What do you find weird about Canadians?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Ortac said:

I suppose that another notable difference is that in Québec, they curse and swear differently to us!

I have tons of family in Montreal, and they tend to curse using biblical terms that they adapt to their slang.

 

Most French people I know, use sexual terminologies or straight up vulgar--adapted to theirs. Mind you I must admit, I do love some of the France curse words, that just like some British ones, are so mild in nature, but so blunt in what they are trying to convey.

 

I.E "You bloody git!" or "sod it!" to anyone else, sounds silly--but to a local, the insult was very sharp. I noticed the same with a lot of French (France) curse words.

 

Needless to say, the confusion is understandable when you hear a Quebecer curse using words like "ostil" or "calisse" or "tabarnac!"

[Guest]

54 minutes ago, questdrivencollie said:

How do you cope with your milk coming in bags?? Like, how do you close the bags once they've been opened....

I personally hate the bagged milk, so only buy them if they have a cap.

 

 

I guess what people like about them, is you just put them in pitchers and have it ready to pour immediately.

[Guest]

16 hours ago, CBC said:

Saying you're sorry is admitting that you were wrong.

This is something incredibly difficult for most people, because admitting you're wrong is admitting you weren't good enough. That your lack of this, means you've let someone down, or failed them. Very hard on the ego and pride.

 

Main reason why a proper apology goes against the will of most. Many will use cop out apologies like "I'm sorry you feel that way" or apologizing for the inconvenience, and not the mistake.

 

I learned how to apologize in a marriage. Ironically, was married to someone who saw showing weakness as something intolerable. But this is how I realized that showing weakness, was strength.

 

I no longer was afraid of being hurt, nor to begging forgiveness for a mistake, which would've gone against my pride earlier.

 

I took this mentality into my current relationship, and its been the most fulfilling ones I have been in, due to both having learned the same lessons in failed marriages.

 

Huge weight off the shoulders, and so liberating. I encourage everyone to learn the art of an apology and forgiveness.

[Ortac]

18 hours ago, CBC said:

Yeah. For me, French classes started in grade three and were mandatory until either grade nine or ten, I forget which. There are also elementary schools that we call "French immersion" schools, and parents can choose to send their kids there. Native English speakers begin having whole classes in various subjects (math, history, science, whatever) conducted in French starting in either kindergarten or grade one. I knew a number of kids who went to French immersion schools.

 

You also learn loads of it just by living here and buying products labelled in both languages, haha. Although that primarily means you can read it to some degree, more so than being able to speak it.

What is the situation with TV? Do you have access to French language TV channels in English speaking areas, and vice-versa? 

[Snao Cone]

3 hours ago, questdrivencollie said:

How do you cope with your milk coming in bags?? Like, how do you close the bags once they've been opened....

Milk in bags has never been a thing in my part of the country, but I was exposed to it when I stayed with family in BC. It was so absurd to me. 

[Snao Cone]

1 hour ago, Ortac said:

What is the situation with TV? Do you have access to French language TV channels in English speaking areas, and vice-versa? 

Back when I was a kid before we got cable, we had 12 channels. Four were local stations in English, one was in French, one was a PBS station in the US that was mostly funded by Canadian viewers, three were American stations, one was a religious station, and one was a weather station. (there are a couple I'm forgetting, or maybe they were just static at the time). When we got basic cable (40 or so channels) there were a couple more French ones. There are very few French-only speakers in my part of the country, so demand wasn't as high, I guess. 

 

I'm sure in more bilingual areas (and/or close to Quebec) there's a lot more selection of French TV. 

[Homer]

We had milk in pyramid shaped bags in the GDR.

[daveb]

 

5 hours ago, Ortac said:

in France and other French speaking countries, they just say “STOP”

oh, interesting

[Guest]

4 hours ago, CBC said:

Not owning your shit is the weaker option

I know so many in business that failed, from their utter refusal to look in the mirror. 

 

Marketing and growth is hidden in the art of humbling yourself, and looking at yourself and seeing opportunities to get better. 

 

There is always room for improvement. 

 

I look at an annual review from an employer and skim over the accolades and focus solely on how I can improve. 

 

Maybe that's my inner Canadian, though. 

 

I cringe seeing my overly prideful relatives holding grudges for a lifetime over stupid stuff now.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, daveb said:

 

oh, interesting

Am assuming its a Quebec thing only.

 

As am assuming it's the same with hot dogs. In Quebec they are called "saucisse".

 

Hamburgers are often called "hambourgeois". 

 

I have met so many people from Quebec who utterly refused service if you didn't serve them in French. Even if they clearly and perfectly spoke English. 

 

If I see you struggle and sense your French accent, I used to switch to French but realized some misconstrued my intent and took it as me eluding to them having poor English. 

 

It's the very reason my city was forced to fork out millions for a bilingual stop announcement system for its buses, after a bilingual rider filed a lawsuit citing discrimination o_O

[Skycaptain]

@Perspektiv, makes me think that people who insist on that are the "hambourgoisie" 

[Skycaptain]

So, so far as language goes, it's not entirely dissimilar to Welsh in Wales 

[scarletlatitude]

8 hours ago, Homer said:

We had milk in pyramid shaped bags in the GDR.

[Zash]

15 hours ago, questdrivencollie said:

How do you cope with your milk coming in bags?? Like, how do you close the bags once they've been opened....

We have reusable jugs that you put the bags in.

You cut a hole in the corner of the bag, and you can just pour it out.

