Canadian Folk!

Originally posted by tinkerbeth
Don't forget DONUTS!! Tell your son to check out www.timhortons.com Poutine is another good one. Also, there's a neat salad from Quebec called "SAlade Niscoise" which is good.
Good luck!
Beth ;)
Actually, a Salade Niçoise is from Nice in France. But it is awefully good! My kids call it "salad with everything in it" from roasted potatoes to good tuna to olives... Yum!

I had thought that other than Potato salad, salads were not part of traditional Cuisine Québecois. Mainly pork and potatoes with the occasional rabbit or other game meat thrown in. Then again, I used to think the same thing about Canadian wine until I was delighted to find not just good but Great wines being produced on the Niagara peninsula.
 
Actually, a Salade Niçoise is from Nice in France.

That is the problem trying to define Canadian food. Virtually most of the dishes we associate with "home" can be claimed to have originated elsewhere.

And yet most of the French Canadian dishes seem to be quite authentically local. I wonder why that is?

Am I the only one who remembers going out and roughing it like "the settlers" when in Girl Guides...and what did they serve? bannock, hung on a twig, and roasted over a fire.
 
...and strawberry shortcake for dessert!!

yummm...nothing says "July Church Suppers" more than Strawberry Shortcake!!

Good luck on the projects!!
:sunny:
 
Originally posted by Baboo
Hi Nutsy! Do you still have any of the recipes or the maple syrup I sent you for the recipe exchange? I think I sent the recipe for butter tarts, or maple butter tarts. This is a Canadian recipe and you can make them in a small tart pan or a regular one depending on how big you want the serving to be.



Maple Syrup is all gone:D We started having pancakes for breakfast after that arrived..How could we resisit.........that stuff is sooooooooo yummy......:)

I do have the recipes tho.....must look them out.......thanks for reminding me. I'll make that my mission for today. I do remember something to do with maple syrup amongst them.........


All this info is great...........all recipes are welcome.........as it will take a bit of time to work out just what he is going to cook. The easier the better as far as he is concerned:teeth:
 

When does his project have to be done, Nutsy?

If you are having trouble finding anything you need, just let me know and I will see if I can send some to you.
 
He has quite a while yet Robin. He doesn't even have the sheet yet, but my other son did this last year, so we know what is coming up this year & are getting a head start:D


Thanks for the offer.............once we work out what he wants to make I'll let you know.::yes::
 
My sister in law in Las Vegas has a number of stereo-types that I have been trying to beat out of her!!

1. We do not say oot and aboot. Some Canadians may but the majority do not. We do say 'eh.' and no matter how much I try I can't stop myself :teeth: Hubby said 'eh' to a CM in the Canadian pavillion and she asked if he was making fun of her. This surprised him, he admitted to her he was from Canada and she said 'I wondered because you used it right' LOL.

2. As a previous poster said, we do not live in igloos.

3. You can't just drive to Canada to go skiing.

4. It isn't the ocean it's Lake Erie. (Or Superior, Huron, Ontario, Michigan)

5. It's a touque but that's OK you can call it a hat.

6. Yes, skin will freeze.

Any other stereotypes?
 
I was once asked, by someone in NY, if we had a change of season in Canada.

Another stereotype is that we are nice and kind and very laid back. While I personally am of course, I know many Canadians who are not. :smooth:
 
I have a question..........what is Grahams Wafer Crumbs?
 
Originally posted by DutchsMommy
The above suggestions are great - hopefully you can find the ingredients!! I have included a link to a Canadian Gov't website for some of the other details you might need - ie. population, weather etc. From my travels I have found that Aussies are the closest people I can think of to Candians!! In general temperment, way of life, behaviour, humour etc. This is just my opinion, but when travelling Aussies and Canucks seem to get along the best. If your son needs to actually participate in an exchange program, he is welcome at my house and I'll just ship myself over there!!! LOL

I wonder if they have the recipe for "beaver tails" that they sell at Epcot on a Disney (or DisneyFan) website - because you could make those too!

Peameal bacon (or Canadian Bacon as it is know to the Americans) would also probably be considered "authentic Canadiana - not sure if you can get it in Australia though?



http://canada.gc.ca/acanada/acPubHome.jsp?font=0&lang=eng


How sweet of you...........he would dearly love to be part of an exchange program. Ship yourself over here?? Why not? LOL
 
HOLD IT! :idea: Did I hear that we are shipping teenagers to Australia??? :teleport:

Oh, and graham wafer crumbs are graham wafers (crackers) all smushed up! :duck:

Graham crackers are made of graham and whole wheat flour. They are pretty bland, but are often used-as crumbs packed together- as a pastry bottom for cream pies, or kind of like the cookie centres in some chocolate bars. :scratchin Now that's clear as mud, isn't it??
 
