Up here in the north, we like to joke about how you Americans seem to know so little about us. I am sure that this can't be true of everyone in the States or elsewhere, so I am challenging you to list 5 things you know about us Canadians- I will let you know if they are true or not. I thought this could be kinda fun. Don't worry about offending me, we Canucks are pretty easy going. Even if you do offend us, we won't do much about it!
To start things off, I will list 5 things that we believe about you, our neighbours to the South:
1) you are patriotic
2) you eat a lot of fast food
3) there are a lot of guns in the general public
4) lots of you fly your country's flag
5) your medical system favours the wealthy
I am not saying those are facts, they are just the general perception about the US. Correct me if I am wrong. I hope I don't start a blog war...
19 comments:
Gosh, I think those are all true. I know there are way more people carrying guns than I think. Ok, so here's my list off the top of my head.
You all speak French.
It's very wooded and frontier-like up thar!
I can buy more with an american dollar than with canadian.
Gosh, and that's all I can think of.
"Up here in the north, we like to joke about how you Americans seem to know so little about us." Hmmm, I don't think it's a joke. What do I know about Canadians?
1) The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have sharp looking uniforms.
2) The view of Niagara Falls is better from the Canadian side.
3) The people in Quebec (I think) speak French.
4) The bloggers I have met online are friendly.
Sad, but I can't say much more than that. Maybe if I think about it, I'll come up with something else.
For your point #3 - that is true in the south. The further north that you go, it's mainly the bad guys with the guns.
Ha! This is hysterical! I think you've got #5 wrong, I think our health care favors the poor and hurts the middle class, and the wealthy, well, they've got enough $ I don't really think they care. OK, now for my Canadian thoughts (probably misconceptions). I took a trip to Vancouver a few years back so my "knowledge" is probably based on a huge city... not the bulk of Canada, but hey, I'll give it a shot.
1. (Most)Canadians are very liberal.
2. They hate American's capitalistic ways (I gathered this from an anti American festival I accidentally attended in Vancouver... oops, I did pretend to be Canadian on the way outta there)
3. They don't eat as much sugar as we do.
4. They don't talk nearly as funny as I wanted them too (I was so disappointed on my trip to Canada that everyone sounded so much like me) Are the "ay's" regional?
5. Everyone drives nice cars and they have VERY narrow roads.
6. Yeah, I know you said 5, but us Americans cheat a bit, he he he.
You have really GREAT shopping like Lush and April Cornell, and great bloggers like you and Rachelle, AND Prince Edward Island... my dream province where they filmed Anne Of Green Gables. I've always dreamed of moving there, or at least visiting! OK, I'm done now. ~Karlie
My father is Canadian and I'll porbably still not know much about Canada.
1. Your milk is really expensive
2. There is a magnetic hill somewhere and your car "magically" coasts uphill.
3. There are a lot of covered bridges that are fun to drive under when you're a kid.
4. The French speaking Canadians dislike the English speaking Candians.
5. My grandmother always said, "ruf" and "spun" instead of roof and spoon.
Okay after reading these things I realize I don't know anything new to add about Canada. Except, maybe don't y'all all have a red maple leaf tattooed on your left hip?
I also think that it must be colder in Canada - and maybe less humid.
Oh yeah - and you have good bacon. How pathetic is that for a list of facts!
Educate us! We were products of public school here in the US which basically taught us as Americans that everybody else wanted to be us. (I'm not saying that is true.) But little else is studied about other countries except how they impact the US.
Sad but true. I'm definitely gonna plan a trip to Canada now - after making so many awesome Canadian friends.
Oh the gun thing is true in Texas - which is its own country. However, it isn't like gangs with guns - it's country folk just protecting their own.
Our medical system - let's not even talk about that.
I do have a flag hanging in my son's room that my brother flew over Iraq. I am so proud of it - because of what my brother did.
I don't want to be anti-American but we have had some conversations here at our house lately about how it is a great country in theory - but a lot of what happens is so wrong. I'll have to blog about it later - gotta run - the feds are at my door! hee hee
This is SO funny!!!! After reading your list I realized:
I'm a very conservative, english/french speaking, bacon-despising, Lush-lovin', married to a capitalist, living in flat, unwooded Manitoba Canadian. Oh, and no maple leaf tatoos either. :-)
I love watching shows or movies where they spoof Canadians. My husband just kills himself over the moose in "Brother Bear". LOL
these comments are great. I will have to do some Canada education posts. I have never heard of a magnetic hill, have you Kathleen? Canada is huge, so it could be out there! Rochelle's Canadian experience will be very different seeing how is is a lot farther east than I.
i think our health care system favors no one.. it's a terrible thing.. but the rest i'd have to agree with in general..
but i'm afraid i don't know much about canada.. let's see what i think..
it's cold but beautiful..
bacon bacon bacon..
hockey hockey hockey..
more liberal in general than the states..
everybody speaks french and sings like celine dion.. (i just threw that one in because i know nothing else..lol)
I got my info on your medical system from movies such as Erin Brockovich. The media up here portrays that you all can't stand your president. Is that true in general- or is just the opinion of the more liberal?
