A couple of weeks ago perhaps one of the most Canadian news stories I’ve seen in a while popped up on my Facebook news feed. (Don’t worry; I don’t get all my news from Facebook.) This particular article brought news from a small Saskatchewan town where Goliath the goat took refuge in the entranceway of the town Tim Hortons. The goat, at that time nameless, spurred a door to door canvassing of nearby farmers and eventually the RCMP took the goat into custody. It turns out that Goliath was not a local; he was one of three goats being used as part of a University of Saskatchewan student rodeo cabaret at a nearby country bar.
In the end maybe it wasn’t the most Canadian news story. It was the involvement of the RCMP and a Tim Hortons that made it so Canadian. It got me thinking though: what makes us so different from our southern neighbours? Is it the fact that a couple of days after reading that article I heard an intense conversation about realizing there was no maple sugar in the house for pancakes? Is it holding doors for people when they aren’t directly behind you? Apologizing when someone bumps into you?
Over my co-ops I have lived in Whitehorse, Ottawa and Edmonton, all capitals in one way or another. I grew up in cottage country just outside of the GTA where winter festivals and winter sports made winter my favourite season. I have skated on the Rideau Canal, eaten beaver tails, lived beneath the midnight sun and ventured beyond 911 coverage.
What I have found is that Canada is a country of small towns composed of a patchwork of immigrants. Whether it was the promise of farmland, the lure of gold or simply seeking refuge from a hurting homeland, we have all been pulled here by the lure of citizenship – the idea that no matter where we come from we can belong here without having to give up the cultural background that shaped us. As Canadians we look after each other, and I’m not just talking about free health care. Our geological vastness and relatively small population shapes us. However, it is our experiences against the elements, especially harsh winters that seem to bind us together as Canadians.
Canadians have some quirks. We can buy bags of milk in our grocery stores and put copious amounts of maple syrup on our pancakes. We can survive in the woods and revel in our fresh water lakes and rivers. In small towns people seldom lock their doors, and not just because in some places you might need them to hide from polar bears!
Now, it’s not easy to travel so far north that the sun never sets, and if you are in Toronto you may never see moose or beavers. However, if you are new to Canada here are some quintessential Canadian things you can try right here in the KW region!
1) Timbits. These bite sized pieces of doughy goodness are sold in all Tim Hortons. Because they are less fattening than doughnuts, you can try lots of different flavours before even beginning to consider your waistline!
2) Poutine! I have been assured by French people that these gravy covered cheese curd infused fries are uniquely French Canadian not French.
3) Watch a hockey game! Growing up hockey is all around us, in outdoor and indoor rinks and on streets in the winter. Partake in a game rink side, preferably while eating poutine and timbits.
4) Wear red plaid flannel and a toque. You may feel like a lumberjack, and that is pretty awesome!
5) Use the outdoors as your personal freezer. At one Ottawa University, engineering students hang their lunches out of the windows in the winter to keep them cool.
6) Watch some good old Canadian programming on CBC. For that matter check out the news every once in awhile, the stories might amuse you!
Well, I hope you enjoy at least one of these Canadian things in the near future. Even if you just got here we’re all a little bit Canadian, eh?
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