Canadian Cusine

[LBIJim]

I don't remember a Christmas that we didn't have Christmas crackers and I am almost 60. The outsides are getting fancier and fancier, I guess to match peoples decore.
tigercat

Yeah, I've known what Christmas Crackers were since I was a kid, but they're still far from common in the US. Wild guess: fewer than 25% of Americans have ever heard of them, and fewer than 10% have ever used them.

Most Americans familiar with Christmas crackers would likely consider them a British tradition, not Canadian.

 

[tlens]

Yeah, I've known what Christmas Crackers were since I was a kid, but they're still far from common in the US. Wild guess: fewer than 25% of Americans have ever heard of them, and fewer than 10% have ever used them.

Most Americans familiar with Christmas crackers would likely consider them a British tradition, not Canadian.

I've never used them as the cost is prohibitive for me. 10 crackers are about $18.00 here for something that makes a little poof. I do get a kick out of the Mr. Bean Christmas episode though when he combines them all.

 

[U2_rocks!]

This. When I got married in the late 80s it was still fairly common but it's absolutely dying out tradition. I think it was the tradition back in the 50s and 60s. And it might be regional to the Prairies. I think TVguy's relatives live on the prairies as do I.

It's still a tradition here in Barbados, though I think it is starting to pass in favour of new trends. Must be a Commonwealth thing, a tradition that maybe came from England originally?

 

[U2_rocks!]

OK, little secret about fruitcake wedding cakes. The fancy iced cake that the bride and groom cut in front of the guests was generally a fake, often mainly cardboard boxes that had been iced. Frequently just the smallest tier was real cake, then you had a separate loaf-sized fruitcake to cut up and put in boxes for guests. Not too pricy when all was said and done! You were supposed to keep the real fruitcake from the tiered cake and serve it at your first anniversary.

Yes, we did all that when we got married in 1990!

 

[U2_rocks!]

You don't have Christmas Crackers in the US?

It's not Christmas Dinner if your not wearing a tissue paper crown reading bad jokes off little slips of paper!

Same in Barbados!

 

[lizabu]

I've never used them as the cost is prohibitive for me. 10 crackers are about $18.00 here for something that makes a little poof. I do get a kick out of the Mr. Bean Christmas episode though when he combines them all.

We love christmas crackers. Honestly it's a British tradition but so many brought this tradition with them when immigrating to Canada. I've seen them at all different price points. From Dollarama all the way to fancy Pier one crackers with silver key chains and whistles. There's something very Christmassy about the whole family sitting around the table in silly paper crowns.

 

[SirDuff]

We love christmas crackers. Honestly it's a British tradition but so many brought this tradition with them when immigrating to Canada. I've seen them at all different price points. From Dollarama all the way to fancy Pier one crackers with silver key chains and whistles. There's something very Christmassy about the whole family sitting around the table in silly paper crowns.

We like the PC brand ones (making the "extra" Canadian).

 

[tvguy]

But you do the former (make concrete (incorrect) fact like statements). Then pretend that you are just doing the latter (sharing your experiences).

So, I guess the thumbs up means that you are agreeing with us that you are (annoyingly) acting like the expert of a country with which you are not that familiar. Glad to see we are all in agreement!

I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. Bulletin boards, e-mail, texts, etc. are one dimensional. You can't hear tone, see body language. They are flat on the screen. All I can say is the intent you are reading in my posts is not the intent I am posting them with. Okay?

 

[Jamby001]

I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. Bulletin boards, e-mail, texts, etc. are one dimensional. You can't hear tone, see body language. They are flat on the screen. All I can say is the intent you are reading in my posts is not the intent I am posting them with. Okay?

It's not just a thing between you and one other guy. A whole bunch of people here are reading things the same way. Perhaps you need to adjust how you write and not assume it's the other person's issue.

 

[SirDuff]

I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. Bulletin boards, e-mail, texts, etc. are one dimensional. You can't hear tone, see body language. They are flat on the screen. All I can say is the intent you are reading in my posts is not the intent I am posting them with. Okay?

I'm not sure what tone you could say "almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites" without intending to say that you think that almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites. Which is clearly incorrect.

So, what intent am I reading into it that wasn't there?

 

[NHdisneylover]

I am jumping in WAY too late to comment on the OP of the thread

I will say that we are American but have Christmas crackers pretty much every year (I forgot to buy and pack them this year, we missed our paper crowns ) but we have always though of them as basically a British thing we stole.

It's not just a thing between you and one other guy. A whole bunch of people here are reading things the same way. Perhaps you need to adjust how you write and not assume it's the other person's issue.

This

I'm not sure what tone you could say "almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites" without intending to say that you think that almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites. Which is clearly incorrect.

So, what intent am I reading into it that wasn't there?

and this

and it happens over and over in thread after thread. TVGuy, perhaps it would be good to acknowledge that a large number of other posters seem to get the "wrong" impression from your posts on a repeated basis and try to figure out how you can change your posting style so you can effectively communicate what you MEAN to say to us .

 

[Aladora]

Most Americans familiar with Christmas crackers would likely consider them a British tradition, not Canadian.

I think the same way about fruit cake at weddings, not as much a Canadian tradition and more of a British one. I have been in Canada for all of my almost 43 years and have never seen fruit cake at a wedding but I read a ton of books set in England and they talk about it all the time in them.

