10 Observations About Canada You’ll Find Interesting

1. Lots of ketchup flavored food items

   Can someone explain to me why there are Ketchup Lays and Pringles? That just sounds nasty, but hey: To each their own.

2. Only 1 brand of pretzel in the small towns we visited (Banff & Jasper)

   In light of the numerous ketchup flavored foods, this one surprised us. Shout out to the Old Dutch brand for fueling our pretzel cravings while in Canada.

3. But the honey flavored Oikos that’s in Canada is DELISH!

   There are only a few brands of greek yogurt in the Canadian groceries we visited. And yet, what Canada lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. The Oikos honey flavored greek yogurt was so good! It’s a shame it’s not available here in the U.S!

4. No police officers, like anywhere! I think we saw two  officers the entire 12 days!

   Working Theory: Most Canadians are too kind to flagrantly break laws, and the police force is too kind to set speed traps and write unnecessary tickets. You rock, Canadian Mounties!

5. Kraft Peanut Butter?

   One of my favorite foods is greek yogurt. One of my other favorites is peanut butter. I was surprised to find only three brands of the delicious delicacy. The stores had a natural organic brand, a local brand and Kraft. Now, I know that large companies are a conglomerate of businesses, but I still think its odd that the people who made mac n’cheese famous, also make nut butter. It was good, nontheless.

6. Everything is in Kilometers

   This one is a no brainer, but interesting nonetheless. But driving the unpopulated road from Calgary to Banff to Jasper, we realized that the speed limit is pretty relative. Some cars go 40kmh, taking in the scenery, and some go 140kmh. I would recommend somewhere in the middle.

7. It’s true: Canadians are super nice!

   Seriously! In America we have signs like: “No smoking” and “Customers Only.” In Canada, they add a “please” and “thank you” on to every sign and instruction. Thank you, Canada. I feel treasured and I feel respected.

8. Canada still has the Guide Channel

   Remember that channel that scrolled all the television programming? Remember when something distracted you and you missed your favorite channel, so you had to wait for it to scroll all the way through again? Well Canadians still enjoy that pleasure. And to be honest: On the rare occasions that we did turn on the T.V., that Guide Channel was an awesome reference. Can we resurrect that in the U.S.?

9. Bathrooms are called Washrooms

   Canadians are all about their good manners and cleanliness, which is why they call bathrooms “washrooms.” It sounds polite and it implies you disinfect after doing your business. It’s a win win!

10. Telephone booths everywhere!

    I’ve heard the same is true in Europe, and it makes sense because what if you lose your phone or didn’t purchase international cell service? With tourists everywhere, a phone booth is a nice reassurance. Plus, it harkens back to the good ole’ days when technology wasn’t intrusive and you could make eye contact with people on the street.

There you have it: Ten awesome things I noticed about the Canadian way of life while traveling to Banff and Jasper National Parks. And what didn’t make the list? Well, the nature, for starters. But I’ve covered that in some other posts, so get started with my Day 1 account of Banff National Park. And if the Canadian Rockies aren’t on your bucket list: Get your butt up north, pronto!