# Canadians - What things would you miss most if you left? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207 "2003-09-08T02:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/41 "2003-09-10T00:15:34Z")
I wasn’t talking about your post in particular. Most of the posts in this thread share your oral fixations. It’s been a long time since I found much drama in Reader’s Digest and I wouldnn’t expect to find it in the bowels of Princeton either. I’m sorry you are discomfitted by the loss of decadents. ---
**Author:** ![Survivor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Survivor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Survivor)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/42 "2003-09-10T00:17:38Z")
I have to agree…Start talking with people about their childhood and they’ll probably talk about their favourite food… Food ties us to places, and means alot to us… I don’t see why there’s anything wrong with caring about certain foods at all… Of course, those of us outside of Canada miss the scenery, the TV, the newpapers, the politics, etc… But food IS a big part of our life… And, from what I can remember, the civil servants I’ve dealt with in the US have been superior to the ones I met in Canada… And there are lots of strangers ready to help out here… I’ve really been enjoying the replies so far… Even if I can’t have a TimBit here in California, I can have a virtual one on here… ---
**Author:** ![Not\_In\_Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@Not\_In\_Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_In_Anger)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/43 "2003-09-10T02:02:12Z")
I’d miss Jean Chretien. But I guess I’m going to anyway. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/44 "2003-09-10T02:33:31Z")
I miss it already! And I’m not even gone yet! Medicare is a big one (though I don’t use it much), and multi-party politics (even though B.C. only has one party right now). But I’ll second Cheezies and Coffee Crisp, and throw in Zero bars as well. It is possible to find good beer almost anywhere if you shop around; most mass-market beer is piss any place you look. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/45 "2003-09-10T03:33:02Z")
I’d miss the fun English/French mix you hear everywhere in Montreal (“Franglais”, or “Frenglish”, take your pick). I’ve never seen that anywhere else. I’d also miss the Barenaked Ladies. I can’t believe it took “One Week” to get the USA to notice them. Their early stuff was so much better! There are so many great Canadian artists out there that nobody knows about! Losing “Hockey Night in Canada” would be horrible too. I’d need to get a satellite dish so I could watch it. And I’d probably set things up to get a weekly Tim Hortons shipment. I’d also miss the “eh”. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/46 "2003-09-10T04:49:43Z")
I’d miss Montréal. It has **everything** that makes Canada. From language issues to weird politicians with food and beer in passing as well as a thriving cultural scene and scenery to die for ! ---
**Author:** ![Not\_In\_Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@Not\_In\_Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_In_Anger)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/47 "2003-09-10T05:15:07Z")
I’d hate not having French In Montreal. I loved living there and hardly knowing a word. Just numbers and 50 beer, and a few phrases, and they’d keep a tab for me in the deppaneur, which is foreign here, but whatev. I hate anybody outside Canada telling us what we should think or should do. Like, you have an opinion? Mind you, I can see why Quebecois might object to that statement, having been misinformed about the way their brothers feel about them. ---
**Author:** ![BigBadBassBone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@BigBadBassBone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBadBassBone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/48 "2003-09-10T05:36:39Z")
Bi-lingual everything. I was in France this summer, and kept turing products over - looking for the English that should be on the other side. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/49 "2003-09-10T12:50:09Z")
I have Canadian and American products mingled in our home, and it’s nice to see the French on packaging. It’s a nice reminder. Even if it does just say haricots verts. (no, I don’t really have Canadian cans of them around, it’s just the first thing that came to mind) ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/50 "2003-09-10T16:44:29Z")
I’m Canadian and couldn’t care a less about Tim Hortons. Their donuts are “OK” but they sure as hell aren’t the holy grail of donuts. Their coffee? I still have yet to understand why people like it so much. By the way some people rant about it, I’d think they spiked it with crack or something. It’s good, but not better than most other coffee houses. Really. Well, at least IMHO 🙂 What I _would_ miss: Universal healthcare really is nice. It’s nice going to the hospital for some tests and not having to worry if your insurance is up to date or covers it 100%. Depending on what the procedure is, you may have to wait a while for it though, but since its not life threatening, I can live with that. As mentioned, _Hawkins Cheezies_. I can’t eat too much of them at a single sitting (I get a cheese-overload) but god damn, I get a craving every month or two that only they can cure. Cheeto’s are an air filled, weak willed imposter compared to these. I’d miss looking out off the deck at the back of my house on a dark, cold winter night and seeing the _Northern Lights_ dancing on the northern horizon. Sometimes so bright, they’d go the the east horizon and you’d get a shadow out of them. It’s a phenomena