Are Canadians different from Americans?

[Vince]

As a dual citizen I have often wondered what, if any, differences exist between Canadians and Americans. From my observations there are far fewer fat women in Vancouver than in Seattle. I wonder if the attitudes towards fat people differ because of nationality. Are there even any BBW events in
Canada? I think Americans would be surprized to know what most Canadians think about them.

[Alicia Rose]

My views toward Canada, having never been there, are very much influenced by media and so on. That said, here's what I think about Canada:

1. They make awesome video games. (Bioware is Canadian)
2. Many people think that they all say 'eh'. (eh?)
3. Their money is not as valuable as ours.
4. They are, overall, more enlightened than Americans. (Most dislike Bush and his moronic policies)
5. They are, overall, more accepting than Americans. (Homosexuality and so on are much more acceptable there)
6. They are not as paranoid or as violent as Americans. (Yay stats)
7. They own more guns per person than Americans. (There goes the 'guns kill people' argument...)

=Divals

[gypsy]

Although Bioware does make awesome games, it's certainly no way one can judge a country. If that were the case, a lot of people would think that all Japanese women had huge eyes, blonde pouffy hair, and big perky boobs.

Now, keep in mind, I’m not saying all this on behalf of all of this great country and everyone in it. This is just my perception of American vs Canadian.

When I have gone across the border I have noticed something odd – the food is the same, and yet different. American restaurant food tends to be fattier and portions are WAY bigger. In Canada, generally, when you order a steak, you get steak sauce or something like that. I’ve ordered steak at a couple of places in the States, and oddly enough, they usually come with a big glob of garlic butter on them. I have never seen butter put on a steak in Canada. To me that is kinda…sacrilegious. LOL I needed a Tim Horton’s cup of coffee – and your “Large” there across the border is our “Extra Large”. The idea of “Chicken Fried Steak” or “Deep Fried Turkey” does nothing for me, except makes my arteries harden.

Canada is a double-edged sword when it comes to BBW - I find that even though we are a lot more accepting of alternative lifestyles (GLBTQ), unless you are in a major urban centre (Toronto, Calgary, Montreal etc) there are certainly a lot of obstacles for us fat girls to overcome. I mean, most of the advertising we're subjected to is from the States anyway, so a lot of American society's standards do affect us as well. I have been to a few BBW events in Hamilton, and it’s a city of 600,000 that is located 45 minutes west of Metropolitan Toronto. In Toronto there is also Plus Size Planet, as well as numerous yahoo groups that have membership all across the country. We also are getting a healthy amount of clothing shops that are geared to the larger woman.

On the other hand, I think as a country we are wayyyyy more laid back - not so confrontational (I've noticed that even in the chatroom - usually we are the masters and mistresses of passive aggressive fighting :P) Many of us usually say "Well, you know, I see where you're coming from, but on the other hand..."...I guess we're peacemakers.

As for Dubya? I know just as many Americans that hate Bush juuust as much as we do.

Oh, and, I know I can say this from personal experience: we definitely enjoy our beer much more than Americans. And, we use many more “U”s in our words.

[Alicia Rose]

Originally Posted by gypsy

Although Bioware does make awesome games, it's certainly no way one can judge a country. If that were the case, a lot of people would think that all Japanese women had huge eyes, blonde pouffy hair, and big perky boobs.

Heh.

And all you say is true.

Well, I don't know about the b33r, not a fan of it myself.

=Divals

[Boteroesque Babe]

Originally Posted by Vince

Are Canadians different from Americans?

Yes........

[gypsy]

Bobabe, are you insinuating we are gassier?

[Zandoz]

Yes...unless one country's population is a clone of the other <shrug>

[SamanthaNY]

MEUBLES!!!

[gypsy]

Ok, now you're all just getting silly.

As a Canadian, I can appreciate that.

[Boteroesque Babe]

Originally Posted by gypsy

Bobabe, are you insinuating we are gassier?

Yes I am, Gypsy. And your heads snap completely in two when you speak.

Filthy Canadians.

PS: I couldn't be prouder that my 1500th post was about cartoon farts.

[gypsy]

*farts at Bobabe*

:P

[Boteroesque Babe]

Originally Posted by gypsy

*farts at Bobabe*

You must also giggle maniacally, or it doesn't work.

Oh. No. There it is. Second time I've been farted at on this board in the past 24 hours.

My American pride (see previous post) is fading, but my poutine envy continues...

[gypsy]

I giggle maniacally on a regular basis.

MUAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA

*thhpt*

[RedHead]

Since I live next door to Canada and visit there at least once a year I really haven't found things to be much different.

