In light of Canada day being today I thought I’d write about some of Canada’s light hearted quirks that we tend to call our own. For those of you who read my ”Thrills gum on the bottom of my shoe” blog post may remember that I was going to continue my Canadian’isms.’
These are my favourites that top my list, feel free to add your own or what you’d have as the top of your own personal list.
1. Loonie and toonie
2. Canadian Tire Money
3. Poutine
4. Maple syrup
5. Toques
6. Skill testing questions with contests
7. Mounties
8. Thills gum
9. Nanaimo bars
10. Socks with sandals
While I’m not completely serious with my number 10 I can’t help but notice the abundance of of Canadians who wear socks with sandals. I’m not sure if  its a Canadianism or more of a worldwide’ism. Do you wear socks with sandals? Are you for or against the wearing of socks with sandals? A fence sitter on the issue?
I almost went out with the girls on the weekend wearing socks with sandals. Â I had to pull a u turn and head back home to change into my flats. Somehow while being distracted I slipped on my sandals. (Namely two kids fightings and a weiner dog acting like a jumping bean!)
Eh, of course is a given and didn’t make it on my list because it’s just there 🙂
I am on the side of NO SOCKS AND SANDALS
ewwwwww to socks n sandals .. I think this a strange male thing … I find most women wear flip flops (kinda hard to wear socks with flipflops… well there are those strange toe socks..)
while i don’t do it anymore, i used to be an advocate of socks in sandals. i had a pair of doc martin sandals that i loooved, so i wore socks in them when it got to cold to be going around with naked feet. i would wear them up until we had 2 inches of snow (they had thick soles so a little snow was okay).
FOR THE LOVE OF GOODNESS … DO NOT wear socks with sandals!!!
After years of trying, I FINALLY got dh to wear sandals, which he thought were the “cat’s meow!” lol. But I had to put my foot down, you do not wear sandals to an office without socks! If you saw his ugly feet, you’d understand! lol and then, he felt horribly insulted that he not wear black socks with brown leather sandals and insisted he go buy a couple of pair of brown socks! lol
Poutine must be considered as a meal from Québec. I know you can order it in the rest of Canada, but that’s not the same thing at all. The only place to buy poutine is Québec, so, you should remove it from your list.
I am a true believer that there should be a law where it would be legal to snap a person in the back of the neck with the skinny end of a fishing pole if spotted wearing socks with sandals. Its a crime against nature and a crime against the eyes.
I’m also a true believer that sandals are a privilege and not a right. There are some gnarly-a$$ feet out there that should be kept inside shoes when out in public. I’m sorry, I know that sounds harsh, but this summer, when you’re out and aboot *another Canadian-ism lolz* take a look around and you’ll see what I mean. Men, and women who wear too-small heels a lot are the worst offenders.
Can’t you make it at home? I prefer to make my poutine at home.
LOL At mememe!
I couldn’t agree more!!
Socialiste… why is Poutine better in Quebec? Please fill me in, because I am in love with poutine. And if I’m missing out on something that’s better then what I make… I’d SURELY love to know! And at least try it once in my life. LOL
Socialiste: so then we should remove Nanaimo bars too? some comment…
No socks with sandals!!
AWE Come on . . .
How bout a nice Old ratty pair of sandals 60’s style complete with BLACK socks & WIDE boat Sail like shorts stretching below the knees with the BLACK socks meeting the shorts bottom . . . I can See it . . .Ouch . . . . I Have seen it,. . . and on the Beach, Dam that’s “Nasty Beach Attireâ€
Oh . . . .Ya,
Moe by the Beach in Ontario
I’ve seen it a lot more socks & sandals in Miami. Maybe it’s because there are more days you can wear sandals? But seriously, I’ve always wanted to know the reason behind such fashion choice.
Anyway, socks and sandals is up there with plastic over sofa on the list of tacky and pointless.
Absolutely no socks with sandals.
It’s less a Canadian thing and more of a Mediterranean thing.
There’s alot of Italians and Greeks in Canada, hence the sandal issue.
I always wear socks with sandals. I don’t know why, I just find it more comfortable–I guess it’s since I wore my sandals in way too much by wearing them for so long.
I also worry about bugs (bees, spiders, etc) biting my feet or something, so I like having socks on as well as the sandals, as it’s still a li’l more breezy than shoes.
This is for ILMK
Well, as I can tell from traveling, knowing people, discussing with people in Canada, I can tell that many canadians beleive that what they sell at New York Fries, Harvey’s or this kind of fastfood is poutine. It’s not. It’s a crappy commercial copy.
If you try to prepare poutine yourself, you have some steps to go through. First, NEVER buy commercial fries like McCain, Our Compliments, etc. These are white commercial fries, that’s not what we want.
Here’s how to make a real poutine or where to buy one.
1) Peel potatoes (but if you feel like it, simply wash the potatoes and keep the peel)
2) Cut them in not too small slices
3) Fry them, you must not oven cook them (even if it’s healthier) until they are dark-gold or brown (white is not an option)
4) Heat up the poutine sauce or the brown sauce (don’t use BBQ sauce, it’s not the same thing).
5) Make sure the sauce is not too hot, because it will melt the cheese way too much
6) Mix the cheese curds with the fries (or you can simply put fries, cheese, fries, cheese in this order)
7) Pour the not too hot, but just enough sauce on the top
8) Enjoy and laugh at how bad they make it at New York Fries.
