# ...and of course in Canada, the whole thing's flip-flopped! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476 "2015-02-12T15:18:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/41 "2015-02-12T19:01:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But it used to be the other way, at least for a few years. Yeah, yeah, that’s what I meant For most of that time, when the currencies were nearly at par, you got a lower amount of money both ways. Conversion fees are a bitch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/42 "2015-02-12T19:32:23Z")
In Canada, health care is freely available and guns are hard to get. 🙂 Not sure where that “aboot” comes from because it seems to demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge of Canada. We pronounce it that way from time to time for the ironic value. “I’ll drive to Buffalo aboot 10AM tomorrow…” We use Celcius instead of real degrees, and kilometers instead of real miles - so a speed limit of 100 means 60. Even more confusing, the long-gone gallon was bigger than the US one, so it’s sort of good we don’t use real volume measurements any more, we use litres. It makes our gas cheaper too. As mentioned, we don’t use real dollars, we use Canadian ones, which compensates by making our gas more expensive. Then fracking comes along and makes it cheaper again. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/43 "2015-02-12T20:14:23Z")
Now I’m really confused. Surely the difference between apple juice and cider everywhere is that cider is alcoholic? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/44 "2015-02-12T20:21:58Z")
Depends on context I guess. If I’m in a bar “cider” is alcoholic or “hard cider”. If I’m at the store or the apple orchard “cider” is unfiltered apple juice. If I’m at the store and buying “apple juice”, it’s been filtered and is clear. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/45 "2015-02-12T20:35:21Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > If you go to NJ, you will often hear people pronounce words like “foreign”, “orange”, “forest”, and “chocolate” with an “aah” vowel where many other Americans would use an “oh”. If you go to, e.g. the Maritime Provinces, some words, including the infamous “sorry”, which generally have the “aah” sound in the US, will be shoved the other way and will have an “oh” sound. That’s harrible. FYI: I notice it in some folks from various areas of the northeast, including NYC. > [@Grey](#): > > Well the Simpson’s reference is wrong, apple cider/juice is brown/yellow just like in the US. It’s a joke. > [@RickJay](#): > > As to this, it’s ridiculous. > > 1. Comparing Jian Ghomeshi to Bill Cosby is like comparing your bathtub to the Atlantic Ocean. Twelve months ago most Canadians didn’t know who Jian Ghomeshi was. Bill Cosby is arguably the most famous comedian in the history of the visual arts. > > 2. I don’t know where you get your news but public opinion in the USA has been against Cosby more or less from the moment this story exploded. Ghomeshi got just as many limited “well, nothing’s been proven” defences as Cosby did. 1. I believe that Ghomeshi claims it was “rough” consensual sex. Cosby denies even sleeping with these women. I agree that they aren’t comparable at all, and that public opinion isn’t exactly on Cosby’s side. > [@eschereal](#): > > In Canada, the skip fourth down and punt on third down, like they fail to get what fourth down is there for. The 12th man is YOU (_holds up mirror_) in the US, while he would be the 13th man in Canada. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Now I’m really confused. Surely the difference between apple juice and cider everywhere is that cider is alcoholic? In the UK (don’t know about Canada), cider is usually alcoholic. In the US it is more ambigious, and **hard cider** is the term used to explicitly mean alcoholic. “Soft cider” isn’t really used, but I think would get the point across. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/46 "2015-02-12T21:09:37Z")
Huh. I’ve lived in the US for 20 years and it never occurred to me that there might be such a thing as “soft” cider. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/47 "2015-02-12T21:12:58Z")
You can buy soft cider in Canada at the grocery store. It’s definitely marketed as a soft drink. You get cider at a liquor store. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/48 "2015-02-12T21:20:04Z")
In the US, the alcoholic kind is hard cider, the other is just cider, or sometimes apple cider. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/49 "2015-02-12T21:53:07Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Canadian politicians stand for office. Ours have to run for it. In Canada politicians stand for office, whereas in America we can’t stand the politicians in office. What a country! ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/50 "2015-02-12T21:56:57Z")
In Canada, **Chips Ahoy! Chewy** are called **Chewy Chips Ahoy!**. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/51 "2015-02-12T22:02:51Z")