that everyone has to see at least a couple of times in their lifetime. And I’m not just talking about _seeing_ the lights, but seeing them _at their best_. They are indescribable.You’d need a poet to do it justice. While I’m sure in other more rural cities in the world you have this happen at times, I’d miss seeing _wildlife_ from my deck. I’ll see moose, deer, coytotes and even the odd fox and bear _right from my house_. I live in a city, too… although admitidly on the outskirts. Cheap DVDs and CDs. Old Dutch potato chips. Salt and Vinigar and Ketchup. All-dressed are up there, too. Fast, cheap internet and (for the most part) telephone service. I’ve got a 1.5MB DSL line for $30CDN a month. From what I understand, we’ve got the rest of the world beat for our prices and performance. Some tel companies have long distance deals for unlimited long distance phone calls around the country for $20-$25 month. We’re liked (for the most part) around the world. So much so, I know americans that sew our flag on their luggage and jackets when they go abroad. And we are generally a friendly people too. It’s nice to go for a walk and have people out of the blue (even in a city) say, “Good Morning” or “Hi.” I know that this happens in other countries too, but in my travels not even remotely close to how often it happens here. I’d miss _The Superstore_. Sure, I bitch about their produce at times, but its usually damn good pricing and they have almost everything. While I’m on the topic of shopping, _cheap food_ in general. When a friend from LA (well, Mission Veijo) came up to visit last year she was absolutely floored by the price of our food, produce especially. In the summer we can (or I can here at least) buy lettuce (Romaine, Green Leaf, Iceberg, etc) for .50-.75 head. Bananas usually cost around .50lb or so. Even the beef is getting cheaper now (although for bad reasons). But, I can buy hamburger in the grocery store for $.68lb for now, at least. I actually wished the maket was such that it costed more though ☹ Thats about all I can come up with at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/51 "2003-09-10T19:07:44Z")
The jingle they play at 3:00 on CBC Radio. I think of it every day at this time as it comes out of the office of my colleague across the hall. And, the Hockey Night in Canada music. It should be the National Anthem. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/52 "2003-09-10T22:25:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cowgirl \* > \*\* > And, the Hockey Night in Canada music. It should be the National Anthem. \*\* I agree, but how would we SING it? I can just see a bunch of kids in a gymnasium singing “dum dum DUM… dum dum da-dum…” Unless you’d like to create lyrics for it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Svt4Him](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@Svt4Him](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svt4Him)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/53 "2003-09-10T22:33:45Z")
I missed the mountains, the nice weather, lakes, streams and coloured money. But I was in Dallas. Didn’t miss the extra ‘u’ we put in words. But most of all the politeness of people…everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Mr\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Kami)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/54 "2003-09-11T01:04:01Z")
> [@](#): > > _From the Tim Hortons website_ > **As of January 2003, there are 160 Tim Hortons locations in the United States. These are situated in the greater Detroit area, Bay City, Midland, Saginaw and Flint (Michigan); Columbus, Dayton and Toledo (Ohio); Buffalo and Jamestown (New York); and Portland, Lewiston and Auburn (Maine). Future expansion and opportunities will continue in these markets as well as Rochester (New York) and Erie (PA).** There are Tim Hortons in the states, and there are over 40 of them in the greater Detroit area. they are my coffee god ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/55 "2003-09-11T01:18:48Z")
See? The takeover’s begun!! [sub]oops[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/56 "2003-09-11T01:30:14Z")
Things I miss since I left Quebec a second time in 2000 (the first time being in 1991) Ketchup Chips Dill Pickle Chips Globe & Mail Coffee Crisp Ristretto Creme Brulees at Second Cup (so superior as a chain to Starfuck’s) Indigo bookstore Les Faubourgs from back in the old days Bedo Zara Aldo Shoes McGill (never thought I would say that) Mama’s and other joints in the spirit of Mama’s Excellent Middle Eastern Food Lamb burritos at Carlos & Pepe’s Did I mention Aldo? Oh, yes I did…then add on Pegabo and Transit and Jacob…those overpriced biz casual bastards Tristan & Iseut before they got all old-ladyish That 2.50 movie theatre Musique Plus and French Music in general Mont-Royal trails Different coloured money makes sense so does Maple Whiskey and groundberries from little street vendors Milk in a plastic bag Crazy-wonderful ethnic diversity on campus (east central IL doesn’t compare, except for the engineering campus :)) Beaver tails Milly Marmot at Gardner Hall People not asking you if you have a big date when you wear ass-tight ponte pants to school on a regular basis All the shiny shiny jeans HMV back when they used to let you return the CDs and the frequent CD buyer card I love the U.S. but there are so many things I left behind in Quebec… ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207/57 "2003-09-11T01:34:59Z")
How could I have left out the most important things? Local bands with names like Vaginal Croutons and Groovy Aardvark. someone, send me a tshirt (and an NDP one too), Anu [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-things-would-you-miss-most-if-you-left/200207.md?page=2)