Yank in Canuckistan--checking in

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

So we just moved up here to Vancouver for the year a few weeks ago, and it’s an interesting experience. Year before last we spent in Belgium, which was understandibly different and we constantly were reminded that this was another country. From the US Pacific northwest, BC feels more like. . . uncannily similar with sudden moments of minor confusion. Like, “Wait, there’s no deposit slip?” or “‘Invigilate’ the midterm exam? . . . is that like ‘proctoring’”? “I have to dial the area code, even though it’s just across the street?”

Things I’ve noticed that are different/ surprising/ surprisingly not different:

  1. They really like lager up here. Coming from the Portland area, this is mind-boggling.
  2. In BC and Manitoba, I am told, they’re really into their Canadian Football (like US football, not association football). I guess the Grey Cup is coming up and people care. Inneresting.
  3. What’s with the blinking green traffic light? Mysterious. . .
  4. The accent’s true! Even here in urban BC, I can tell who’s Canadian and who’s not. I wonder if it’s clear that I’m not from around where when I say “Sawree ah-bowt that”?
  5. So very casual (at least here in BC. I’m sure in Toronto or Montreal it’s different). I like the semi-formal polar fleece feel.
  6. I like all the cricket-playing on the park pitches. Oh, and there’s field hockey teams (mens!) at the University. Wacky. Field hockey.
  7. There’s nice moutain biking like 500 feet away from my front door.
  8. How do all the aging, chunky hippies get down to Wreck Beach and back up? I thought this clothing-optional beach would be self-selecting-- I had to stop to get my breath a few times on the way back up. How does THAT guy get back to his car?
  9. So Canuck is not a derogatory word? I don’t even know what it means.
  10. Warm beer in the liquor store. So not cool.
  11. Canadian Tire. What a cool place.
  12. French on everything at the grocery store. I feel like my French is improving daily, accidentally. “‘Farine’ means flour! Cool! Hey, look, ‘Pompelmousse’!”

Projects: I need to find some poutine. I hear there’s a Quebecois ex-pat bar with poutine and Belgian beer. I need to find that.
I need to figure out the health care system, like how I go about visiting a gynaecologist this month.
Need to pick up some mango pickle.
I need to figure out this wacky grading scale.

I like you Canadians! Nice folk.

2

Yeah, we do, but Canadians and Americans have never really seen eye to eye on beer.

Canadian football isn’t too bad, and it’s popular pretty much anywhere that has a team. It has some different rules from the NFL, so it doesn’t just seem like a halfassed version of American football. The recent NHL lockout caused a resurgence of interest in the CFL and in some places (like Winnipeg), it’s the only game in town.

It means that it is a pedestrian controlled intersection.

Canada is full of tons of differnent accents. I think the stereotypical Canadian accent is the Ontarian one. You’ll hear it a lot around Vancouver because there are a lot of ex-pat Easterners out here. And, yes, your American accent is noticable.

Vancouver has a dedicated outdoor exercise community that also influences local fashion. Toronto and especially Montreal are quite different. Calgary too, for that matter.

If you think field hockey is wacky… you should check out curling.

You sure have a tough life.

That place is gross, and you’re right, I too have no idea how some of those monstrosities make it back up that steep hill. If you have the penchant for clothing optional beaches, there are some less horrifying ones… you’ll find them eventually.

I think it’s considered more derogatory back East… and probably more so amongst the French Canadian population. Out here, it’s just the name of our ice hockey team.

Agreed. Our liquor laws are still in the process of being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. You can get cold beer at “Cold Beer and Wine Stores” as well, most bars and legions sell cold “off sales”.

You’re right… endlessly useful. Be careful, Canadian Tire dollars are not legal tender outside of a Canadian Tire.

Canadian law requires that all food packaging (a the very least) be in both official languages. Other language laws differ from Province to Province. In Western Canada you will rarely, if ever, hear French actually spoken. The second most common language(s) in Vancouver would be Cantonese or Mandrin. If I were to guess, French would probably come in 4th or 5th.

The Quebecois ex-pat bar used to be Cafe Vieux Montreal… I don’t know if it is around anymore. Another interesting ex-pat bar is The Atlantic Trap and Gill, a haven for former or visiting Newfie’s. They have good poutine there.

Can’t help you with finding a gynaecologist… for heath care info, phone BC Medical.

