favorite things you'll miss from canada

[Reba 2]

We went to Staples yesterday to get printer toner, and lo and behold, there's a bunch of tins of Cadbury chocolate biscuits. REAL Cadbury chocolate, not the immitation US kind

*sigh* I've eaten most of the tin already...I'll have to go back for another

Edited October 30, 2006 by Reba

[DeadPoolX 9]

I'm not Canadian (my fiancee is), but I've found things like Sour Patch Kids, Smarties, and some other items that have been listed here as Canada-only in the United States. In fact, these items are usually available at your local Walgreens. #######...I sound like an advertisement now.

Anyway, I've been to Canada and I have to say, I don't find the food, desserts, drinks, etc., to taste any better/different than they do here in the United States. They don't taste any worse, that's for certain, but I haven't noticed an appreciable difference in flavor.

I'm not looking to start a fight or a "my country is better than your country" sort of thing. I'm just stating my experience.

[CutienPurg 0]

They will also take fruit from you if they find it.

I was crossing at the Bluewater Bridge coming into the states one time........I had grabbed some bananas on my way out the door for the kids to snack on during the 8 hour trip. For some reason I cant recall anymore the bananas were sitting on the dashboard of my van. When we reached the bridge and went through our question and answer segment the officer asked if I was bringing anything into the country, I jokingly replied " nothing but those 2 bananas ". He closed his window , picked up the phone, wrote up a lil pink slip and said " pull over for an agricultural inspection". I was floored. I said " really , you can have the bananas, they arent important to me" and of course he responded with their standard " it's a random inspection ma'am and has nothing to do with the banana's". So, I pulled over and waited....when the guy doing the inspection came over to me and asked what I was bringing in, I replied " um just those 2 bananas". He BUSTED out laughing and said " have a nice day".

Guess you shouldn't joke about things as serious as contraband bananas

[Reba 2]

I'm not Canadian (my fiancee is), but I've found things like Sour Patch Kids, Smarties, and some other items that have been listed here as Canada-only in the United States.

This kind of Smarties?

or the Halloween type Smarties that back home we call Rockets? I've got tonnes of those, but I've never seen a package of chocolate Nestle Smarties here in the US.

And we don't have a Walgreens, because we don't live anywhere near perfect

Sometimes stores near the border will have some Canadian items, but I'm nowhere near the border. So, no Smarties for me til I get home.

[DeadPoolX 9]

Okay, I see the difference -- the only kind of Smarties I've ever known are the "non-Nestle" variety of Smarties. Although, according to Wikipedia, Nestle's Smarties are sold within the United States. They're just packaged under a different name since Smarties is already taken. The name used is Jolly Smart Alecs and they're generally shipped into the U.S. via special importers; however, they can be found at stores as well. Which stores, I don't know. I haven't looked, mostly because I'm not much of a candy person.

Interestingly enough, M&M's are reported to have originally been an import from England, called Smarties. After the rights were purchased by Americans Forrest Mars Sr. and R. Bruce Murrie in 1939, they had to reintroduce them to the domestic market with a different name because there was already a candy product sold in the U.S. under the name Smarties. To identify their new brand, they combined the first initials of their last names: M & M. M&M's were first sold in the United States in 1941.

So there you have it. Essentially, M&M's are Smarties. If that doesn't satisfy you, then attempt to find Jolly Smart Alecs.

It's absolutely amazing what one can find on the Internet, isn't it?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I'm not Canadian (my fiancee is), but I've found things like Sour Patch Kids, Smarties, and some other items that have been listed here as Canada-only in the United States.

This kind of Smarties?

or the Halloween type Smarties that back home we call Rockets? I've got tonnes of those, but I've never seen a package of chocolate Nestle Smarties here in the US.

And we don't have a Walgreens, because we don't live anywhere near perfect

Sometimes stores near the border will have some Canadian items, but I'm nowhere near the border. So, no Smarties for me til I get home.

How close are you to Charlotte, Reba?

That city has at least some Indians--so one can get true (Brit, not Canuck) Smarties at any desi grocer.

[Caladan 19]

I'm beginning to think we'll miss universal health care.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Okay, I see the difference -- the only kind of Smarties I've ever known are the "non-Nestle" variety of Smarties. Although, according to Wikipedia, Nestle's Smarties are sold within the United States. They're just packaged under a different name since Smarties is already taken. The name used is Jolly Smart Alecs and they're generally shipped into the U.S. via special importers; however, they can be found at stores as well. Which stores, I don't know. I haven't looked, mostly because I'm not much of a candy person.

