Forum Discussion
145 Replies
- Enroute is the name of the company that runs the service centres on the 401 highway in Ontario.
mockturtle wrote:
I like Canada, too, but I don't like to hear Canadians criticizing our country, our government, our laws or our lifestyle while they are here in the US! I may take issue with some things about their country, too, but I don't feel compelled to show them the errors of their ways. :D
BTW, We call carbonated beverages 'pop' here in the NW, not 'soda'. I think it must a regional thing.
You may not feel compmelled to show us the error of our ways but many of your countrymen sure do. I can't count the number of times I have overheard Americans critcizing one thing or another about a rule or law. Particulaly gun and fishing laws.
I don't this this is an "American" or "Canadian" thing. I think it's just a travalers thing. People tend to think the way it is back home is always best".- The population location factor is a big part of the differences. I have read that 90% of all Canadians live within 100 miles of the border, so most are very familiar with the US. Only about 5% of all US citizens live within 100 miles of the border. Many more US Citizens live closer to the Mexican border, than the Canadian one.
However I have found that many Canadians know more about the US than they do about the far north of Canada. By far each year, more Canadians visit Florida, than they do Yukon or the Northwest Territories. Many Canadians vacation and snowbird in the US each year but few US citizens vacation or snowbird in Canada. Geographic location on the earth is the reason, IMHO.
I had a problem one time, trying to convince a Canadian medical doctor, that Alaska was not a part of Canada, and that was why I didn't have a provincial insurance card. It was Yukon Alaska to him and he isn't the only one in Canada that I have run into with that belief.
To me the regional differences in both countries, is greater than the differences between our two countries. We are like two children from the same family, much the same but with differences.
In the winter time, there are only 6 Canadian provinces that contain more Canadian Citizens than does Florida, making Florida the 7th larget Canadian province. LOL - Miles and inches etc. will never totally disappear from the Canadian culture due to a lack of "the B.S. factor" -
No one ever took a shot and "missed that moose by a kilometer..." - In my experience it isn't a Canadian/American RV Cultural difference......more of a regional difference between E & W more so than N & S.....more like a cultural difference between States and/or Provinces rather than countries....when I change vehicles between my GMC and my Toyota lots of things are different, but I learn what knobs are where and am happy in either vehicle.....all part of going down the road...
Some bad mannered rude people are found everywhere unfortunately, and should not be tolerated by anyone, no matter who they are....
There is an old saying "When in Rome do as the Roman's do"....sure makes for a more pleasant journey when you try to blend in....so, brown toast becomes wheat toast....eh! becomes huh!.....tea becomes hot tea.....chips come in a bag & fries come with a burger,....litres or gallons, miles or k's, inches or cms, deg F.or C., pocket full of Loonies & Twoonies or wallet stuffed full of one dollar bills, file money in wallet by colour or by denomination, ...... whatever, I try to be versatile and open to change ....works for me.. mockturtle wrote:
I like Canada, too, but I don't like to hear Canadians criticizing our country, our government, our laws or our lifestyle while they are here in the US! I may take issue with some things about their country, too, but I don't feel compelled to show them the errors of their ways. :D
Bad manners in any country unless you are asked for your opinion.
Re: Speaking Canadian. Like in the US, we often have different terms for the same thing in different parts of the country.- AHEM!
I'm learning some Canadian vocabulary around here today. Onroutes for example. Never heard of that. Guess I will when I do my cross country tour. & it just goes to show that that trip will be in Canada, except for AK.
I don't understand why folks do cross country and then go into the US for a bit. You know full well you are going to miss important sections of this country that way. & we all know we can take different routes going and coming.
Re. differences and criticisms of the other country, I'm likely to pick up on US residents seeing what's different, thus, inconvenient because unexpected. That's normal too.
But I do think we get better news coverage of everywhere. & many of us know where to tune in to get it.
So, how many of you have been following what happened at Lac Megantic on July 5th? One Canuck friend of mine, who was born on Long Island, expressed deep disappointment at his not seeing or hearing any US coverage of that tragedy. I finally saw it on CNN about 3 or 4 days after the event.
I know that we're both equally proud of our country, even though we show it in different ways.
& yes, I hear les accents francais Canadien in every part of the country I've visited or resided. Please see my map.
:C - I found there were more similarities then differences.
Well the way I see it , there isn't enough difference to worry about.
I don't worry about it, I enjoy it! We don't go down to the US just for the cheap gas (well, relatively) or cheap booze, and sights like the Grand Canyon, but all those little differences that make a foreign trip fun.
The funny way many of them talk, the different sayings, the different stuff in the stores. The blandest beer in the world, and some of the best sold in the same pub. The size of the meals, nachos for $3.95. Happy Hour! Amazing conversations about the state of the world in a bar in Shelton Montana at 1am. Sleepy, dusty towns at 1pm with blues music on the radio. Polka Hour on the radio somewhere a little north of Omaha. Incredibly entertaining radio talk shows of a particular slant. The amazing amount of 'church' programmes on the radio, totally unknown where we are from. Trying to understand the accent of a very friendly waitress in Minnesota (and you think many Canadians say 'aboot') Trying to explain to a group of very nice ladies from Iowa that they had much colder winters than we do at home. Trying to convince a very educated business man in Montana that we would have to head South rather than north at some point in our trip to get to Toronto! Wondering why anyone would eat 'grits' and what 'hush puppies' are made from. Trying to convince a lady in New York State that Canada had a west coast. Staying in a fantastic log hotel in Wisconsin for $29 a night with a huge indoor pool just outside our room in a beautiful atrium. Wondering why a town straddling the Wisconsin/Michigan border would have all the night clubs, bars, gentlemens' clubs etc on the Wisconsin side and nothing on the Michigan side.
I just love seeing things like this. So many people want to travel to different places but still want to find the same as at home.- Well the way I see it , there isn't enough difference to worry about. All we nee to remember is that we have fought together and died together. That should always be the tie that binds. JMHO Macktee