Magnetic hill is in New Brunswick. My mother-in-law grew up very close to it.
I love my president. In fact, a good portion of us do, but the media wants you... AND us to believe otherwise. Maybe just maybe, the media are a bunch of liars????? Hey, does that mean the French like us after all?
Jane, great post! Here's my list:
1. The Candian drinking age is lower, as I used to go across the border to enjoy your clubs...Sarnia, Ontario is not the greatest town, but it was my border town during my high school years and on when I lived in Port Huron, MI. Hey, I'm almost Canadian!
2. Your hockey teams are better, and the best players from my high school always played on Canadian teams.
3. Used to be that we'd cross the border to do all of our school shopping...this was the mid 80s, and it was a killer deal. No longer.
4. I do not like having to think in Kilometers! The metric system....I need to brush up on this, and honestly, it makes more sense and I kinda wish our country followed the metric system, just so we'd be in line with Europe and others.
5. Canadians are not as concerned about eating healthy. In the grocery stores I've been in, there was nowhere near the choice of natural, healthy, or organic food.
Jennifer in OR, diaryof1.com
Having traveled to Canada more this past year than in my previous 48 years this is what I have found:
Canada is a bi-lingual country
Merchants don't think twice about accepting American money, unlike in the USA where it would throw them into a panic
Your National Parks are just as beautiful if not more beautiful than in the USA
You can drive for hundreds of miles on your state routes and not see another car or human being.
Yellowknife is one cold city!
Okay, I am embarrassed to admit that I know almost nothing about Canada. Other than the maple leaf, French speakers, and hockey, I know nothing! (and of course the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that Karen mentioned)
Here is my excuse, I'm WAY DOWN SOUTH. I may know very little about Canada, but I am very well versed in our neighbors to the south, go ahead, ask me anything you want about Mexico, I'm a fount of knowledge. :o)
And to answer your questions, the health care is a mess, and IMHO favors the poor. (don't get me started on welfare)
And down here in TX, yes everyone is packing! But somehow that comforts me, If someone started shooting up a restaurant or something there'd be about 10 cowboys with guns to come to the rescue! :o)
And the Media hates Bush, he can't be that disliked, he got elected...twice! But the media portrays him as dumb and unliked. NOT TRUE! (of course I'm in Bush country down here in TX) :o)
Okay so I am not Canadian or American....... but I do agree with the list you posted..... except, I don't know anything about America's medical aid schemes!
One concept I have about the Americans,.... is that they don't explore the world because they believe they have everything they need in their own land!
I'm sure you have many preconceived ideas about my land!!! That's normal!
This might shock you....... but we like Bush!!!!! My 11 year old son gets VERY upset if anyone pulls him down!
What I know about Canadians:
They love ice hockey, especially the Maple Leafs; Even moms who have lots of kids play hockey on leagues.
Yonge Street in Toronto is amazing! Or was 10 years ago. I once met a fellow who was walking up the road telling everyone he was Shawn from Kitchener, I still remember that all these years later.
They still use horses for crowd control in Canada (at least on Yonge Street in Toronto).
They have great tall towers in Canada for tourists.
They have excellent greek food, great colleges and everyone speaks several languages.
You can go anywhere and find people of all nations on vacation in Canada. In that way, it's like Disneyworld.
It is colder than anything in Canada in the winter.
You don't want to get lost in Canada (too many miles of nothingness between cities.
The men are really sexy in Canada. I made a calendar of shots I took while I was up there driving around. Great buns. These fellows have exotic names like "Gui".
Canadians still have frontier, whereas ours is all gone now.
Canadians are so much better with that darned metric system than we are.
The QE Bridge is a PAIN to get across! But those border police are so hot. Can anyone tell I am hormonal?
I can see your country from my old house. I miss that.
On a cloudy day I get Canadian stations and they are nearly always better than ours.
I love Canada, but I love the US too. Thanks for posting this, this was fun!
What a fun post! Okay let me give it a whirl.
A. We have a few rifles at our house, but for hunting. Although we believe strongly in the right to bear arms.
B.We do have lots of fast food around here, and we are WEAK when it comes to stopping in ..hehehe However, the public has been complaining about the unhealthy side of it, and so there are a LOT of healthy alternatives on the menus now.
C. The healthcare system favors the poor, in my opinion. Middle class foots the bill.
D. We love our President! The liberals want the world to believe otherwise though. Our media is a bunch of tale bearers (thats putting it nicely...lol).
As far as what I know about Canada, most of it has been mentioned.
Our dollar is worth more, but my boys think your money is PRETTY.
I've been told that Canada isn't crazy about us Americans, that they think we are egotistical.I think there is probably some truth to that, but I also think that Americans have been very generous to the world.
I love how clean your flag is with the red, white, and maple leaf. Although I would love to know why you have a maple leaf on it.
I think it's cool that you guys teach your children english and french in the school system. (Is that true?)
You celebrate Thanksgiving on a different date from Americans too.
I saw a tv program about the magnetic hill too...hehehe
Post a Comment