BBC:
Some words refer to things Americans don’t seem to have: toque for a kind of fitted knitted hat; poutine, Nanaimo bars, and butter tarts for three of Canada’s great culinary gifts to the world if the world would but accept them; Caesar for a bloody Mary made with clamato juice (tomato plus clam).
These Canadianisms stand as evidence of the difference between Canadian and American culture. It is very important for Canadians to maintain that difference, even if people from Vancouver sound more like people from San Francisco than people from San Francisco sound like people from San Antonio.
Until I moved to the US, I had no idea that Butter Tarts were Canadian. If you get a chance, try them. They are delicious.
I absolutely love butter tarts. And Yorkshire pudding. But NOT turnips in mashed potatoes! No way!
I didn’t like Saskatoon berry pie at first, but turns out it was the cook. (In Saskatoon of all places!) When I had it in Wainright, Alberta, it was fabulous.
I had a Ukranian landlady in Edmonton who made the best cabbage rolls and perogies!
And don’t even get me started on the International Festival in Brantford, Ontario where you can buy a pass and eat in dozens of world cuisines for two weeks straight.
Canuks know how to eat! Lucky buggers–a word I did not know the true meaning of until I said the word multiple times during a game of snooker.
I like Canadians (yes, most are extremely friendly) but as somebody whose profession was personally affected by the Canadian government’s tax breaks to lure movie production and visual effects north, I can’t muster any sympathy for the loss of “culture” do to the influx of Americans and their pronunciations. Many of those salaries are at a greatly reduced rate because of the greed of everybody involved: the studios, the VFX companies and the government. Canadians lament “brain drain” in that they train highly skilled labor who then move to the U.S. for better jobs; at least for them, it’s to try and have a better, more lucrative career, not salvage what little pay they can from a profession that’s been subsidized into the ground :/
I just looked up butter tarts, and it sounds like there are at least a few ways they are made (raisins vs. nuts, runny vs. firm). But, if nuts are your thing, try a southern pecan pie – I bet it’s pretty similar.
It’s like pecan pie without the nuts. Yum.
I am personally leading the charge to get poutine to be normal fare in the US! Currently it’s exhibiting an understandable viral north to south progression.
Every once in a while I go to a US bar and accidentally order a Caesar before I remember they don’t have clamato. It’s like the dark ages down there. Tomato juice? I’m not a barbarian.
Who would put turnips in mashed potatoes? Ew!
Mashed turnips. Mashed potatoes. Keep them separate I say! 🙂
Moms who think kids can’t tell the difference. I say they’re former KGB torturers.
OMG Good Ukranian/Eastern European Cabbage Rolls and perogies are the best thing ever!
It is – except for the pecan bits…. 🙂
I KNOW RITE!? A Ceasar with tomato juice is just disgusting.
I liked the hockey references and was reminded of hearing two young men talking about “pulling their goalie.”
It took me until today to remember the title of this, a (now) free* ebook on spelling differences in Canadian English. It’s basically a statistical look at spelling in Canada. It might be a bit dry for some but I really enjoyed it.
*-You have to email to ask for it.
http://joeclark.org/en-ca/
The great Ukranian/Eastern European food I found in lower-east-side Manhattan kept me going through some awful years in a previous decade.