Culture Clash I

As the calendar approaches the end of October, and the whole of North America becomes overtaken by Halloween, time also ticks down to the two-month-anniversary of my arrival in Canada. My first thought when I stepped off the plane back in August was how it didn’t feel that different to home. But as time has gone on and I’ve become more settled, the culture seems increasingly different. There are subtle differences, and it took some time of living here - two months to be exact - for me to notice them. I’m going to try and identify these differences for you, partly to enlighten anyone considering a year abroad in Canada, but mainly to amuse myself.

Where to start? There are so many things I could address in this post that I’ve decided to make it a series - with the 80s-TV-style name of Culture Clash. I will outline two cultural differences between Canada and the UK in each one. You’re in for a ride. (Also, I am aware that the name is cheesy and terrible, but my blog is called ‘Voicing Vancouver’ so what were you expecting?).

Culture Clash No. 1: The Drinking Culture: The drinking culture (or rather, the lack of drinking culture) is the first major difference you stumble across as a new student in Canada. Fresher’s Week was not what I expected. The organised activity for my first night in Canada was Jar Painting, accompanied by ice-cream and cans of Coke. This is a far cry from the Freshers I experienced in the UK, in which the university actively encouraged us to go clubbing by providing discounted club tickets. Alongside the jar painting came the realisation that drinking in Canada is not the same as drinking in Europe – people are just not that into it.

This is partly due to the endless rules and regulations surrounding alcohol. Canada is strict on its drinking policies… The drinking age in British Columbia is 19. You also have to show two forms of ID when purchasing alcohol in a shop or when entering a pub/bar. Supermarkets do not sell alcohol either; alcohol can only be sold in liquor stores. Even then, the liquor stores have very early closing times. The nearest one to my accommodation shuts at 7pm, so there is no chance of a last minute decision to go out. Almost worst of all, it is illegal to drink outside - as we were told, repeatedly, when we first arrived here. If you are caught drinking alcohol in public in Canada, you could face a $200 fine. The “no drinking outside rule” has endless repercussions: you cannot enjoy a beer at a Football game and you cannot drink on the way to the club.  This finally explains why we so often see people drinking alcohol out of brown paper bags in North American films. For me and my European friends, the strict regulations surrounding alcohol baffled us; it is very different to England, where off-licenses are open until 4am. Within just a few hours of being in British Columbia I had managed to break the law twice by drinking a beer outside and giving a beer to a minor. (They were a university student so I had automatically assumed they were of-age: not the case – you can go to university as young as 17 here).

But, just like everything else, you adapt and get used to it. In the UK, new students makes friends with their flatmates by getting flat-out drunk night after night, which in reality, is not the most effective way to form friendships. It was rather refreshing to have an orientation without excessive drinking, and to have genuine conversations. In reality, if you want to drink, the regulations aren’t going to stop you: there are numerous cool bars in Vancouver, and this city loves a Happy Hour.  

Culture Clash No. 2: The Food: If I’m going to address the drinking culture in Canada, I may as well jump straight into talking about the food. My instinctive reaction: the food in Canada sucks. I know this is a bold statement, and it is not entirely true, but hear me out. I am only talking about supermarket food here, not dining out. There are so many things that Canadian supermarkets do badly. Firstly, the cheese. It is nearly impossible to find good cheese in Canada, and when you do finally locate some, it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg. Why is all of the cheese orange, or ‘marbled’? Why do you sell liquid cheese in jars? I miss the good old £2.29 Extra Mature Cheddar in Aldi. The next major culprit: the Pesto. Green pesto in Canada is just not the same. There is some vital component, which it is beyond me to identify, missing. And why do you put whole chunks of garlic in there? It’s not necessary! Oh, and if you buy a red packet of Doritos expecting the usual favourite of Chilli Heatwave, you’ll be WRONG. Disguised in that familiar and comforting red packaging is ‘Nacho Cheese’ flavour. Blasphemy. Canadians also seem to put sugar in everything – even the bread tastes sweet. The biggest heartbreak, however, is the hummus. Like every other vegetarian in the world, hummus is a staple part of my diet, and the hummus here sucks! The consistency is completely wrong. I have now rather adjusted to this lower standard of hummus, but with the comforting knowledge that when I return to the UK I’ll probably be blown away by the quality of the hummus there.  

I am at risk of sounding like a crazy, snobby, British person here, and I probably am a crazy, snobby British person, so I’ve got to admit there are some things Canada does really well. The coffee is much more affordable, Timbits are delicious, and every avocado I’ve ever bought has been perfect. Cliff Bars are also great, and the Jalapeno flavoured Doritos somewhat make up for the loss of Chilli Heatwave.

So: My first Culture Clash focused purely on food and drink. How intellectual. It is important to note that I don’t actually care about these things. These are superficial complaints, just brief rants to make myself feel better. I promise that I will address some real issues in the next post!  I mean, it’s a Western society, so the majority of the food is the same as back home. Also, I am only talking about supermarket food here. Obviously, when eating out, the situation is very different, and Vancouver does boast some excellent Asian and Vegetarian cuisine. Maybe I will address my favourite restaurant-finds in a post in the future!  

I’m going to stop writing because I am at risk at sounding as though I have a food obsession, which wouldn’t be entirely untrue. Until next time! x