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7 signs you were born and raised in Canada

By Caitlin McNeil On
March 18,
2014 · 12
Comments

Photo: Rafael
Chacon

1. You get Tim Hortons withdrawals.

Canadians love Tim Hortons. Every one of us that’s outside of Canada has Tim
Hortons withdrawals, and it’s always undoubtedly the first stop on the way home
from the airport after visiting a foreign country. Every time a friend from
another country visits, we bring them to Tim Hortons and make them order a
double-double (two creams, two sugars). When they take their first sip, we
anxiously await their response — and get incredibly offended when they shrug and
say, “It’s just…coffee.”

Fine, so the coffee’s average, but Tim Hortons is still a Canadian cultural
staple and one we take VERY seriously. The commercials are probably half the
reason why — they’re 30 seconds of nostalgia, and kids playing hockey, and just
general pulling-at-our-Canadian-heartstrings. When living abroad, I actually
looked up the commercials on YouTube just to get a little taste of home. And I
know I’m not the only one.

You can bet that every good Canadian on a road trip in Canada has downloaded
the Tim Hortons app. I know I want to know exactly how far I am from a Tim’s at
any point, in case I need my coffee-and-a-donut fix.

2. Your definition of Canadian is “not American.”

There’s absolutely no way to piss off a Canadian better than to call them an
American. While it’s an incredibly easy mistake to make in light of the very
similar culture and accent, we take it personally when people don’t
automatically know we’re Canadian. We feel you should just be able to tell,
somehow, due to our mannerisms and the Canadian sayings (eh?).

When asked what defines Canada as a country, our response is always along the
lines of “we’re nicer,” “we have free healthcare,” or “we’re colder” — all
direct comparisons to our neighbors south of the border. We may watch American
television, use American products, and wear American clothes, but we’ll always
still insist we are visibly very different, dammit!

3. It’s still a shock to see cereal boxes in only English.

Because of the Official Languages Act, virtually every single label in Canada
is written in both French and English. This includes everything from shirts to
soup to shampoo. Every single child in the country began learning French by
reading the backside of the cereal box, picking up words like “honey,” “sugar,”
and “free” (miel, sucre, and gratuit).

For most people, this is all they ever learn — and yet it’s still surprising
to most Canadians to see an all-English cereal box. Seeing products in both
English and Spanish practically stops my heart.

4. You use the metric system…sort of.

Canada converted to the metric system in the 1970s, and yet there is still
widespread use of the imperial system everywhere.

While we love to make fun of Americans for not converting to the metric
system like the rest of the world, we have yet to fully convert ourselves. We
still measure height in feet and inches and weight in pounds. Pool, oven, and
body temperatures are measured in Fahrenheit, while air temperature is
Celsius.

More
like this: How to piss off a Canadian

It seems we’re still in a state of mid-conversion, with no signs of ever
fully using the metric system in the near future.

5. You grew up with every chocolate bar imaginable.

Canada has the best chocolate — and yes, it is a chocolate bar, not a
candy bar.

We are the middle ground between American (Nestlé) and British (Cadbury)
chocolate companies, so we get all the goods. Americans don’t get to know the
joys of Dairy Milk, Caramilk, Aero Bars, and the real Smarties (candy-covered
chocolate, kind of like M&Ms), while 3 Musketeers, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger,
Oh Henry!, and Skor aren’t available outside North America. And then we have our
exclusively Canadian brands, such as Coffee Crisp, Crispy Crunch, Jersey Milk,
and Wunderbars.

You know you were born and raised Canadian if you got the biggest selection
of any other country on Halloween.

6. You measure distance in time.

When people ask where I’m from in Canada, I tell them I live about two and a
half hours from Toronto, and it almost always results in a blank stare.
Canadians rarely have any idea how many kilometers it is to the next town — they
only know how long it takes to drive there.

Driving is the main (and frequently the only) way to get around Canada, so it
makes sense that we like to know how long it will take to get somewhere. Ask us
how many kilometers it is from Toronto to Montreal, and we’ll give that blank
stare right back to you. This has happened to me a few times, and you’d think
I’d have figured out the mileage by now, but it just doesn’t seem to matter. 5½
to 6 hours makes way more sense than 542km ever would.

7. Every conversation begins and ends with the weather.

If you want to pique a Canadian’s interest, just start talking about the
weather. Canadians love to talk about the weather. Hot, cold, rainy, sunny,
snowy, icy — it doesn’t matter. We’re fascinated by the weather. It might have
something to do with the fact that our weather changes so frequently. It can be
15°C (60°F) one day, and -15°C (5°F) the next.

One thing you can be sure of, though, is that if it’s winter, we WILL be
complaining about the weather, regardless of what it is. If it’s a beautiful,
sunny winter day, it’s still too cold. If it’s snowing, we’ll complain that we
have to shovel later. God help us if it’s raining in winter — it isn’t cold
enough if it’s raining!

We absolutely love to complain about the weather, and it’s a sure sign you
aren’t a real Canadian if you actually like the snow.

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About The Author

Caitlin McNeil

Caitlin McNeil is an almost-graduated French student who travels whenever she
possibly can. After spending a summer abroad in France at age 14, she has been
addicted to traveling and can't wait to set off for some long-term travel after
graduation. She currently writes about her experiences at neverendingwanderlust.com.

http://www.candicedoestheworld.com/ Candice
Walsh

That lead image is just the greatest.

Meggie Kay

Trying to convert time into kilometres so others can understand will always
be my greatest struggle.

KJ

I used the static 1hr = 100km approach.

Soobiedoo

I too like that approach.

Tim Lambertus

In Canada we call Soda, “Pop”. Americans find this very
weird.

NancyPants

Unless you live in the US Midwest. It is called Pop there
also.

bobby muchacho

americana like poutine

miggiesmalls

Sorry(that’s canadian ) but that’s weak….

Expatcan

Nestlé is Swiss, not American. You mean Hershey.

bpai99

Also note that Canadians have localized versions of classic jazz tunes. One
of their standards is a reworked Duke Ellington favorite called “Take the
Train, Eh.”

C

I’m a nurse and we measure body temperature in Celsius. Otherwise accurate.

sdlare

Born and raised in San Diego, but lived in Ontario for 5 years. I DO miss
Tim Horton’s and you’re right, the first place we hit after landing is Tim’s.
Working in Detroit and living in Windsor was like being in parallel
dimensions. Canada IS clean, and the people polite, and really nice. I’d trade
them in a heartbeat for many of the “yanks” I have to deal with every
day.

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