 

[DisFam95]

Not from Canada but we visit Nova Scotia often and we always have Donairs there! It's like a gyro but w a sweeter garlic sauce. I originally was not too keen on trying but once we did we loved them! We make them at home (texas) and for our Canadian friends who were impressed!

Bought some gyro meat, bread is specifically a gyro bread found at our smaller more 'natural market' store (I learned the trick is to quickly pass each piece of bread under water and then place on medium hot skillet to steam it/flip it over), then homemade Donair sauce, chopped onion and tomato as desired.

14oz tin of sweetened condensed milk, add 1/2 cup vinegar, and 1 tsp garlic powder. Put in the fridge for at least an hour so absorb all the flavor.

Then its elbows UP!!! very drippy but so worth it.

 

[SirDuff]

Not from Canada but we visit Nova Scotia often and we always have Donairs there! It's like a gyro but w a sweeter garlic sauce. I originally was not too keen on trying but once we did we loved them! We make them at home (texas) and for our Canadian friends who were impressed!

Bought some gyro meat, bread is specifically a gyro bread found at our smaller more 'natural market' store (I learned the trick is to quickly pass each piece of bread under water and then place on medium hot skillet to steam it/flip it over), then homemade Donair sauce, chopped onion and tomato as desired.

14oz tin of sweetened condensed milk, add 1/2 cup vinegar, and 1 tsp garlic powder. Put in the fridge for at least an hour so absorb all the flavor.

Then its elbows UP!!! very drippy but so worth it.

Yummy! Very much an east coast thing. Have you tried a donair pizza?

 

[tvguy]

[QUOTE=SirDuff;52891607]I'm not sure what tone you could say "almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites" without intending to say that you think that almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites. Which is clearly incorrect.

So, what intent am I reading into it that wasn't there?[/QUOTE]

Maybe you should ask those bakeries why THEY consider Fruit Cake "Traditional Canadian Wedding Cake" and promote it on their websites. They're Canadian, they're in Canada, they sell wedding cakes.

 

[declansdad]

I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. Bulletin boards, e-mail, texts, etc. are one dimensional. You can't hear tone, see body language. They are flat on the screen. All I can say is the intent you are reading in my posts is not the intent I am posting them with. Okay?

I guess you are going to have to copy and paste this post in a reply to every Canadian on the Dis Boards.

 

[SirDuff]

I'm not sure what tone you could say "almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites" without intending to say that you think that almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites. Which is clearly incorrect.

So, what intent am I reading into it that wasn't there?

Maybe you should ask those bakeries why THEY consider Fruit Cake "Traditional Canadian Wedding Cake" and promote it on their websites. They're Canadian, they're in Canada, they sell wedding cakes.

So, you've checked ALMOST EVERY bakery websites in Canada? Really? If you said "some", or "a few" OR if I said that no bakeries in Canada had them on their websites, then your response here would make sense. But you didn't. You stated a fact. It was incorrect. Instead of doing what a reasonable person would do and admitting it, you dance around the issue and suggest that everyone else is the problem.

Again, I ask - what was your intent with that statement if it wasn't to say that "almost every Canadian bakery promotes their "Traditional Canadian Wedding Fruit Cake" on their websites"

 

[ronandannette]

Not from Canada but we visit Nova Scotia often and we always have Donairs there! It's like a gyro but w a sweeter garlic sauce. I originally was not too keen on trying but once we did we loved them! We make them at home (texas) and for our Canadian friends who were impressed!

Bought some gyro meat, bread is specifically a gyro bread found at our smaller more 'natural market' store (I learned the trick is to quickly pass each piece of bread under water and then place on medium hot skillet to steam it/flip it over), then homemade Donair sauce, chopped onion and tomato as desired.

14oz tin of sweetened condensed milk, add 1/2 cup vinegar, and 1 tsp garlic powder. Put in the fridge for at least an hour so absorb all the flavor.

Then its elbows UP!!! very drippy but so worth it.

I find it SO interesting that you identify this food with Canada...its' origin is Lebanese/Middle Eastern.

 

[E&Cmom]

I think the same way about fruit cake at weddings, not as much a Canadian tradition and more of a British one. I have been in Canada for all of my almost 43 years and have never seen fruit cake at a wedding but I read a ton of books set in England and they talk about it all the time in them.

Yes, wedding fruit cake is more of a British thing than Canadian. The only recollection I have of having fruit cake at a wedding was once as a child in the 70s I do know though that my friend's mom who was British wanted her to have a fruit cake for her wedding.

Same as Christmas crackers which is a British tradition. We always had them growing up. My parents were not British but lived in England for many years before I was born and developed the custom . My in laws are British so we still do crackers every Christmas. My MIL usually brings them.

There are lots of British influences in Canada but I would not call them our traditions though. I can see them varying by provinces and regions.

 

[SirDuff]

I find it SO interesting that you identify this food with Canada...its' origin is Lebanese/Middle Eastern.

My understanding is that the "Canadian" version is specific - with the condensed milk (or evaporated milk cooked with sugar) sauce. Plus it is beef (rather than the traditional lamb) - though that is not so weird.

BTW - did you know that, in Canada, donair/shawarma/gyro/whatever meet has to be double cooked? It is cooked on the spit, but they have to cook it on the grill after shaving it off. Completely random fact I found out when waiting in line to vote in the last election.