What makes people Canadian?

[Motogogo]

Canadian TV and film is one export I appreciate, some excellent sitcoms can be found on youtube.
I liked the Corner Gas series, and the very low brow Trailer Park Boys they are a hoot. Turns out the
folks living up there and a lot like folks living everywhere else. If I had the bucks I'd buy you all a monkey.

[Penderic]

Please stand by.

[oldbike54]

 No one has yet mentioned Dave Thomas or Rick Moranis . Not sure if Canada claims them , but they are certainly less trouble than that bleeber kid 

 Dusty

[Don G]

Yeah that Bleeber can take off eh? DonG

[oldbike54]

Yeah that Bleeber can take off eh? DonG

 We tried to send him back , but you guys were too smart to accept 

 It is funny , the only real noticeable difference that most Americans notice when traveling in Canada, Canadian sales people are much less pushy . Probably reflects on the culture overall .

 Dusty

[canuck750]

We begin most conversations with an apology

" Sorry to bother you but could you tell me......."

And we thank the Police when they hand us a speeding ticket

" thank you officer, have a good day"... and mutter under our breath $@*!!

[ITSec]

No one has yet mentioned Dave Thomas or Rick Moranis . Not sure if Canada claims them , but they are certainly less trouble than that bleeber kid 

 Dusty

They were in the original list - see "SCTV" reference, which also covers John Candy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and others...

[oldbike54]

They were in the original list - see "SCTV" reference, which also covers John Candy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and others...

 In the spirit of this Canadian thing , I apologize 

 One other thing that was apparent during my last visit , Canadian Jr league hockey is incredibly intense . Attended a game in Regina , Wholey Schmidt , the place was rockin' ! We have a long established CHL team in Tulsa , so we are familiar with the game , but the enthusiasm exhibited in Regina was stunning .

 Dusty

[ITSec]

In the spirit of this Canadian thing , I apologize 

 One other thing that was apparent during my last visit , Canadian Jr league hockey is incredibly intense . Attended a game in Regina , Wholey Schmidt , the place was rockin' ! We have a long established CHL team in Tulsa , so we are familiar with the game , but the enthusiasm exhibited in Regina was stunning .

 Dusty

Hockey below the NHL in Canada is like high school football in TX and OK. 'Nuff said!

[smdl]

We tried to send him back , but you guys were too smart to accept 

 Dusty

If you try to send him back, we're building a wall...   

[nick949]

Of course, in reality all Canadians are like this:

https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M

Nick

(see, I avoided the 'R' word)

[Green1]

Being born north of the 49th parallel makes you Canadian...The link explains the rest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMxGVfk09lU

[Green1]

The funny thing about the Molson Canadian commercials,like all good humor its based in fact

[ITSec]

Being born north of the 49th parallel makes you Canadian...The link explains the rest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMxGVfk09lU

Of course, that would be a western Canadian definition - since if you travel east of Lake of the Woods, the 49th is well north of almost all populated areas in all the eastern provinces! 

[oldbike54]

The funny thing about the Molson Canadian commercials,like all good humor its based in fact

 I have a beef with Molson . They stopped making Molson Ale , have never forgiven them for doing so .

 Dusty

[rboe]

Entertainers and artists reflect the society they live in; especially good comedians. I think it's a feed back loop, one reflects the other, then the other identifies with the former. Kinda crazy, but an excellent way to get the pulse of a society. Well, it beats digging through their garbage....... 

[ITSec]

I have a beef with Molson . They stopped making Molson Ale , have never forgiven them for doing so .

 Dusty

I have a beef with Molson - I would like them to make beer.

Just because it's better than American mass-market stuff is not enough reason to call it real Canadian beer. Ah, for the days of classic stubby bottles of Old Stock!

[smdl]

I have a beef with Molson - I would like them to make beer.

Just because it's better than American mass-market stuff is not enough reason to call it real Canadian beer. Ah, for the days of classic stubby bottles of Old Stock!

Only when it was really cold...

[fotoguzzi]

Of course, in reality all Canadians are like this:

https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M

Nick

(see, I avoided the 'R' word)

funny!