There used to be two brands of instant hot cider you could buy at the grocery store. I think one of them still exists, but it is pretty plasticky tasting. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/52 "2015-02-12T22:09:57Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > In the US, the alcoholic kind is hard cider, the other is just cider, or sometimes apple cider. Somewhat context sensitive, of course. You will order the alcoholic kind as simply “cider” if you are in a bar, particularly an ersatz British Pub type establishment. If you ask where the “cider” is in a grocery store, you’ll probably get directed to the fruit juice aisle even in states where beer can be sold in grocery stores, which is the aisle you will find the alcoholic cider in. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/53 "2015-02-12T22:31:04Z")
We stopped at a store in Campbell River BC, and they apparently had no license to sell any kind of alcohol, you had to go to the place next door even if you wanted beer. Here, I think alcoholic cooking sherry is in the baking aisle. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/54 "2015-02-12T22:40:05Z")
Alcohol is regulated at the provincial level just as it is at the state level in the U.S. So that’s not a Canada-USA difference. Quebec has beer and wine at he grocery/corner store. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/55 "2015-02-12T22:55:20Z")
Probably the most significant reversal is in the writing of dates: American standard: 12/02/2014 = December second. Canadian standard: 12/02/2014 = February twelfth. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/56 "2015-02-12T23:10:35Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > In Canada politicians stand for office, whereas in America we can’t stand the politicians in office. > > What a country! Are you suggesting Canadians **like** the politicians they have in office??? Boy, you don’t know much about life up here! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drummond\_Bays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@Drummond\_Bays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drummond_Bays)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/57 "2015-02-12T23:18:25Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > How many syllables are there in “Toronto”? For most of us, three. Ta-ra-na. “I need twenny bucks ta get ta Tarrana, eh?” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/58 "2015-02-13T00:17:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Huh. I’ve lived in the US for 20 years and it never occurred to me that there might be such a thing as “soft” cider. Common in agricultural regions, or often seasonal. Martinelli’s is a common sparkling version, although it would probably be juice under the Flanders standard. > [@Flywheel](#): > > In Canada, **Chips Ahoy! Chewy** are called **Chewy Chips Ahoy!**. “Kraft Dinner” is a Canada’s national food :), but it is called “Kraft Macaroni & Cheese” or “Kraft Mac and Cheese” in the US and Australia, “Macaroni Cheese” or “Cheesey Pasta” in the UK. > [@yabob](#): > > Somewhat context sensitive, of course. You will order the alcoholic kind as simply “cider” if you are in a bar, particularly an ersatz British Pub type establishment. If you ask where the “cider” is in a grocery store, you’ll probably get directed to the fruit juice aisle even in states where beer can be sold in grocery stores, which is the aisle you will find the alcoholic cider in. Hard cider blew up in the last 3 or so years it seems. Angry Orchard is everywhere, even in dives. Many bars have it now, whereas before it wasn’t available or was some dusty bottle in the back. It’s been popular for longer in the UK. > [@CarnalK](#): > > Alcohol is regulated at the provincial level just as it is at the state level in the U.S. So that’s not a Canada-USA difference. Quebec has beer and wine at he grocery/corner store. Depends on the state/province. Here, almost nothing is obviously regulated (beyond tax, licensing, etc.) and I can buy liquor, beer, or wine at the grocery store. Some states require you to buy it in state-owned stores, or others only sell in dedicated liquor stores (beer and wine are often allowed in grocery stores). Some states have “sin laws” where you can’t buy during certain hours and/or on Sundays. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/59 "2015-02-13T02:49:16Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Probably the most significant reversal is in the writing of dates: > > American standard: 12/02/2014 = December second. > Canadian standard: 12/02/2014 = February twelfth. Also, at least in Quebec, they often reverse the comma/decimal convention that we use in the states: American: 1,234.56 Canadian: 1.234,56 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/60 "2015-02-13T06:53:30Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Also, at least in Quebec, they often reverse the comma/decimal convention that we use in the states: > > American: 1,234.56 > Canadian: 1.234,56 In that instance, English Canada uses the American convention. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476.md?page=4)