On the topic of Canadian food...Mike Weir, our beloved Canadian golfer, got to choose the menu for the Masters opening dinner a couple of weeks ago...his choice.....Caribou and lobster...now that's Canadian

BTW, I had elk in a local restaurant 2 weekends ago...it was delicious...it was done up like a fillet mignon....mmmmmm
 
Well we sure don't have anything called Graham's Wafers over here, so looks like that recipe is out:( Unless we have something similar........who knows?
 
Hey Nutsy, graham wafers are not heavy (to mail) nor expensive( to buy) if you need some let me know.

Try looking in the cracker section of your grocery store, I think that is where they are kept in our store. Here you can get graham wafers or graham wafer crumbs.
 
Thanks Robin. Are they bland or pleasant to taste? Just trying to work out what our alternative would be that's all....

Wafers..........are they plain wafers, as in a biscuit. Ice Cream Wafer whatever?
 
They are not really bland, they are kind of sweet.

They are brown in colour and usually come in squares, that are attached together in rectangles that you snap the squares out of. If you can picture that!! Not a dark chocolate brown but more of a golden brown colour.

They are more like a cookie (or a biscuit) than a cracker. Ice cream wafers here are dark brown in colour and usually soft. Graham wafers are crunchy.

What are looking at making with the graham wafers?
 
It was Nanaimo Bars, but we'll find something else I'm sure.........

I'ts just finding something that is relativley easy & not too expensive, as it has to serve 30 odd people, but they just get at taste, not a whole serve.
 
Graham wafer crumbs are what we use to make a crust that is not a pastry. Like a crust for a cheesecake. Do you have anything similar in Australia? I am thinking that yu must, byt they are called somethng completely different.

A bit of trivia......Graham crackers were named for a man who believed unhealthy diet led to sexual excess.

http://www.snopes.com/food/origins/graham.htm

this site will give you a picture of what we are talking about....the crackers, not the excess:crazy:

and if you want to get really adventurous, the following is the recipe to make graham crackers.

http://www.pastrywiz.com/archive/recipe/0465.htm
 
My turn to help! I've lived all across the country - I'm in my 5th province now! I was born in Ontario, and have lived there, Alberta, Newfoundland, BC and now New Brunswick. I've also spent a significant amount of time in PEI and Nova Scotia. I consider myself a Newfoundlander (see the flag in my signature?), as I spent high school and my first university degree in Newfoundland. Give me the ocean and fiddle and accordian music any day!!

First off, I have to say that English Canadians don't consider themselves British, or say that they live in British provinces. We recognize our British heritage, but now, we're Canadians. We would just consider most of our provinces English provinces.

Interesting tidbits:

New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province. Quebec did not ratify our 1982 constitution, so the province is not officially bilingual. (weird, huh? ;) )New Brunswick has a large Acadian population. Despite this, all of the provincial governments, and the federal government, offer bilingual services, and many tourist destinations do as well.

Newfoundland did not become a part of Canada until 1949. Before that, it was not a part of Britain, as many people think. Newfoundland was a separate country, with its own Prime Minister and its own currency. Newfoundlanders did, however, fight with Britain in the two World Wars, which I think is where some of the confusion comes from. It's interesting, when you ask most people in Newfoundland where they are from, they respond that they consider themselves a Newfoundlander first, and a Canadian second. This is more so with the older generation, but the younger generation also has a lot of provincial pride, and you often see young people wearing the provincial Newfoundland flag, or the Republic of Newfoundland flag. Also, wherever "O Canada" is sung in Newfoundland, you can guarantee "The Ode To Newfoundland" (Newfoundland's anthem) will be sung as well!

How people select, prepare, cook & consume food

This is very dfferent all across the country, as people have mentioned. Our country is so huge and has so many ethnicities, it's hard to narrow it down.

Most people buy their food from grocery stores and farmer's markets. In rural areas, people may have their own garden in which they grow some vegetables and herbs. In the coastal regions, fishing is a big part of the lifestyle, although there are restrictions on how much you can fish, and when. Hunting is popular in some parts of Canada too. I know people go moose and bird hunting in Newfoundland and New Brunswick, but I don't know much about hunting in each province. If anyone reading this is a hunter, maybe they can enlighten you more on this.