Some differences;

They sell Tylonel 3 over the counter, their cigarettes are horrible tasting (I used to smoke), they have no tolerance for hand guns, their mounties uniforms are HOT, they have a funny way of talking "Aye" is commonly used in place of ....well anything.

They have colorful money (although we are now catching up), they are really good hockey players, they make really good snowmachines.

[Tina]

Montreal is not so fat-friendly in some ways, from what I can tell. Lots of stairs, and when my boyfriend and I were out once some woman made a hissing noise at me and he got upset. That was the only time, though. One thing I like about the states is that we have the ADA and accessibility is the law (thank you, Bush Sr.), while it is not, there.

During the month I was visiting, I found the people to be pretty nice, but driving there is insane. Some lanes go one direction during a certain part of the day and another direction another part of the day. You can turn right during certain parts of the day but not others. If you don't read French you're screwed. When I live there I will not be driving in those lanes at all until I get the hang of it, and while I took a French class and it's helped some, I have a lot to learn when it comes to the language.

As for what most Canadians think about us, they're not too keen on our government, but are nice one on one, if we are not acting like ignorant tourists. I've never been to Vancouver, but Montreal is gorgeous, very European in many ways, very cultured and with friendly people.

[Mini]

As a Canadian, I can say that A) the USA by no means has a handle on all the world's morons, B) we do say "eh" a lot, C) fuck with Tim Horton's and you go home in a body bag (just ask Krispy Kreme), D) hockey is our soccer, E) our Conservatives are barely right of center, F) our money is cool, and fuck you if you disagree, G) our schools are shit, too, and H) Niagara Falls is better on our side.

[Kimberleigh]

Originally Posted by Mini

<snip> H) Niagara Falls is better on our side.

yep




We just went to the Falls (Canadian side) and then on to Toronto - I saw plenty of fat people, and they weren't all tourists ( I didn't ask, but the ones working at the Airport probably live there). Canadians are way more laid back, and definitely know their beer.

[gypsy]

Did I mention the beer?

[EtobicokeFA]

Things you don't fuck with in Canada:

1) Healthcare

2) Beer

3) Hockey

4) Our vacation time

By the way, give us a couple of months and our money will equal the greenback.

[Littleghost]

Originally Posted by Boteroesque Babe

Yes I am, Gypsy. And your heads snap completely in two when you speak.

ROCK ON. I knew there was a reason I wanted to visit.

I will not eat Canadian Bacon and green eggs. I will not eat them on a boat, with a goat.
--Littleghost

[Vince]

Can you still get Old Style beer at the liquor stores in BC? Now there is a quaint store, don't you think? Did you know that you used to have to sit down to have a drink in BC? They had a rule in hotels that there had to be a seat for every patron. The only way to know was to have everyone seated. You could buy a beer when you turned 19 in BC.

The provinces don't have their own laws like they do in the States. I once attended a conference when I represented my province in an adventure in citizenship in Ottawa. I made a speech saying there was less difference between Canadians living 3500 miles apart then between them and Americans living 35 miles away.

As an admirer I would prefer to live in the States. They have more black BBW there, too. People watching is much more fun there.

[grey1969]

Originally Posted by Vince

Can you still get Old Style beer at the liquor stores in BC? Now there is a quaint store, don't you think? Did you know that you used to have to sit down to have a drink in BC? They had a rule in hotels that there had to be a seat for every patron. The only way to know was to have everyone seated. You could buy a beer when you turned 19 in BC.

The provinces don't have their own laws like they do in the States. I once attended a conference when I represented my province in an adventure in citizenship in Ottawa. I made a speech saying there was less difference between Canadians living 3500 miles apart then between them and Americans living 35 miles away.

As an admirer I would prefer to live in the States. They have more black BBW there, too. People watching is much more fun there.

Having lived the first 29 years of my life in Canada and the past 7+ years in the USA (first Massachusetts and then Indiana) I have some perspective on this question.

Vince, when you mentioned that you are a dual citizen, I assume you meant Canadian-Australian dual citizen.

I disagree with your assessment that Canadians have more in common with other Canadians living at the other end of the country than with Americans just across the border. Both countries are very large and geographically diverse. Local industry tends to be based on geographical factors and the local society is influenced accordingly. In some ways people in the central Canadian province of Ontario have more in common with their neighbors in Michigan, Ohio, etc. (since manufacturing is the traditional industry in both) than their countrymen out west. The Canadian province of ALberta, with an economy based on the agriculture and petroleum industries has been compared with TExas, which also has been shaped by the same industries. On the other hand, there are things that strongly tie Canadians together and similarly for Americans. Sports is a perfect example. All Canadians love hockey and curling, while for Americans it is football and baseball.

