Three things that surprised me about Canada

By: Alexandra Sharova

Going to another country not only means visiting unforgettable places or meeting new people and learning about their culture, but it also means going on a gastronomic journey.

Poutine

I’ve never heard about it before coming to Canada. Only later did I learn that poutine is a dish made with fries topped with a brown gravy and cheese. However, before that I was surprised and a little bit startled when my Canadian friends suggested going and having some poutine for lunch. (The only “poutine” I could think of at that time was the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, or in French transliteration Vladimir Poutine).

Maple Syrup

Nothing says Canadian as clearly and loudly as maple syrup. What surprised me the most was the amount of products made with maple syrup – maple sugar, maple butter, maple barbecue sauce, maple tea, maple liqueur and many more. The price of this amber gold has once been higher than crude oil and gold.

Double-Double

 This “creature” was also new to me. Double-Double is a popular slang term for Canadians which simply refers to a coffee with two teaspoons of sugar and two teaspoons of cream. Simple. Especially today when specialty coffee all over the world is attracting millions of people who usually order mutant beverages with names like “mocha-no-foam-non-fat-three-pumps-hazelnut-extra-caramel-vinaigrette.”