We both have "Sesame Street". Except, in Canada, all the Spanish portions are replaced by French portions. I'm not sure if there are any other differences. Of course, things may have changed since I was the right age for Sesame Street. I seem to vaguely recall something on the news about funding cuts and the French portion. Maybe they just show reruns these days.
I was watching the news the other day, and the sports people were talking about basketball. I'm not sure which of the current tournaments they were talking about, but it was one that involved local teams, and "Yukon". I couldn't for the life of me figure out what some Canadian territory was doing sending a team down here to play basketball, especially since I didn't know of any other Canadian teams playing. Then, in tiny text, I saw the letters "UCONN" on the box showing the score. So, we both have a "Yukon", but the Canadian version is much larger, colder, and probably has a smaller population. I haven't been to either, so I'm not sure how else they compare.
In Canada, Cadbury sells chocolate all year long, not just at Easter. Mmmm... I *love* Cadbury chocolate! ...Although I prefer Jersymilk over Dairymilk. But Dairymilk is still better than Hershey's any day. Cadbury Caramilk is one of my favourites. Other (not necessarily Cadbury) favourites include Easter Creme Eggs, Crunchie, Aero, Mars Bar, Smarties, and Kit Kat. I can actually buy Kit Kat down here, but it doesn't have a lot of chocolate on it (same as in Canada). If I'm going to shell out for a chocolate bar, I want *chocolate*.
Milky Way is *almost* like a Mars Bar, and is what keeps me going when I need a chocolate fix down here. If I'm not eating them side by side, I can forget the difference.
Smarties are completely different things in Canada and the US. Canadians: you know "rockets" candy? Well, Americans call those Smarties. Americans: Canadian Smarties are kind of like M&Ms, but better.
Oreos are different too. They're made by Christie in Canada, and by Nabisco in the US. Canadian Oreos have more calories, and are worth every one. American Oreos taste rather like chemicals, and are not worth their calories. At first I thought they were okay, but now I can't stand them. :P
Up north the sun may set earlier in winter, but it stays up much later in summer. I'll take a northern summer over a southern one any day.
In Canada, we also call a "parking garage" a "parkade"... so if I ever tell you "I left your car in the parkade", you'll know where to find it. ;) (Again, I'm sorry Paulina... back then I didn't realize you wouldn't understand my e-mail!)
In Canada, another "polite term" for "bathroom" is "washroom". I always forget that people around here haven't a clue what I'm talking about, so each time I ask where the washroom is, your blank looks baffle me. It's not like I'm talking about a parkade, or anything! ;)
A chesterfield is a couch, an ottoman is a footstool, and if you come in my office asking for these definitions, please explain yourself before wandering off. I feel rather baffled otherwise.
Back when I was in Canada, I thought Canadians and Americans spoke the same language, just with the occasional different spelling. It turns out I was wrong.
I'll leave you with a true "funny American" story. Waaaay back when, a friend of mine was playing in a street in Winnipeg when an American couple pulled over on their motorcycle. They said they were driving to Alaska for the weekend, and asked for directions.
(PS: To find out why that's funny, pull out an Atlas and a ruler.)
5 comments:
We used to buy candy in Canada and bring it back to the US because you use real sugar instead of the corn syrup they use here (sigh). I love Aero bars!
Also, we have Cadbury bars/chocolate here, but not at every store. It's still a little different. And we have Mars bars, too, but I suspect they're slightly different as well.
[this is why that now I'm not nearly as close to Canada as I was that I buy imported European chocolate most of the time... US candy is just mostly icky. I'm such a blasphemer, I know :) ]
I find the Winnipeg->Alaska story hysterical!
Our local supermarket has the Cadbury bars AND aero bars. they can be found in the "international" section :)
Well, there's a gourmet store in Chapel Hill that sells them too... should I feel like spending several dollars for something that's less than a buck in Canada. :P
Oh, yeah, you're right about the sugar/corn syrup. We use real sugar in our sodas too. ;)
We had Aero here for a time, but apparently they didn't go over well in the US. I wasn't particularly fond of them (though that's not really saying much).
I remember seeing them all over the place when I was in London almost 5 years ago, though, so they are in other countries -- just not here, apparently.
And I don't need to check a map to know that the Winnipeg/Alaska story is hilarious! ;)
I knew you wouldn't need to check a map, but not everyone knows where Winnipeg is. ;)
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