While many tout that Canada is just like the US, suffering only from a touch of “little brother syndrome,” I have found a few peculiarities in the Great White North that I will simply refer to as ‘differences.’

The Canadian Difference is in the football.  Who can blame them for adoring hockey when there are two 50-yard lines and an extremely deep endzone, among other differences in the ball itself and number of players on the field at a time.  What’s with the 3 downs?

The Canadian Difference is in the butter,  typically sold in ~1lb (450g) bricks instead of the individually wrapped sticks of 8Tbs that lend themselves so nicely to baking measurements.

The Canadian Difference is in the ‘ou.’  More than a spelling difference (e.g., color vs. colour) that is automatically corrected or ostracized with a squiggly, red underline on my computer when writing a group paper or reading emails, the pronunciation of this letter coupling is also quite diversified across Canadian provinces and not merely a silent ‘u.’  And, speaking of weird pronunciations, since when does the word ‘quay’ rhyme with ‘fee’?

The Canadian Difference is in the soft drinks.  Only cola products contain caffeine, leaving no exception to Mountain Dew.

The Canadian Difference is in the coffee.  Tim Hortons and Timbits have replaced Starbucks and Munchkin donuts.

The Canadian Difference is in the healthcare and insurance.  I think I understand referrals and prescription processing…maybe?  But I do understand lower healthcare bills.

The Canadian Difference is in the online retailers.  Amazon.ca–need I say more?

The Canadian Difference is in the Oreos.  Mr. Nabisco has turned into Mr. Christie, resulting in a sweeter, creamier, trans-fattier recipe that cannot be found in packages with as large of quantities for as cheap of prices.  This was all, of course, proven through extremely stringent experimental investigation among both authentic Canadian and American graduate students.

The Canadian Difference is in the crosswalk behavior.  Even on a deserted street in the middle of a college campus, pedestrians will still wait in the face of the red hand.

The Canadian Difference is in the French that is hardly spoken, despite the bi-lingual food product labels and brochures.  Walking on the streets of Toronto will quickly prove the Franc-en-tongue myth wrong.

The Canadian Difference is in the French Fries, preferably served with gravy and cheese curd?

But it is discovering these oddities–er, differences–that make me love living and studying in Toronto so much.  Keep it coming, Canada.