[Ashmedai]

I thought bagged milk would have come in something more like a goon sack. Similar idea, where it's cheap wine, usually in a 4L bag that has a tap like so:

 

[natsume]

3 hours ago, Una Salus Victus said:

I thought bagged milk would have come in something more like a goon sack. Similar idea, where it's cheap wine, usually in a 4L bag that has a tap like so:

 

That looks like what astronauts use to get drunk.

[Kimmie.]

 

[JenniBee]

This has been an enlightening read. The only exposure to Canadians I've had is that I met some folks from Newfoundland on a cruise once and they were upset that I didn't learn Canadian history in school. Apparently they had to learn American history and were pissed that it didn't go both ways. They were also high as a kite and one guy kept saying "how you doin'" really loud. It was a good time.

[Snao Cone]

Newfies are a special breed. (I mean human Newfies, though canine Newfies are also special.) A few years ago I landed in St. John's late on a Saturday night, but because of our home time zones neither I nor my travel buddy were tired. We went on a walk down George Street where the bars are, and from the first building we passed we witnessed a man being thrown from the second floor door of a billiards hall. They have fun in St. John's...

[JenniBee]

15 minutes ago, Snao Cone said:

Newfies are a special breed. (I mean human Newfies, though canine Newfies are also special.) A few years ago I landed in St. John's late on a Saturday night, but because of our home time zones neither I nor my travel buddy were tired. We went on a walk down George Street where the bars are, and from the first building we passed we witnessed a man being thrown from the second floor door of a billiards hall. They have fun in St. John's...

Wow. That sounds amazing and horrifying at the same time. I might need to add Newfoundland to my travel bucket list...

[Duke Memphis]

What's with the whole poutine thing? Who invented it? Why would anyone put curdled milk on perfectly good fries?

[Snao Cone]

1 minute ago, Duke Memphis said:

What's with the whole poutine thing? Who invented it? Why would anyone put curdled milk on perfectly good fries?

It's good. The Québécois. Because it's delicious. 

[daveb]

Don't you just end up with soggy fries?

[ben8884]

depends on how quickly you eat them although gravy soaked fries are delicious. There used to be a great Poutine place in Guelph ran by a man from Montreal but it closed down-we still have another one but its not as good. Montreal also has steamies which are hot dogs but they are like, steamed? I dunno but they are really good. 

[Snao Cone]

7 minutes ago, daveb said:

Don't you just end up with soggy fries?

If the gravy is thin and you take your time, maybe. And it depends on the quality of the fries. Crispier fries will maintain their shape and texture longer.

[Homer]

Poutine FTW

 

 

On 12/27/2019 at 12:47 AM, scarletlatitude said:

 

Spoiler

 

We had milk in bags similar to these

[Guest]

2 hours ago, daveb said:

Don't you just end up with soggy fries?

Gravy should be thick creamy and dark brown. If its its runny, or barely golden--you're eating cheap poutine.

 

Cheese should be curds, and fries should be golden crispy. 

 

If all is done well, your very last fry will be crunchy and your last curd will be guey. 

 

I was in the UK at a chip shop and to my elation, they had grated cheese and gravy as side options. 

 

The server asked me if I was "mad" at wanting to combine both. I told him I would pay triple, to his utter refusal. He literally thought I was crazy. 

 

I told him I was Canadian. Not sure why I decided to do this with a clerk toying with calling security to remove a crazy person. 

 

He looked at me like he was trying to imply my insanity level was now making sense. 

 

I settled for the runny gravy, only. 

 

My inner Canadian thinking it was like soft serve ice cream without the cone. 

 

Everywhere I have traveled to, it has been my mission to introduce people to poutine and Timmies. Oh, and hockey and skating. 

[Snao Cone]

33 minutes ago, Perspektiv said:

Gravy should be thick creamy and dark brown. If its its runny, or barely golden--you're eating cheap poutine.

 

Cheese should be curds, and fries should be golden crispy. 

 

If all is done well, your very last fry will be crunchy and your last curd will be guey. 

Yup, this is what real poutine is like. A few years ago when I was in Seattle I ordered some poutine just to see if they could pull it off, and it was the runniest weakest gravy with just shredded cheese, not curds. The fries were certainly not golden crispy. Basically none of the ingredients should be the same colour. The gravy should be a darker than the fries, and the fries should be darker than the cheese curds. The cheese curds should be about the size of a gumball (but not actually spherical, of course). Mmm, if I hadn't already had lunch I would venture for some poutine right about now...

[Homer]

Those fries just weren't poutine the right place...

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Snao Cone said:

it was the runniest weakest gravy with just shredded cheese, not curds. The fries were certainly not golden crispy.

That's like selling shawarma without garlic. 

 

Greek food without tzatziki. 

 

Why are you in business? 

 

I tried this "famous" curry hot spot near Liverpool UK, and it was breastfeeding baby poop colored and textured, runny and non spicy. 

 

I spat it out, complaining this wasn't curry. The friends I had made, told me I didn't know what curry was. 

 

They hadn't even traveled outside of their city all their lives. Needless to say, we stopped being friends after that trip. I grew up with several close friends who were from India, so was introduced to the cuisine young. 

 

To me, if I want to open a business in a new country, I will study the heck out of the cuisine I am introducing to the market. I want to nail it. 

 

Of course you need to localize the food to the local palate, but if this is at the expense of everything that food is about, can you really sleep at night insulting the dish by labeling it as a genuine dish?