I am Canadian!

I am a proud Canadian. One thing you may have heard about our fine country is that we like to drink beer and watch hokey. Okey, in truth, we drink a lot of beer and watch a lot of hockey. While one's team of choice may vary from province to province (that would be like from State to State, for all you Yankees (oh, yes, you are a Yankee!!...regardless if you are from the North or South states!)) A beer of choice may also vary from person to person but a very popular brand is, Molson's Canadian. Years ago they put out a commercial that became a sensation across the country. It featured a man standing on a stage with a huge Canadian flag behind him and giving this speech about being...well, Canadian!


Link to watch actual commercial:

http://www.coolcanuckaward.ca/joe_canadian.htm

I am Canadian!

Hey, I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader....
I don't live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled....
and I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada,
although I'm certain they're really really nice.

I have a Prime Minister, not a president.
I speak English and French, not American.
And I pronounce it 'about', not 'a boot'.

I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack.
I believe in peace keeping, not policing,
diversity, not assimilation,
and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.
A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch,
and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !!!!

Canada is the second largest landmass!
The first nation of hockey!
and the best part of North America

My name is Joe!!
And I am Canadian!!!

I may not be as avid of a beer drinker or hockey fan as your average Canadian but I am no less proud of our fine heritage. As Canadian as beer and hockey may be, there is another quite essential aspect to Canadian culture that you all may not know about. As Canadian as the beaver and the lumberjack, Tim Horton's is a Canadian institution. In most every town, big and small across this grand country of ours, you will find a glowing red sign, as familiar to us as the golden arches, with Tim Hortons' written large and in cursive!

Tim Hortons is a coffee and doughnut restaurant that is similar to Dunkin Donuts in the States, except that they serve begals, sandwiches, breakfast muffins, tea, cappuccinos, soups and chilli's. Most Tim Horton's are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year! There are nearly three thousand of these restaurants serving Canada's relatively small population of 33.3 million people! It just so happens that the name Tim Horton is that of a famous Canadian hockey player!...go figure! Double Double (term for two cream, two sugar), Ice Cap (blended cappuccino beverage) and Timbits (doughnut holes) are all Tim Horton products that are household names. We are crazy about our "Timmys"!! While I cant claim to be a hockey watcher or a beer drinker, I will admit that I usually go to "Timmy-Hoes" once a day...Oh, alright, sometimes twice!

As a matter of fact, my old Arab gelding, Rocky was used to scout locations for a Tim Hortons commercial that was to filmed in my home town. "....A true Tim Horton story", is their slogan, usually featuring real people's stories centered around the Tim Hortons product. This commercial was about how our local Tim Horton's had allowed the The Backcountry Horseman of BC to set up a hitching post outside the store so that the riders could go inside and enjoy a coffee on a rainy day (which there are plenty of in BC!). I had used the hitching post myself a time or two, it was handy to have available if you were out for a long ride and wanted to stop for a rest or use the washroom but for the most part, I was too lazy to get off my horse to go in to get a coffee. Rocky and I would simply ride on up to the drive-thru (waiting in line if necessary). My town just happens to be on route to a major tourist attraction and so in the summer massive buses, packed to the gill with Japanese tourists, would be unloaded and ushered inside to get a snack and use the facilities. Each would stop on their way in to take a picture of a girl on a horse standing in the drive-thru. Rocky loved it because the ladies at the window would usually give him an Apple Fritter or something sweet. I am sure that there are hundreds of pictures across Eastern Europe of Rocky and I but I am sad to say that I don't have one. I did find a picture of two mounted police going through! Which I am sure is not uncommon. If you ever have any trouble and need to find a cop in a hurry, just head down to your local Timmys and you are bound to find one or two. I am not kidding! Did you know that there is even a Tim Hortons in Afghanistan for our Canadian Peace Keepers!

I love being Canadian and feel blessed to call this wonderful country home. Beautiful British Columbia's slogan is "the best place on earth!" As true of a statement as any! While we enjoy the natural splendor of this amazing country, we also enjoy watching "Hockey Night In Canada" with good friend and plenty of cold beer. But nothing beats a hot cup of Tim Hortons coffee on a cold Canadian morning. I am sure that it will continue to be an time honored Canadian tradition! Now, I am headed out for some Timbits and a Double Double!