Canadian Fun Facts
1. Butter Tarts – small pastries similar to pecan pie (with or without the pecans). We had heard so much about these from the Looper family, we couldn’t wait to try them! A big disappointment for us; just like pecan pie, a little too sweet for me.
2. Poutine – a Canadian favorite, it’s on all the menus. French fries smothered with cheese curds and brown gravy. Double YUCK!!
3. Milk in a bag – milk is sold in a 4-liter plastic bag (think bread bag). The bag contains 3 individually sealed bags of milk. We were told you can purchase a “milk pitcher” that holds the individual bag in your fridge. Canadians are very eco-conscious, so this is much less packaging than a carton or plastic jug (so eco-conscious they charge you 5 cents per plastic bag in the grocery store – bring your reusable bags!). BTW, never saw Styrofoam packaging in Canada (only cardboard egg cartons and take-out containers).
4. Boats and BIG dogs – We saw so many large dogs on boats in the marinas we determined that each boat purchased in Canada comes with at least one, maybe 2 dogs.
5. Beer, wine and liquor prices – Out of sight!! All that free healthcare has to be paid for somehow (evidently by American tourists). All alcohol is sold through the LCBO (Liquor Control Board Ontario). At some stores, you could only purchase beer in singles, no 6-packs or cases. My tall boy Bud Light (18 oz) was $2.80 Canadian EACH.
6. Chicken prices – Evidently there are no chicken farms in Canada. A whole roasting chicken (4 – 5 lbs.) was $14 to $18 Canadian. Needless to say, no chicken salad was made aboard Stealaway! Beef and pork were less expensive than chicken (broke Jim’s heart😉).
7. Nabs (i.e. Lance peanut butter crackers; Jim’s breakfast of choice) – Not available in Canada. I suppose they expect me to get out the Ritz and Jif and make my own (which I did).
8. Civic holidays – Canada has holidays just to have a 3-day weekend. Not celebrating anything in particular (like Presidents Day or Veterans Day), just a “civic” holiday. We experienced one of these the first weekend in August (when we were trying to get our masts stepped and no one was working). It was also the craziest party weekend in a marina I have ever witnessed!
9. Last, but certainly not least, my personal favorite, Radlers – Light beer infused with fruit juice. We have Bud Light Orange and Bud Light Lime, but in addition to those, Canada has Grapefruit, Lemonade and Apple! Very refreshing on a warm summer day😊!