An interesting (and easy!) breakfast/snack that your son could make for his project is a Newfoundland dish we call toutons (the "ou" is pronounced like when you say ouch or towel). Quite simply, it's fried bread dough. Go to the bakery and buy white bread dough. Cut it up into pieces about the size of a golf ball and fry them in a pan with butter. Don't cut them too big or they won't cook all the way through and they'll stay dough-y. They're perfect when they're golden brown on both sides. Don't let the butter burn or it will turn your toutons an icky black/brown colour. :crazy2: Serve them hot with maple syrup or berries. It's not the most healthy treat in the world, but it's a tasty alternative to waffles or pancakes.

Clothing

This varies a bit depending on where you live, but all Canadians experience winter. In the Vancouver, British Columbia area though, unless you're in the mountains, winter is very short, and not severe at all. When I lived just outside Vancouver, we only had a few snowfalls, only one amounting to anything you'd have to shovel. In most places in Canada, people are well-acquainted with their shovels and snow-blowers! ;) Summers can be quite hot, especially in southern Ontario, where the pollution and humidity also plays a factor. In the Atlantic provinces (NB, NS, PEI & NL), the summers are generally moderate; around 25 degrees C. (although Fredericton, NB, where I live now, can be surprisingly hot, because it's not by the ocean).

Shelter

Houses, apartments, etc. Homeless shelters are available for the homeless who choose to use them.

Special events......eg. births, marriages, deaths, birthdays, anniversaries, special ceremonies

Oh my... that's a loaded question. Again, it really varies depending on the area and ethnicity. I think marriages occur the most frequently in churches/temples/mosques/etc., but a lot of people are now turning to non-religious ceremonies. Canada is moving towards the legalization of same-sex marriages. Ontario and British Columbia courts have allowed same-sex marriages, and the Federal government is working on changing the definition to include same-sex marriages. This is a hot topic, as most polls seem to say that the country's opinions are about equally divided. Most funerals seem to be done in churches and halls, with people sitting in chairs/benches and people speaking one at a time behind a podium. I haven't been to that many funerals though. I'd imagine different ethnicities have different customs.

In Newfoundland, we have a special tradition for Christmastime, called Mummering. There are different incarnations of this around the world. You can find information on mummering on the bottom of this page about Newfoundland customs. http://www.geocities.com/sky_lar/nfldcustoms.html

Something else that is popular in Newfoundland for birthdays, and apparently in the rest of Atlantic Canada as well (I never encountered it when I went to school in Alberta & Ontario!), is getting 'creamed' on your birthday. Essentially, watch out on your birthday at lunchtime in school, because someone is liable to smush a piece of cake in your face! (I HATED this custom! *L*)

Availability of food & other resources

The fish and seafood stocks have been regulated in recent years due to worries about depletion. There never seems to be much trouble finding what you need in grocery stores though! I think our logging resources are doing okay, although they're being harvested faster than the trees can grow back. There have been fairly recent oil and mineral deposits found and developed in Newfoundland & Labrador. If your son wants to know more about them, he can search Hibernia and Voisey's Bay. People from other parts of Canada will have to comment on the resources there.

Financial restraints (economy)

The Canadian dollar fluctuates with the American dollar.
Canada generally has what are considered, rightly or wrongly, as "have" and "have-not" provinces. Ontario, Alberta and BC are considered "have" provinces, and the rest (I'm not sure about Quebec though) are considered "have-not" provinces. This stems from the amount of resources in each province, but also largely from the population. ON, SB, BC and QUE have most of Canada's population (I'm sure your son can find figures on this somewhere). The Federal government gets money from each province, and then redistributes the money to help out provinces that are in financial difficulty. This can get rather technical, and some people find this a source of heated debate, but those are the basics.

Technological infulences

Canada is influenced by the technology in the United States and from Asia, but Canada actually has the highest rate of internet usage per capita in the world, and is the government that is generally considered the most progressive in moving towards online government. A fairly easy to read explanation (depending on how old your son is, I don't remember if you said) of e-governemnt in Canada can be found here: http://www.accenture.com/xd/xd.asp?...government/capabilities/gove_capa_focused.xml Just skip to the part about Canada and look at the glossary for definitions. Many government services are now online, including filing for taxes, and Employment Insurance services. The high Internet usage is linked to Canada's high literacy rates.

Religion

I believe the majority of Canadians are Christian, but there are a lot of different religions and ethnicities, particularly in larger cities. There must be statistics on this somewhere, but I'm not sure where. Maybe the government of Canada's Heritage department website?

Other cultures

Maybe someone else can give you some information on Aboriginal culture in Canada, because that is a huge influence in Canada today, and certainly in the past. Also, some information about the Innu and Inuit in Labrador and the Territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunuvut) would be valuable to your son's project.



.... Wow, I wrote a lot. (amazing what you can do when you're procrastinating! ;) Hopefully some of this will be helpful!
 
I love graham crackers with butter on them or with beanutbutter on them.
 















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