[ITSec]

Only when it was really cold...

I lived in Winnipeg at the time - 'really cold' was a way of life! Besides, my doctor prescribed them for me to help me gain weight. 

The other good alternative (at least before it was bought out and ruined) was Club Beer. Remember their radio commercials where the announcer would interview people about their hobbies? There was a guy who trained cardboard boxes - and another where the subject of the interview tore telephones in half. One of the best was this one:

Interviewer: "And you, sir, do you have an interesting hobby you'd like to tell the folks at Club Beer about?"

Subject: "I read secret messages in street signs."

I: "Really? What about that sign over there?"

S: "You mean that one that reads 'No Left Turn'? Well, that's a message in the Patagonian Naval code, which I cracked in 1973 on a Tuesday."

I: "And what does it say?"

S: "I can't tell you. It's a secret!"

[johnr]

Of course, in reality all Canadians are like this:

https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M

Nick

(see, I avoided the 'R' word)

I barely understood any of that. But then I often have that trouble with music videos.  I couldn't make head nor tail of this one from China either. I mean it is seriously WTF on every level. Is it, do you think, representative of Chinese culture?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxzgwJ8tSE0

[sturgeon]

Lol!  That's a regional thing, I think.  I've certainly seen mayo on french fries, but not the fried chicken part.  I don't doubt that it's true, though.

How about putting white vinegar on french fries?  I clearly remember the looks we got at fast food joints when we asked for that back in 1976 on the way south to Disneyland.  "Well, we might have some out back for cleaning....".  Oh, and we should warn our American cousins to be cautious in ordering 'tea' in Canada.  If you are seeking cold tea, ask for 'Iced Tea', and make sure to taste it before adding any sweetener.  It almost universally comes pre-sweetened here.  It's more closely aligned with soft drinks than with regular tea (hot tea).

Cheers,
Shaun

One of my favourite smells wafts out of a good chip wagon in the summer, complete with white vinegar. And yes, I like mayo on my chicken. Burgers too, for that matter.

[sturgeon]

I have a beef with Molson . They stopped making Molson Ale , have never forgiven them for doing so .

 Dusty

You mean Molson Stock Ale? 

http://www.thebeerstore.ca/beers/molson-stock-ale

[sturgeon]

I have a beef with Molson - I would like them to make beer.

Just because it's better than American mass-market stuff is not enough reason to call it real Canadian beer. Ah, for the days of classic stubby bottles of Old Stock!

Molsons went all to hell when it merged with Coors 

[JJ]

Edmonton Oiler fans singing...."O Canada" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meLpuF9UMvk

[dlapierre]

I don't know for certain what makes me Canadian beyond being born here and having lived here all my life, but I do know that I only need about 10 minutes conversation anywhere with a Canadian or an American, I can tell who is which even after the American has lived in Canada for many years.

[Turin]

[Nic in Western NYS]

I don't know for certain what makes me Canadian beyond being born here and having lived here all my life, but I do know that I only need about 10 minutes conversation anywhere with a Canadian or an American, I can tell who is which even after the American has lived in Canada for many years.

That's so interesting!  I'd be interested in your ideas of what the distinguishing characteristics are.  If they are too charged, feel free to PM.

[sturgeon]

That's so interesting!  I'd be interested in your ideas of what the distinguishing characteristics are.  If they are too charged, feel free to PM.

A good ear for regional accents helps.

Of course, as a Canadian, I have absolutely no accent, even though I get laughed at in WI every time I visit 

[ITSec]

That's so interesting!  I'd be interested in your ideas of what the distinguishing characteristics are.  If they are too charged, feel free to PM.

When I'm in Canada, a few people always think I'm American. When I'm in the US, a few people always claim they can tell I'm Canadian. I don't say 'eh' or 'aboot', though I also may not say 'ruff' when I talk about the top of a building. It's a sofa or a couch, not a chesterfield - but every once in a while I'll say 'you betcha!". And my life in the south has had some impact, and inflections of San Antonio, Nawlins and St Louis (it's NOT St Looee!) will sneak in there too.

I'm so confused!