Canadian Folk!

[faithinkarma]

What a wealth of information. I learned a lot, and I am Canadian LOL I lived in Quebec for over 50 years.

Only thing I might add is that Quebec also now allows same sex marriages

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/03/19/quebec.gay.marriage.ap/index.html

 

[SkylarKD]

faithinkarma > I didn't realize that! 3 down, 7 provinces & 3 territories to go!

I've only visited Quebec twice, briefly, so I didn't feel qualified to give any info on that province. I loved it though, and would like to visit again! It's such a beautiful province with so much history!

 

[Nutsy]

Those Graham Crackers are a mystery. I think if we decide to to with those bars, we will find something to use that is readily available over here. I've certainly never seen anything that resemlbes those......

But..........that is not to say that we don't have something, just I've never seen anything.

We do have crackers tho... "Polly want a Cracker" LOL

Ok, serious stuff.........we have several types of crackers, but just no sure what the equivalent would be..........I need to do a bit more research I think.

Keep the info coming folk...............the more the merrier.......the more we have the more we can use.

Thanks everyone you've been great

 

[DutchsMommy]

Check in the grocery store "baking aisle" to see if they have any type of crushed biscuits in a box that you would add butter/margarine to to make a base for squares, pies, cheesecake etc.

I know they sell a version of this in our grocery store that is crushed up "Oreo cookies" - not sure if you have those in Australia, but they are from a large American company, so I figured maybe you would have them there too.

If you can't find it, I would think any base you use for squares would be fine.

 

[from Canada]

If you can't find them in a grocery store, I'd go to a bakery and ask them what they use in their cheesecake crusts. (Maybe cheesecake is made differently there though?).
Im embarrassed to say that although I am Canadian, and know where Nanaimo BC is, and have eaten MANY nanaimo bars, I didn't know that they came from nanaimo B.C. ...Duh!!!!
"You learn something new every day!"
Karen

 

[Rachael Q]

Nutsy,

The closest thing I can think of that would work is the Arnotts tea biscuits crushed up.

If he has to include a bit on the language...

In Australia we say a car has a bonnet, a boot and gets filled with petrol. Here a car has a hood, a trunk and gets filled with gas.

In Aus the you ring someone on the phone, and it may be engaged, here you call someone and it may be busy.

In Aus a jumper is something you wear when it's cold - here a jumper is a dress like thingy (that was real clear), if you are cold here you put on a sweater.

In Aus hockey is played on grass or astroturf, here that would be refered to as field hockey. Hockey here is played on ice. After 7 years I still say Ice Hockey and people laugh at me!

In Aus you may live in flat, and if you share it, you have a flatmate, here you have an apartment and if you share you have a roommate (even when you have separate rooms!)

In Aus we throw old stuff in the rubbish, here they through it in the trash or the garbage.

In Aus we say capsicums, here they are called peppers.

In Aus we eat biscuits, here it's cookies (a biscuit here is more scone like and is served with savory dishes and gravy!)

In Aus we put tomato sauce on our chips, here they put ketchup on their fries.

On the subject of food, portion sizes in Canada are bigger than they are in Aus. When I first came to Canada (I am in BC) I could never finish a meal - whether home cooked or at a restaurant. When I took my DH and my inlaws home for a visit, they always felt as if they hadn't eaten enough.

In Aus if you have an entree - it's the course before the main meal, here entree is the main meal!

Canada is much like home, in that their "food" has been very much influenced by the migrants who have made their home here. Just like "Australian" cuisine has been influenced by Greek, Italian, Vietnamese etc cuisine, so has Canadian cuisine.

I had to do a presentation on Australian cuisine here not so long ago - I had to do the dessert section....I made lamingtons, pavlova, and I managed to get hold of some King Island Cheeses (and some Grandfather Port).

And this weekend I am making Anzac biscuits to take to work.

 

[Nutsy]

Cool Rachael So are you originally an Aussie??


I knew the car stuff & the cookies/biscuit/scone thing

Apartment I kinda figured was the same as a flat, but roommate is intersting

I knew the trash/garbage one & the peppers & the sauce/ketchup



Thanks for your input, some of the info was new to me, so I've learnt something new thanks to you.

 

[Rachael Q]

Aussie, born and bred! Well Tasmanian!

Lived in Hobart for 20 years, lived in Sydney 2 years and spent all my childhood summers in and around Melbourne. My dad's fmaily is from there.

Where about's are you?

 

[Lynda Silk]

I might have missed this but another celebration we have in Canada is Canada Day on July 1! This is a statutory holiday so no one has to go to work and there are parades and fairs and picnics during the day. Often during the night, there are fireworks displays. Many of city halls have "open house" with cake and drinks where the mayor and city government officials chat with the locals.

