Canada For Non-Canadians - Put Your Tips Here!

[CowPrincess]

Water is not free everywhere in Canada, a lot of cities have it metered and you pay by consumption. Here in Alberta we pay a flat monthly fee for our water - quite frankly I'd like to see everyone on a meter as it might force people to start conserving water.

 

Actually, in CALGARY you still have the option to pay a flat fee or be metered. It is my understanding that the "flat fee" is being phased out, and sooner or later all homes in Calgary will be metered. Other places I've lived in Alberta have meters, not flat fee.

[Captain Canuck]

it always costs something to deliver water. so you may not be charged directly for your water but somebody is paying the taxes to provide the water.

..self imposed deletion of political diabtribe deleted here.......

so there

[sapper1]

Wondered when someone would mention this.

 

all british chocolate is better

I had my first taste of Smarties as a child living on a Canadian Army Base in Germany. All our supplies came from England at the time so we had British Smarties. When we returned to Canada we found that Smarties had made their way accross the pond----sort of. They were made in Canada without the European chocolate---not the same. I have recently found a place in the City Market that stocks British Smarties at twice the price of the local ones. I sometimes splurge on them and will not share. They are so good.

[Ephraim]

Yves loves Yorkie bars, when we are in hell, visiting my father, we go to a place called "A Bit of Home" to buy some. They sell the British hex tubes of smarties for a $1.49. Yorkie bars are $1.69.

[notentirelynormal]

Not only do Canadians use vinegar on the fish and chips..... but they often put gravy on their "chips" too. Canadian vinegar is very different in taste and smell to American vinegar. I've lived in the US for over 30 years and I can just barely stand the smell of American vinegar. All mine used for eating purposes is imported from BC. Also, because vinegar is used in making pickles, Bic's pickles in Canada are very different tasting then sweet American pickles...along with the onion and cauliflower you find in the same jar. Three things I always bring back, chocolate bars, vinegar and 222s. Just to let Americans know, neosporine is a prescription in BC, but tylenol with coedine (like Tylenol 3s) can be found by asking the pharmacist, along with cough syrup with coedine.

[jasperdog]

Not only do Canadians use vinegar on the fish and chips..... but they often put gravy on their "chips" too. Canadian vinegar is very different in taste and smell to American vinegar.

 

 

We recently did a tour of Peggy's Cove and the tour guide, Bob, recommended eating lobster dipped in white vinegar-----not butter. He said you taste the lobster that way and not just taste the butter.Is this a common eating habit in Canada or just Bob's personal preference?

[MonaCD]

We recently did a tour of Peggy's Cove and the tour guide, Bob, recommended eating lobster dipped in white vinegar-----not butter. He said you taste the lobster that way and not just taste the butter.Is this a common eating habit in Canada or just Bob's personal preference?

 

I recall us having melted butter and vinegar available for dipping at home when we had clams or mussels, a little fuzzy on whether we had it with lobster. My mom occasionally has whipped dressing or mayo for dipping lobster and we often will have canapes made of crackers with a dab of whipped dressing or mayo and lobster.

[LeftcoastBC]

personally I think that that, Bob guy has a brother in law that fishes Lobster and he wanted you to wreck it with vinegar so you 'll have to buy More :D

 

'Bob' from the other coast....

[NSgal]

We recently did a tour of Peggy's Cove and the tour guide, Bob, recommended eating lobster dipped in white vinegar-----not butter. He said you taste the lobster that way and not just taste the butter.Is this a common eating habit in Canada or just Bob's personal preference?

 

I grew up in NS, and have NEVER heard of eating lobster with vinegar. Clams, yes, usually to get any extra sand out of them. But never lobster.

[sapper1]

I grew up in NS, and have NEVER heard of eating lobster with vinegar. Clams, yes, usually to get any extra sand out of them. But never lobster.

I agree------have never heard of it in my entire life!!!! Sounds revolting.

[jasperdog]

Thanks to all my northern neighbors. I guess I'll stick with the butter.

