Ten Really Interesting Canadian Things (No, Seriously!)

Canadians are described as nice, neighborly and predictable. Something like a Volvo, except for the fact that Sweden manufactures them, not us. Even in good qualities, we come in second. How Canadian!

Yes, we all know about Hockey and Maple Syrup. But did you know that Canadians are more than that; in fact sometimes we can be pretty fascinating. Well, okay, just once in a while. Here are ten really interesting Canadian things:

1)      Yes, Justin Trudeau’s hair is real. (Note to Americans: And it’s not orange.)

2)      It’s the Great White North (and Black, Brown, etc.) An astonishing 19.1% of the total population of Canada (nearly 6,264,800 people) identify themselves as members of a visible minority group.

3)      No beaver, no Canada. This country came into existence because of the European desire for this humble animals’ pelt. Otherwise, we might be all be (gasp!) Americans.

4)      Our dollar coins are called Loonies. (Question: What do you call a Loonie that whistles: A Loonie toonie.)

5)      Canada’s most ordered take-out food (other than pizza): Butter chicken, originally from the Punjab region of India. That’s right, it beats out poutine. (Though we consume more Mac-N-Cheese than any other country in the world.)

6)      Hawaiian Pizza was actually invented in Canada. According to Wikipedia, Greek-Canadian Sam Panopoulos created the first Hawaiian pizza at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario in 1962.

7)      Canada has a “Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve.” Not oil, not gold, but maple syrup. Thirty-eight million pounds of this stuff is stored in 62,800 barrels in Laurierville, Quebec. The province produces 77% of all maple syrup in the world. We are, truly, the OPEC of maple syrup.

8)      Santa Claus lives in Canada. You can write a letter to him (in any language), send it to “North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0,” and receive a reply from the old man himself.

9)      Canada has been invaded twice by Americans - in 1775 and 1812. (We kicked their butts both times.)

10)   I ran out of things to add. Sorry, we’re talking about Canada!

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of The Yoga Zapper (www.yogazapper.com) published by Books we Love Ltd. (www.bookswelove.com)