Interestingly enough, M&M's are reported to have originally been an import from England, called Smarties. After the rights were purchased by Americans Forrest Mars Sr. and R. Bruce Murrie in 1939, they had to reintroduce them to the domestic market with a different name because there was already a candy product sold in the U.S. under the name Smarties. To identify their new brand, they combined the first initials of their last names: M & M. M&M's were first sold in the United States in 1941.

So there you have it. Essentially, M&M's are Smarties. If that doesn't satisfy you, then attempt to find Jolly Smart Alecs.

M&M's may have been a COPY of Smarties (just as the Charger and Roadrunner were design-COPIES of the GTO), but they are not at all the same--Smarties have a sweeter (and better-quality) chocolate and ARE NOT guranteed not to melt in your hand! Never even heard of Jolly Smart-alecs.

Also BTW, I've corrected more than one article on Wiki. An example was the bio-stub of Lisa Brokop (which listed "Undeniable", released in 2000 as her latest--in reality, her latest is "Hey, Do you Know me?" released in 2005; I have copies of both).

It's absolutely amazing what one can find on the Internet, isn't it?

As a caution, you also have sites for all the tabloids you see at checkout lines.

[lisakenn 1]

TUCS crackers, Tim Horton's anything , the metric system, peameal bacon (not the "canadian style" bacon available here)

[Saddle Bronc 124]

TUCS crackers, Tim Horton's anything , the metric system, peameal bacon (not the "canadian style" bacon available here)

Basically, "CS bacon" as designated in US is fancy (and pricier) way to say "ham".

(never will miss any form of pork, as neither I nor Pras can even stand the smell )

[lisakenn 1]

I must admit that the shoe thing drives me crazy as well....and the fact that there is no closet by the front door..strange...I miss money with colour (lol)....and I miss canadian spelling...... ....Peek Frean cookies...

The Great Canadian Bagel....best bagels anywhere.....I miss Canadian television..it would be nice to get CTV..we always got so much american TV in Canada...Canadian Banking system (they still use deposit slips here...go figure...)

Definitely Smarties and Coffee Crisp...Milk in 4 litre bags...(my husband thinks that is sooooo weird...)

The Toronto transit system!! The bus system in California is AWFUL.....

[Reba 2]

I'm an hour and a half from Charlotte. Its a bit far to drive just to try and find Smarties I think

And M&Ms are nothing like Smarties. Same shape maybe, and may have started out as the same idea, but the quality and type of chocolate is different. Same as any other US copy of European or British candy.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

And M&Ms are nothing like Smarties. Same shape maybe, and may have started out as the same idea, but the quality and type of chocolate is different. Same as any other US copy of European or British candy.

Exactly as per my Charger/GTO analogy.

[DeadPoolX 9]

And M&Ms are nothing like Smarties. Same shape maybe, and may have started out as the same idea, but the quality and type of chocolate is different. Same as any other US copy of European or British candy.

I don't know. I've never had Nestle's Smarties, so I can't say for certain how they taste. As I said, I'm not much of a "candy person" so to me, there may not be much difference (if any) between Smarties and M&M's.

As for U.S. copies of European and British candy being somewhat inferior, I've never found that at all. In fact, I've never found there to be much of any difference between the GOOD U.S. chocolate and European/British chocolate. Sure, the ####### tastes like...well, #######. Terrible food is univeral -- there's plenty of that in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the UK. I just do my best to avoid that stuff.

In reference to candy, I try not to eat anything that's milk chocolate. I really don't care for the flavor of milk chocolate, and I vastly prefer dark chocolate. Maybe I just don't eat much candy, so perhaps I'm not a connoisseur when it comes to junk food.

Whataver the case, I really don't think there's that big of a difference between U.S. brands and the brands in other countries -- so long as you're purchasing the QUALITY products.

[Caladan 19]

Smarties are way too sweet, but I think that's just taste and what you grow up with. I heart M&Ms, and Chad loves the almond kind (which for some reason we can find in West Nowhere, Alberta, but not on the East Coast.)

As far as other candy goes, he sent me a Big Turk bar once. Good lord, no one who eats that gets to complain about American candy, ever.