I wonder if the speech you made was from when you were a young person (perhaps a university student?). That was many years ago (no offense) and Canada has become much more Americanized in recent years. I believe the differences will become less and less striking as time goes on.

As far as the number of fat people, I seem to recall seeing recent statistics that Canada is not that far behind the USA in that regard. In both countries it varies somewhat by region.

One thing the countries have in common is they are both bilingual. Of course, in Canada both languages are official, whereas in the USA there is no 'official' language but there are two languages in widespread regular use in daily life.

[Vince]

I was in year 12 when I made that speech. I didn't have much personal experience with Americans other than tourists and the occasional student who attended Kamloops High School.

I suppose I was referring to attitudes, language, pride of country and so on. To this day I am offended when I watch the news from the news services in the US and when they show the weather they blank out Canada. Why do they do that?

Australia is supposed to be getting fatter as a nation. Well, let me tell you as a keen observer of women that there are lots of gals who are not small but very few who I consider big. When I was in the States in 2004 I noticed far more large people there. You also have people who are tall and large! Canada has about 30 million people, Australia 20 million and the States have over 250 million. So America is about 10 times as big. I have always thought Canada should be part of America and then you would have 60 states. It would be amazing to have one huge country there instead of the cold place up north. I came to Australia to get a job and to escape the cold. I have a few regrets but it is a pity this country is so far away and so costly to travel anywhere to.

Canadians watch the World Series and are very much part of the North American sports network. Why the Canadians retain a different football code from the States is plainly crazy. 3 downs instead of 4 last time I was there.

Everywhere is becoming Americanized. That is due to lots of cultural things like dress, music, sports heros, movies, tv and so on. Kids over here dress the same as kids in California but about 6 months behind.

I can't see Canada remaining one country. However, Quebec has been threatening to leave Canada for decades now. It is an amazing country and when I am there I feel like I am back home. No matter how long I am in Australia I will never be an Aussie. I am an Australian citizen but I took that out to make it easier to get back into the country when I visited Canada.

[FreeThinker]

Originally Posted by gypsy

On the other hand, I think as a country we are wayyyyy more laid back - not so confrontational (I've noticed that even in the chatroom - usually we are the masters and mistresses of passive aggressive fighting :P) Many of us usually say "Well, you know, I see where you're coming from, but on the other hand..."...I guess we're peacemakers.

Why'd the Canadian cross the road?

To get to the middle.

[grey1969]

Originally Posted by Vince

I was in year 12 when I made that speech. I didn't have much personal experience with Americans other than tourists and the occasional student who attended Kamloops High School.

I suppose I was referring to attitudes, language, pride of country and so on. To this day I am offended when I watch the news from the news services in the US and when they show the weather they blank out Canada. Why do they do that?

Australia is supposed to be getting fatter as a nation. Well, let me tell you as a keen observer of women that there are lots of gals who are not small but very few who I consider big. When I was in the States in 2004 I noticed far more large people there. You also have people who are tall and large! Canada has about 30 million people, Australia 20 million and the States have over 250 million. So America is about 10 times as big. I have always thought Canada should be part of America and then you would have 60 states. It would be amazing to have one huge country there instead of the cold place up north. I came to Australia to get a job and to escape the cold. I have a few regrets but it is a pity this country is so far away and so costly to travel anywhere to.

Canadians watch the World Series and are very much part of the North American sports network. Why the Canadians retain a different football code from the States is plainly crazy. 3 downs instead of 4 last time I was there.

Everywhere is becoming Americanized. That is due to lots of cultural things like dress, music, sports heros, movies, tv and so on. Kids over here dress the same as kids in California but about 6 months behind.

I can't see Canada remaining one country. However, Quebec has been threatening to leave Canada for decades now. It is an amazing country and when I am there I feel like I am back home. No matter how long I am in Australia I will never be an Aussie. I am an Australian citizen but I took that out to make it easier to get back into the country when I visited Canada.

I agree that the statistics don't tell the whole story. Since one doesn't really need to be that big to be classified as obese, there can be many moderately fat people and have a fairly high obesity rate. SO I imagine it is quite possible there is a wider disparity in the number of SSBBW between Canada and the USA than the overall obesity statistics would suggest.

A couple more things about Canada. I have been skeptical about national unity myslf, but right now things are looking pretty good on that front and the economy is booming which always helps. Also, Canada potentially stands to gain a lot from global warming. As time goes on and the weather potentially moderates, it may be a more attractive place to live. One thing that will never change though is that as you go north the days get very short in the winter and really long in the summer. I am sure our Alaskan contingent could elaborate more on that.