We also celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday; the closest Monday to May 24 is a statutory holidy in honour of her birthday. And of course we celebrate Remembrance Day in honour of our veterans and soldiers who served so well in all the past wars and who now serve in peacekeeping activities around the world. We are very famous for our peacekeeping endeavours and we are very proud of the soldiers who provide so much help and humanitarian work in nations less fortunate than ours. Our Thankgiving is earlier than the same holiday celebrated in the U.S. Ours is usually on the 2nd Monday of October and we eat turkey and cranberry sauce.

Also, someone mentioned on another thread that Canadians say "washroom" while Americans say "restroom".

In addition to our addiction to donuts, we also love Chinese food! Go to the smallest town in any province and you will still find at least 1 Chinese restaurant!

We also have our own professional football (like the American football) league called the CFL (Canadian Football League) although it is very small compared to professional football in the States.

We call ourselves "Canucks", an affectionate form of Canadian.

Just a few extra things I thought I would mention! Good luck with the project!

 

[Nutsy]

Hi Rachael I'm in Brisbane..............I have a cousin in Tassie, but never been there.

At least it's warmer up there than down in Tassie hey?

 

[Nutsy]

Ok guys I have a question for you.

The Aboriginal People.......are they your native people.

Like the Eskimo /Innuit is to Alaska?

We have Aboriginals over here too & they are the natives (dark people).

I've been trying to find where it classifies what Aboriginals are, but haven't as yet found anything.

 

[Debbie]

Yes, aboriginals are our native peoples. North American Indian in the south and Innuit in the arctic regions. Indian and Eskimo are terms that are offensive in the native languages and hence are politically incorrect, so....native peoples/aboriginals. In the old Western movies of the 40's and 50's, the natives were often referred to as "redskins", but skin colour is a beautiful shade of golden brown, that of course ranges from pale to dark. Eyes are usually brown, as is hair-dark and straight. However, I taught at a central school for 10 years, and there was a tourist attraction just south of the school. I remember some of the kids being photographed. One of our native students (red hair, blue eyes) was in the picture as well as one of the non-natives. (darker skin, brown hair, brown eyes). The tourist didn't know any different. Click here for a pic of one of the native child dancers.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

If your child wants to have some good natured fun in class, he can tell them that one of the most Canadian of all clothing lines is "Roots." I understand a couple of Aussie boys got in trouble a couple of years ago for wearing "Roots" jumpers to school one day. The word, of course, has a completely different connotation down under.
Gotta love the Aussies -- never seem to take a vacation shorter than 6 months in length and when they tell you to drop by if you're in the neighbourhood, that neighbourhood genereally is the Southern Hemisphere. I have so many great memories of my 10 weeks and $5000 spent in Australia in 1989-90 -- what a wonderful place to be.

 

[Nutsy]

This assignment is a goer, so be prepared for more questions if we need more answers

 

[alohamom]

Let's not forget all our Canadian talent: Alanis Morrisette, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox, Avril Lavigne etc... Plus many great writers like Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler(sp?), Margaret Lawrence, Anne Marie Mcdonald etc...This has been so much fun to read on a rainy Ontario morning, great thread Nutsy!

 

[SkylarKD]

Yes, aboriginals are our native peoples. North American Indian in the south and Innuit in the arctic regions.

There are Innu and Innuit in northern Canada. People often think they are just different terms for the same people, but they are two separate aboriginal groups, with separate languages.

 

[eleanor]

Also I use a serviette at dinner and Yanks use a napkin. I get lots of strang looks when I ask for one. (Serviette that is).

 

[Susan--Ontario]

There are other subtle language differences between Canada and the US. We put our garbage in the garbage can and they put their trash in the trash can. When we need to go we use a washroom, they use a restroom.

We drink pop and they drink soda. We have licence plates on our cars and they have tags. We have tags in our clothes and they have tickets.

Of course there are also language differences between provinces. I haven't really travelled in Canada at all so I can't help you with some examples there.

Ask lots of questions, we love to talk!!

 

[Cruisin]

Nutsy

Glad to see the project is back on.

Hope everything turns out well for your son!

Let us know, what he decided to prepare and how he decorates.

 

[SkylarKD]

Originally posted by Susan--Ontario
Of course there are also language differences between provinces. I haven't really travelled in Canada at all so I can't help you with some examples there.

I went to school in Alberta, Ontario & Newfoundland. Since university, I've lived in BC and New Brunswick. My fiance is from PEI.

I call it a "bookbag" or "backpack", he calls it a "kit-bag".

I've always called coloured pencils "pencil crayons". In Newfoundland, they call them "leads".

I've always called folders that hold 3-ring paper "duo-tangs". In Newfoundland, people thought I was speaking Greek. *L* But apparently in PEI they also call them "duo-tangs".

That's all I can think of right now!