Mango pickle?!.. and you called field hockey “wacky”.
Some further Vancouver / B.C. / Canadian recommendations…

[ul]
[li]drink a Caesar (it’s like a Bloody Mary, but different[/li][li]check out a hockey game (either the Canucks or the Giants)[/li][li]go to Vancouver Island… visit Victoria and then drive to Tofino.[/li][li]in the Summer, go to the Okanagan[/li][li]have dinner at The Salmon House[/li][/ul]

3

Canadian football is quite an interesting game. As you note, the rules are virtually identical to American football rules, but there are some important(and not-so-important differences). 3 downs instead of 4, the field is wider and 10 yards longer, one more player on the field for each team, no fair catch, instead the kicking team must stay 5 yards away from the ball until it is touched by the recieving team, missed field goals are always live(unless the ball goes out of bounds), kicks(including punts) that go out of bounds in the end-zone are worth a single point(the rouge) and punts can be onside kicks.

In Ontario(but not in BC), it means you have an advance green(ie you can turn left – traffic in the other direction has a red light). The flashing green light is being phased out, it seems, likely because it’s confusing, and instead they’re using left turn arrows.

4

As a Canuck (I don’t find it offensive) who has recently relocated to the US, I know EXACTLY what you mean about things being subtly different, and that almost being weirder than things being really different.

I just can’t deal with the money. It’s so hard to tell on the spur of the moment what’s what!

5

I’ll admit I’m rather surprised that you’re finding such differences. Portland and Van are pretty close together, you’d think it’d be more alike.

I moved to Baltimore, MD from Canmore (near Calgary, Alberta). BIIIIIG differences.

6

They don’t have Caesar’s in the States? You learn something new every day.

And nah, I’m not offended by Canuck either.

To capybara welcome to Canada.

7

Enough table scraps, old clothes, and splif stubs tumble down there as mana from heaven that the old hippies never have to climb up.

8

If you find yourself down on the Drive (Commercial drive north of 1st Ave) check out the Belgian fries place. They have pretty decent poutine.

You should really get down the Commercial Dr. area before the weather turns, anyway. Neat neighborhood.

9

Larry,
Yeah, actually the other day on the way to the homebrew supply we had a surprisingly good breakfast at a Cuban place down there. Nice neighborhood, at least on that stretch.
I’m glad to hear a real explanation of the blinking green. So it goes solid when the pedestrians are no longer allowed to cross?

Ok, also, the cops-- are all RCMP cops “mounties”? Is “mountie” slightly derogatory in the same way ‘cop’ is?

Also, has anyone noticed that commercial chicken egg yolks in Canada and Europe are much paler yellow than their goldenrod American counterparts? Am I imagining this? Does it have to do with feeding techniques?

10

The way the pedestrian controlled lights work is they’re normally just blinking away. If someone wants to cross the street, they’ll press the button, which makes the light turn red and lets them cross safely. If you watch carefully, you’ll notice that most pedestrian controlled lights will turn solid green briefly just before turning amber, I’m guessing to give people a bit of extra notice that the light’s about to change.

One thing to keep in mind that a friend of mine really had trouble with when he moved to Vancouver from Toronto: the cross street at pedestrian controlled intersections has a stop sign. If it’s safe to go from the stop sign, it doesn’t matter that the other road has a “green” light, you can go.

RCMP and Mountie are interchangeable. I don’t think of mountie as derogatory, though it’s always possible you’ll find someone who disagrees.

I’m not familiar with what American egg yolks look like, but if you don’t like pale yellow and are willing to spend a bit extra on your eggs, there’s one brand of free range eggs that have bright orange yolks. I’m pretty sure they’re called Golden Yolks, but they aren’t available in any of the stores I’ve checked in Victoria so I couldn’t swear to it.

11

In the Maritimes this August, I especially enjoyed the signs that warned of Loch-Ness-type lake monsters ahead.

This page says that it stands for “Bump or uneven pavement on the road ahead” but I know it’s just trying to calm people down. It’s the monster dragging its heavy body across the road with its fearsome claws that’s scored the pavement like that.

The Moose and Snowmobile signs are cool too. The Deer signs are also a little more detailed than ours, showing little white patches on their chests.

I’ve noticed that all but one of the bald eagles I’ve seen in the wild have been in Canada instead of the US, which seems somehow wrong.

12

As for the health system, ask someone for a recommendation of a gynaecologist, phone her up, ask for an appointment, and go to it. I imagine you don’t have a health card if you’re not a landed immigrant (akin to a permanent resident in the US), so you’ll have to use your private insurance or pay out of pocket. No doubt the receptionist at the doctor’s office can help with that. If I’ve said something inaccurate, which I probably have, someone will be along shortly to correct me.

13

I assume the health card’s not the same as a Social Insurance card?

Now blinking green lights are more confusing than when I had no idea what was going on.

I’ve seen heaps of bald eagles in the wild in the US, but I grew up in SE Alaska and have been living in N Idaho.

Thanks for all the goodwill.

14

Correct. Health insurance is a provincial responsibilty and hence health insurance cards are issued by the provincial governments. Your Social Insurance Number is a federal concern (I assume essentially equivalent to the American Social Security Number).