[Ephraim]

Actually, I researched it online and apparently it's an old custom. I found a comment about it on the Maine Lobster promotion website at http://www.lobsterfrommaine.com/info.php?id=93&cat=7

 

You learn something new every day. Now, is that Canadian vinegar or American vinegar or British malt vinegar.

 

Incidentally, if you don't know, the word vinegar comes from the French words, vin aigre, sour wine.

[hutt1]

I have friends who eat lobster with vinegar but butter is the best way to go. The lobster is even better if you cook it on the beach with water from the Bay of Fundy.

[CruisnGram]

My tip is don't be a moron like me and use a $100 bill to buy lunch in Halifax...American money. All of your change (like $80 bucks) will be in Canadian money. Duh. I know how stupid it was, and would never have thought that I'd do something so dumb. But the place was packed, the people behind the counter were slow, and we were on a tight schedule. By the time it was my turn to pay, I just wasn't thinking straight.

 

It actually turned out okay as some of the people in our group were paying for their tour in cash and we had not yet paid for the tour, so they just gave me American money for the Canadian money and they paid for their tour in Canadian. However, if it hadn't been for that, I'd have been sailing back to the states (it was our last stop in Canada) with $80 of souvenier Canadian money. :D

 

CG

[Ephraim]

My tip is don't be a moron like me and use a $100 bill to buy lunch in Halifax...American money. All of your change (like $80 bucks) will be in Canadian money. Duh....

 

I'd have been sailing back to the states (it was our last stop in Canada) with $80 of souvenir Canadian money. :D

 

I'm surprised that they accepted a USD 100 bill. Almost no one in Montreal will take a USD 100 or USD 50 bill, too much counterfeit.

 

Yes, Canadians are accepting your money as a courtesy, change is almost always in CAD, since they don't have USD cash.

 

I assure you, it's not souvenir money. It pretty much holds it's value. Better banks will convert it for you, as long as it's in bills, not coin. Of course, our smallest bill is the CAD 5.

[Captain Canuck]

Had you been stuck with $ canadian you should just keep it on hand for your next trip to Canada...to Alberta.....most of the western movies are filmed here cause its so pretty....and with the the recent 10 % drop in our dollar (caused by US giving out bad loans on a political rather than and rationale basis...figure out how we get screwed by that one) and your dollar goes further....AND NO SALES TAX

[Wendy The Wanderer]

When Canadians mention paying their hydro bill, they are paying for electricity.... I don't know about other Canadians, but here in Montreal, water is entirely free and unmetered.

 

Here in Toronto we pay quarterly for water and sewage services. Water is certainly unmetered, but we do pay something for the infrastructure that provides it.

[cruisebugbit]

If your lobster comes from Northern New Brunswick i.e. Baie des Chaleurs you don't even need butter let alone (ack!!!) vinegar (never heard of that). Sorry PEI, Fundy and Maine folks.

[jp2001]

A regional dish to try in Quebec Province is a Poutine

Other regional dish to recommend elsewhere?

[Captain Canuck]

with real moose

[eh2zed]

Hockey Night in Canada (Saturday) is like your Monday Night Football only HNIC is much more exciting.

[Ephraim]

A regional dish to try in Quebec Province is a Poutine

Other regional dish to recommend elsewhere?

 

See http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=13445097&postcount=11

[eetonaee]

I work for a charter bus company and we just got a call from the Disney On Ice people who are in town next week asking where we could take them for Thanksgiving dinner.

We had to break the news to them that our Thanksgiving was in October.

[Ephraim]

I work for a charter bus company and we just got a call from the Disney On Ice people who are in town next week asking where we could take them for Thanksgiving dinner.

We had to break the news to them that our Thanksgiving was in October.

 

Well, I'm sure there are plenty of places you can take them, it just won't be for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure someone must have Turkey on the menu. How about Swiss Chalet and tell them it's a baby Turkey? At least with the festive meal they get chocolates, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

[bjb1957]

If you hear someone asking for a serviette, they are asking for a dinner / luncheon napkin. We are also in the habit of putting vinegar on our french fries. We always get strange looks when we ask for vinegar for the fries, especially in Florida pre-cruise!