In this video Canadian stand-up comedian Russell Peters tells us how his Indian father became a real Canadian:
Month: October 2014
Saying you’re sorry, a lot…
Canadians are known for saying sorry – a lot – and being really polite. Maybe because of their British ancestors? I have no idea.
If you are in the supermarket blocking the isle with your cart, someone behind you will actually say: “Sorry, may I…” If you are Canadian too, you will reply with: “Oh, I am sorry!” and you will move your cart. Maybe you and the other customer will even say it a couple times more.
The same goes for bumping into someone. The person that walks into you will apologize profoundly and you will do the same, even if it wasn’t your fault to begin with. Huh?
Canadians are also very polite when merging onto the highway. How many times I have seen drivers actually slowing down or moving over to the left lane when another driver wanted to come onto the highway. It is almost dangerous the way people act by giving each other right of way. How can you ever get somewhere if everyone would say: “No, you go first.” “No, no, you can go first…” etc., etc.
I find it very confusing, but after watching the following video inspired by the books of Will Ferguson, this is what Canadians really say when they say “I am sorry”:
Ooops!
Canadian or American? That’s the question
Always confused about who is a Canadian and who is an American? Check out this video and you will spot the differences pretty soon.
Strange things Canadians say
On the website Stuff Dutch People Like, I found the following “translation graph” about the way Canadians (and other Anglophones) communicate. What they are really saying is quiet different from what for instance Dutch people understand.
I clearly remember the first time I was asked in a shop how I was doing and where I was from. Yes, just like most Dutchies I started to explain how I was that day and where I was coming from, only to hold up the line at the check-out. Although I heard none of the people behind me complaining. That is so Canadian: always being polite and considerate about other people’s feelings. But is that really true? Or just our misconception? More about that another time.
Strange food Canadians like…
Top 8 of Strange Food Canadians Like
1. Poutine
This fast food dish made it to number one on this list. It is the favourite snack of many Canadians and originates from rural Quebec, where it was invented in the late 1950s. It is made with French fries, topped with gravy and cheese curds.
Enjoy this “mess!”(Because that is the translation of the Quebecois slang word “poutine”, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.)
2. Bacon
Who doesn’t love bacon? But Canadians go crazy over bacon. They add it to almost every dish if they get a chance. You can have it for breakfast with pancakes and maple syrup, for lunch in a Bacon Lettuce Tomato sandwich, or sprinkled over your dinner. Most restaurants even serve ice-cream with bacon bits and maple syrup (number 3 upon the food-list).
Oh, and they even made a movie about bacon called Canadian Bacon (1995) in which the United States begins the cold war against Canada over bacon. To watch the trailer of this movie, go to the IMDB website.
3. Maple syrup
This sticky, super-sweet syrup is tapped from maple trees by boring holes into the trunks of the trees. After this the sap is heated to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup. In Canada, syrups must be at least 66 percent sugar and be made exclusively from maple sap to qualify as maple syrup, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
And really, they do put this stuff on everything: from pancakes to ice-cream and you can even buy potato-chips with maple-bacon flavour.
4. Beef jerky
This snack goes well with Canadian football and hockey games. You can eat it, ruminate it and eat it again while watching the game. It is made from lean meat, cut into strips and then it is dried while salt is added. The word “jerky” comes from the Quechua word ch’arki which means “dried, salted meat”. (Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, Diccionario Bilingüe Iskay simipi yuyayk’ancha, La Paz, 2007 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary)
Find out more about the making of beef jerky.
5. BeaverTail
BeaverTails is a treat made by a Canadian-based chain of pastry stands. Named after the tail of Canada’s national symbol: the beaver. BeaverTails come in the shape of a beaver tail and are made from dough that is deep-fried like fritters or donuts. After being fried they are often topped with chocolate, candy, and fruit.
6. Nanaimo bars
No oven is used to make these legendary Canadian treats from Nanaimo, B.C. They are typically made with graham-cracker crumbs, coconut, walnuts, vanilla custard and chocolate. An easy peasy, comfort food recipe for all those cold, long Canadian winters.
7. Kraft Dinner
More Canadian comfort food: Kraft Dinner. A classic, can be found in every kitchen pantry or cupboard across the land. Just cook the noodles with water. Add milk, butter & cheese powder to it and you are done. Every babysitter in Canada knows how to make this.
8. Tim Hortons “Double-Double”
The well-known Canadian term “Double-Double” is popular slang for a coffee with two teaspoons of sugar and two teaspoons of cream at the Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons. Especialy nice with one of those glazed maple syrup donuts or Timbits (also known as the “donuts holes”).
Strange things Canadians like 