clever and cultured by emulating a big newsmaker or internet meme? Ask anyone who dressed as a Chilean miner in 2010 or ‘the 99 per cent’ in 2011 how clever they felt when they realized that they were just as creative as about 99 per cent of the population.

Do something too out there though, and you risk being questioned all night about what you are. Dressing up as Mitt Romney as CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympics shows that you are creative, and have read a couple of articles in the New York Times. Then again, you’ll be explaining all night that you’re “not just Mitt Romney” and pontificating that there’s more to the Republican candidate than meets the eye—probably not.

And what’s the point of it all anyways? As a trick-or-treating kid, everyone respects your costume—whether it’s unique, dated, or on the wrong side of the political spectrum—and there’s a solid reward for your hard work: candy. When a kind soul at Sunday’s Alouettes game tossed out candy to the spectators, I was reminded that there used to be an end to the madness, the equivalent of getting presents after a long month of enduring cheesy holiday music. Once you get to the point where your costume reflects how much you know or how little you can wear, the rewards disappear.

But you do it because you have to and because everyone else is doing it. So I’m going to put on my suit and oddly shaped sunglasses and dance like I’m riding an invisible horse. Everyone else might be dressed as Gangnam Style’s PSY, but I came up with it first. You’re all unoriginal. Happy Hallo-two-weeks and remember that we used to get candy for this!

The symptoms: sleeping in lectures, cramming for exams, dreaming about the holidays instead of writing your term papers. The diagnosis: you are officially stuck in a rut. The cure: exchange.

Choose your destination, sign the forms, and never look back. Being a student at McGill brings you endless opportunities to study all over the world. Just imagine what is out there waiting to be discovered.

I am currently on exchange this fall semester from the University of Melbourne, one of the many institutions with which McGill is partnered. I embarked on this journey to satisfy my craving for adventure. I had zero ties to Canada, let alone McGill; it is miles from my home, and most importantly has a completely opposite climate to which I am acustomed.

Choosing McGill was a spontaneous decision; I was browsing the catalogue when I came across a picture of the Roddick gates in the winter. Mesmerized by the snow,  I made my decision right then and there. As an arts student my degree is very flexible, so I was able to go basically anywhere. Depending on your faculty, this may require some more research.

1. Applying.

The application process has multiple steps, but none of them are too difficult. Knowing that each form you complete brings you closer to escaping abroad makes the whole process that much easier to bear.

I had to choose courses at McGill equivalent to my degree and my major, and each was assessed by a faculty advisor. This part requires the most research. If possible, I would recommend taking courses that are new and different from classes you’ve taken before. Stepping out of your comfort zone is what going on exchange is all about, after all. Just because your major is political science, doesn’t mean you should not take a course in African drumming!  After the list of courses is approved, the rest of your application is pretty much smooth sailing.

2. Housing.

You’ve picked your university and the flights are booked. What’s the next step? A place to live ranks pretty high on the list of priorities. McGill does not offer any on-residence living—unless you are a first-year or a floor fellow—so it was up to me to find it myself. A combination of Craigslist, timing, and pure luck provided me with an awesome apartment in the McGill ghetto with great roommates.

However, this will not always be the case for everyone, so I have some important tips. If the school that you have applied for does not offer housing, and you are required to find it yourself, start early, send thousands of emails, and check daily. This will give you the most options and choices for places to live. It’s a much more favourable position than living out of your suitcase for the first two weeks in a hostel, or spending your days exploring apartments instead of your new city.

Alternatively, if you are offered residence, just be sure it is what you want. If you cannot picture yourself in a dorm with overly enthusiastic first year students, then maybe finding a student apartment is a better option.

3. Take advantage.

Now that that the housing box is checked off, you are ready to embrace your new life and your new school. It’s terrifying, but amazing! I have been here for two months, and every day I still look forward to the surprises Montreal has in store.

In order to make the most of your stay, I would suggest jumping on every opportunity. Take advantage of weekends and get onboard all of the trips offered by your school’s exchange students group. Try not to think about money too much if you can avoid it. Money can be made later, but these experiences are a once in a lifetime. When it comes to the studying, this is entirely dependent on your degree. Many students will be taking classes on a pass/fail basis as part of their exchange, so when a 65 per cent means the same as a 95 per cent, make the most of this. Complete the work that is required of course, but your weekend destinations should be new and foreign cities, not your desk or the library.

It is never too early to begin researching, comparing, and deciding potential exchange destinations. You may not consider yourself the exchange type, but with so many options there will be something out there that suits you. So go ahead and immerse yourself in a brand new place. Good luck, and safe travels.