# Determining If Someone Is Canadian... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072 "2014-10-21T21:16:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/81 "2014-10-23T16:19:04Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > But there is one thing that always gives them away, I’ve noticed. Their accent. And there is one sound that is the clincher. “Ou”. Just have them say “How now brown cow” and you’ll know at once. The “ou” sound isn’t a bad sign, but it’s more subtle than people think. Canadians don’t say “hoose” instead of “house”, but some [Scottish people might](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moose-Hoose-Scots-Counting-Itchy/dp/1902927796). Canadians are somewhere in between. The most foolproof method is to casually drop a reference to Timbits in conversation. If they don’t miss a beat, then they’re Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/82 "2014-10-23T16:36:07Z")
> [@Marlonius](#): > > Word. > > As I explain it to my southern friends, the “eh” at the end of a statement turns it into a rhetorical question. But not always rhetorical; sometimes we turn a statement into an actual question; “We should go visit your parents this weekend, eh?” > [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > \ > The most foolproof method is to casually drop a reference to Timbits in conversation. If they don’t miss a beat, then they’re Canadian. Well, if the Timbits reference is to your testicles, we might. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/83 "2014-10-23T16:58:09Z")
Sorey, I’ve been aboot the hoose cleaning up old bags of homo milk and trying not to trip on serviettes. Please don’t touch my broon toque, I paid four toonies for it and it has almost no poutine stains on it yet, eh. Nu let me go to the washroom for a minute, eh. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/84 "2014-10-23T17:06:30Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Well, if the Timbits reference is to your testicles, we might. LOL. Sure enough, it might be confusing to talk about my brass Timbits. (“Oh, are they giving those away with coffee?”) ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/85 "2014-10-23T17:23:04Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Sorey, I’ve been aboot the hoose cleaning up old bags of homo milk and trying not to trip on serviettes. Please don’t touch my broon toque, I paid four toonies for it and it has almost no poutine stains on it yet, eh. Nu let me go to the washroom for a minute, eh. Don’t forget to clean up under your Chesterfield. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/86 "2014-10-23T22:17:40Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I can’t help but think of J. Edgar. Vacuuming in an evening gown? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/87 "2014-10-23T22:24:53Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > But not always rhetorical; sometimes we turn a statement into an actual question; “We should go visit your parents this weekend, eh?” > > Well, if the Timbits reference is to your testicles, we might. I’ve seen chocolate glazed, jelly filled, dutchie, honey dip, sour cream glazed, old-fashioned plain, old fashion glazed, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, lemon, apple cider, orange-tangerine, creamy caramel, cherry cake, honey cruller, pumpkin spice, and apple fritter but no Canadian Mountain Oysters. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/88 "2014-10-24T01:38:50Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Invite them in. If they take off their shoes they might be. Either way, if they do, you have Really polite guests & should make them food and offer to them something nice to drink. Adding a day late & a dollar short: I’d say I’m so very sorry to hear of the shootings in Ottowa. I’d express sympathy, offer condolences, and possibly alcohol while letting them talk out whatever they need to. Its a shitty mindset to be in (we know) and you and yours were really cool to me and mine when we had dumb-asses trying to get into the news back in the day. I’m not just saying this because I’d like to visit again some day. Its because its the Right thing to do. My name and my line is more than worthless dust, so I do what’s right. And I keep my word. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/89 "2014-10-24T04:52:11Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > You’re from Port Huron? Ft. Gratiot. It used to use Port Huron’s ZIP code, so close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/90 "2014-10-24T05:03:25Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Ft. Gratiot. It used to use Port Huron’s ZIP code, so close enough. Hey brother, I grew up in Sarnia and spent lots of time in Port Huron. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/91 "2014-10-24T09:13:09Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Invite them in. If they take off their shoes they might be. Either way, if they do, you have Really polite guests & should make them food and offer to them something nice to drink. Where the hell does this idea that “Canadians take their shoes off” come from? I’m Canadian, and unless your shoes are muddy or snowy or otherwise wet, you keep them on. This isn’t Japan; I wear my shoes into my house every day. So do my friends. [sub]I blame Cat Whisperer for perpetuating this rumour.[/sub] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/92 "2014-10-24T13:44:47Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Where the hell does this idea that “Canadians take their shoes off” come from? Around here (mid-Ontario) we automatically take our shoes off when entering someone’s home, unless specifically told not to (“Oh keep your shoes on, honey.”) In the summer we might keep our flip-flops on if we don’t want to walk around the house barefoot, but still say “Can I keep my shoes on? They’re clean” and then make a big deal about wiping them on the doormat anyway. But even then sometimes we take them off at the door. Another way to spot a Canadian is to wait until they need to pee and see if they ask for the “washroom” or “bathroom” rather than “restroom”. Also when faced with soft drinks see if they say “pop” (Canadian) or “soda” (American). I understand that some states say “pop” too though, so that might not be foolproof. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/93 "2014-10-24T14:01:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Hey brother, I grew up in Sarnia and spent lots of time in Port Huron. It used to be so easy to go back and forth. Now it’s like entering a foreign country for both of us. I drove from Germany to France via the Netherlands (about 500 meters!) and Belgium, and didn’t have to stop once. We suck now. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/94 "2014-10-24T14:30:59Z")
As noted above, unless specifically told to leave my shoes on, they come off when I enter a house, and that’s been the case for pretty much every place in Canada I’ve been to from coast to coast, to coast. Sorry, **Spoons** , you’re the odd man out, as it were. **Cat** , do you think **Spoons** **might be an American infiltrator?🆒** ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/95 "2014-10-24T14:37:24Z")
Seriously! Everyone I know takes off their shoes unless instructed otherwise, winter or summer. Never seen otherwise, in any part of Canada, in over 50 yrs. (I’m a little suspect of Spoons, now too. I can’t help wondering if anyone has actually SEEN him eating pontine? :D) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/96 "2014-10-24T14:53:53Z")
I’ve found just one thing that ALWAYS gives away a Canadian, and it’s NOT the accent. Yes, there ARE Canadians who say “aboot” and “broon” and “eh,” but most of them sound pretty much like Americans. But… Canadians just CAN’T help telling us how much better their health care nsystem is than ours. They can TRY to clam up about it, but eventually, they WILL start talking about it! That’s one of the very few significant differences between the two countries, and Canadians take inordinate pride in that difference. Eventually, they always bring it up! ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/97 "2014-10-24T15:57:34Z")
Pfft! That’s clearly an exaggeration, I was just telling my wife that people tend to think this when we were sitting at the hospital waiting for our free flu shot… ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/98 "2014-10-24T16:33:47Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > Pfft! That’s clearly an exaggeration, I was just telling my wife that people tend to think this when we were sitting at the hospital waiting for our free flu shot… Only Canadians don’t understand that their free flu shot isn’t free. They just don’t realize that they have already paid for it. Or maybe they forgot how their healthcare system is funded? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/99 "2014-10-24T16:59:00Z")
Very true. Canadians are completely unaware of how our health system works or how it’s funded. Many thanks for your help. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072/100 "2014-10-24T17:12:05Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > Very true. Canadians are completely unaware of how our health system works or how it’s funded. > > Many thanks for your help. You’re welcome. I didn’t say that Canadians are unaware of how their healthcare system works. Maybe you could explain to **swampspruce** how his free flu shots are funded? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/determining-if-someone-is-canadian/702072.md?page=6)