Also, if you really want to buy poutine, there’s a few options.
1) Drive to Québec and go the “La Belle Province” or to any place with similar names (because I think they have a franchise issue) such as “La Belle Poutine” “Le P’tit Québec” “Curé Labelle Province”, etc.
2) Try to locate a local snack bar where they serve their french fries nearly brown and with a kinda irregular shape. In these places, you’re probably closer to the real poutine.
But what you must remember, poutine is really a meal from Québec. Even if it is considered like crap by many, it’s a traditional meal of Québec and cannot be really considered as canadian due to the fact that real poutine is made in Québec and not in the rest of Canada, as well as real pizza is made in Napoli, Italy, even if you can find pizza all around the world.
Wait…Quebec isn’t in Canada?! My word!
what about hockey and the maple leaf?
Sure Silsan, add them to your list.
They didnt make mine, hockey because well I seriously dislike hockey
(Please dont throw stones at me)
As kids my dad was a huge Montreal fan, we didnt get cable until I was 12, so wed watch them On CBC, and then on CBC french, and if worst came to worst french radio.
It kind of sucked that we had to sit there the whole time lol! But then again I was really young, maybe hockey isn’t that bad hehe, but im not about to start watching it 🙂
Socialiste, the way you desc to make poutine at home is the way I have cooked it at home since I was 16! I consider Quebec a part of Canada, same thing as the N bars, that originated in another specific province 🙂 I wasn’t saying commercialized foods just poutine in general, KFC has nothing on my home cooked poutine!
Why do people think Canadians only care about hockey? Who started that nasty rumour!!!!
ew hockey …
While I would never ever wear socks with sandals if I had shorts on, I do think it’s okay if you’re wearing pants or jeans.
I like to wear sandals all the time, especially to work. Sandals and socks are comfortable there, but sandals without socks are sometimes too cold. Socks seem more acceptable to me than bare feet in sandals in the workplace.
Also, once when I was a little kid I ran around without socks on all day in shoes and someone complained that my feet stank and I’ve never been comfortable wearing anything on my feet without socks since, but will set aside my mental problems when wearing shorts 😛
Hmm.. poutine… I move in two days, and WILL miss poutine here in Quebec (I am moving to Alberta) Miss the yummy cheese from the “Boivin Fromagerie” and fresh “squeeky cheese” which you can buy fresh at the cash in almost any store… yum (Hmm, maybe now that I am moving I can lose weight!) Hmm… Anyways, if poutine is on the list.. I vote for Donairs! (Which, for me, only taste good from NS.. but I am sure you can find an alright one elsewhere… (mind ya, all of the ones that I have seen, that say “NS style donairs” are REALLY stressing the word “style”:)
the recipe for traditional quebec poutine calls for cold cheese curds. they should be put on to of the fries and gravy – not mixed in.
last time i checked quebec was still part of canada.
I love poutine !! Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Here in ontario you can buy fresh cheese curds right from the cheese factory’s there pretty good for poutine.
Now im hungry…. heheh!
At Socialiste:
That makes me DROOL! I’m soooo gonna have to try that.
Just to note. I agree on the processed store bought frozen “fries”. ewww
They HAVE to be real potatoes (no skin… ick) or it simply isn’t fries.
Paul is 100% right — socks and sandals is an Italian thing.
God help me…did we seperate and nobody told me???!! I’m sure the front page of La Presse would have been plastered all over the city.
Quebec is indeed part of Canada (proudly for me) and therefore poutine and guedilles (don’t even ask, weird regional thing) are Canadian via la belle province!!
As for socks and sandals, I’m on the fence…
Oh, and for great poutine, they even serve it Taupo, New Zealand!!!
Gilly:
I agree! Authentic NS donairs with their delicious sweet garlic sauce have to be on the list! Hmmmm… maybe we should start a new list… a tour across Canada based on the foods/recipes that each province is known for. We certainly have a good start.
Oh…. and back to the donairs… they just aren’t the same anywhere else in Canada… or Europe for that matter. I spent 4 months in Europe and missed my donairs terribly!
What a wonderful thought Dvb, tonight I will start a new entry and then we can all colaborate on fantastic recipes/foods for each province.
Gilly:
I have a make @ home donair recipie….and it is pretty close to, if not the same as the real thing…and the sauce… YUM!!!
no to socks and sandals!!!!! its wrong please dont make me have to look at that! but my dad is so guilty of doing it or well he used to, I think he finally got tired of us refusing to be seen with him in public with socks and sandals so he stopped doing it.
poutine is canadian…last time I checked Quebec WAS a part of canada.
also homemade poutine is the best! and we have a cheese factory close to us where we get fresh curd all the time…so its the exact same thing fries, gravy, curd…and mmmmm nanaimo bars those are the greatest things ever!
Here’s another Canadian thing….Beaver Tails…now those are yummy yum yum!!
some times you just feel like waring socks with your sandals… and other times you dont’ ,,, I used to ware socks with them just to anoy my sister who was wayyyy tooo fashion concious 😛 isnt’ that what sisters are for?
and as for somethign else Canadian,,, what about polar bear droppings?
I think it’s OK to wear sandals and socks. I have absolutely nothing against it. Especially after living for some time in Germany…
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