Monday, April 08, 2013

1960 Canadia Took 2

On my recent trip to Canadia I was surprised by a few things. Just minor stuff that reminds you you're indeed in a foreign country, even though the language is pretty much the same.
By pretty much I mean not exactly. I actually heard someone say tooks. Spelled t-u-q-u-e-. Tooks are what we call beanies or knit caps. I hadn't heard the word since the Great White North show with Bob and Doug McKenzie. And never in casual conversation.
Took a little getting used to.
Then there were the food choices. Like the breakfast jam caddy thing at restaurants. The ones down here have about 4 types of jams. Up there they also had little square tubs of honey or, get this, peanut butter. Peanut butter on raisin toast. My favorite new Canadian treat.
And HP sauce. Which tastes like Worcestershire sauce but is thick as Heinz 57. Good on eggs. But not good when accidentally smeared on peanut butter raisin toast.
Then there's the money. Canadian money has always been a little funny. Highly-colored bills and strange change. The one-dollar coin is called the loony, since it has a picture of a loon on it. They also have a two-dollar coin, with a little copper part embedded in the nickel part. I thought it was some sort of medallion they mistakenly gave me.
And they gave me a lot of change. I'll never feel bad about a thick fold of one-dollar bills again. My pockets were bulging with change in Canada. Every time I paid with a 20-dollar bill I'd get back a giant handful of coins.
I'm guessing they have a powerful pants pocket repair union lobby in Canada. I sure got taken to the tailor.
Or was that took?
America, ya gotta love it.

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