Cheese curds and gravy, anyone?

If there’s one thing Canadians love, it’s coffee. They can’t get enough of it. Rain, sleet or snow, there’s consistently a line of cars 10 deep at the nearest Tim Hortons, a coffee and donut chain, similar to Duncan Donuts. Personally, I don’t think Tim Hortons is anything special, but I’d never admit that to Canadian. Saying you don’t like “Timmy’s” as it’s affectionately called, is like insulting their heritage. Everywhere you go, you’ll see people carrying huge insulated mugs of Tim Hortons coffee and noshing on Tim Bits, mini donut holes.

Not all Canadian foods are so pleasing to the masses. We’ve discovered some unusual tastes here. For instance, they love ketchup so much, they put it on sub sandwiches and even eat ketchup flavored potato chips. You can find potato chips in the most bizarre flavors – curry, bacon, pickles and schezwan. My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to try the ketchup flavored ones. I ended up pitching the whole bag. Must be an acquired taste.

Another Canadian favorite is Poutine, which gained its popularity in Quebec, but is now served all over Canada. Poutine (pronounced POOH - teen) is basically french fries smothered in cheese curds with hot gravy poured on top. Anytime you order French fries, they’ll usually ask if you want gravy or sweet chili sauce to dip them in. I thought it was a little odd to eat ketchup on a turkey sandwich, but not on french fries, but decided to give it (the gravy) a try and it's actually quite good! Hey, don't knock it 'till you try it.

Bon Appetit!