What do you miss most about Canada

[bsd058 296]

Well I haven't moved yet, but one thing I definitely WON'T miss about where I live right now is the snow for about 9-12 months of the year!! We're supposed to get 10-15 cm tonight and tomorrow for crying out loud!!!!!

[Tom & Stacy 3]

Living in Houston offers a lot of selection but there is a lot I miss.

- Being able to walk places. Most walking trails are around neighborhoods only. I barely ever see people walking to a grocery store etc. I guess it's too hot...

- Hills, mountains or even an incline!

- Lay's Dill Pickle, ketchup and salt and vinegar chips

- Ruffles All-Dressed chips

- Smarties

- Tim Horton's coffee and bagels

- Crush pineapple and cream soda

- I don't like the taste of the milk here

- Flowing rivers and streams

- Change of seasons (fall leaves, snow for Christmas)

Edited October 22, 2012 by Tom & Stacy

[KTandTommy 31]

I'm from Toronto and I WILL DEFINITELY NOT MISS PUBLIC TRANSIT!! Haha. I hate the TTC. I haven't ridden it regularly in over 5 years. Major hate on for it.

I also don't have a bike up here, but I do have one in FL, so I'm looking forward to daily bikerides to the beach

As for food, I try to follow a primal diet, and I can't wait to get down to Florida where Whole Foods will be relatively close-by, along with other stores with organic sections, and at WAY cheaper prices than what I pay here.

And as for what I *will* miss:

Without a doubt, my family. We're very close-knit, and I'm already tearing up thinking about leaving them.

My friends.

Fall colours.

Having my own car (my fiance and I will have to share for a while)

[pocheros 101]

Lay's Dill Pickle, ketchup and salt and vinegar chips

The dill pickle ones do exist in the US, though they may be hard to find. They randomly showed up at our Smith's the other day!

Hot Pockets! That's what they're called. I didn't like them at all Never tried Pizza Pops before...

Darn it, I feel like a Pizza Pocket now

I agree with you on this one! My husband looked at me funny when I said I was trying to find pizza pockets in the grocery store here. He had no idea what I was talking about. So I got hot pockets instead and they tasted awful. Pizza pockets were such a convenient midnight snack

I miss my best friend And I miss Canadian health care A LOT.

I also miss the grocery stores. I love No Frills! The discount grocery stores here can't compare- they are almost entirely filled with packaged junk foods, whereas at No Frills you could find lots of alternative and healthy foods. And there were some No Name brand things that were decent, like the soda. I also miss President's Choice brand.

I miss Bulk Barn, also because you could find a lot of things there that seem to be obscure here. I miss Longos and Fortinos, even though I didn't shop at them regularly (waaaaay too expensive) it was nice to get some snacks from there once in awhile.

It definitely seems harder to find certain ethnic foods here. Finding tahini is hard and when I do manage to find it, it's overpriced. It's also hard to find large bags of chickpeas. That's probably cause I'm from Brampton though, and Las Vegas has mostly mexican food in the ethnic sections.

I miss Moxie's and a bunch of breakfast places in Toronto. Most of the breakfast places here seem to serve very greasy food- which is fine sometimes, but I want a little variety.

Like other have mentioned, I miss decent soft cheeses and coffee crisps. Also, is it just me or do the chocolate bars taste different here? Maybe I'm imagining it but I swear the Kit Kats taste different.

I miss the poutine trucks that are in front of most Canadian Tires. I also miss Canadian Tire And I miss poutine in general. It was nice to have poutine at the movies. The movie snacks here are disgusting.

There's one clothing store I like a lot but it's only in Canada- Limite. I also miss the Value Village and Goodwill in Newmarket because they always had pretty great stuff.

I miss going to Kensington Market and Toronto Island in the summer.

Edited October 22, 2012 by pocheros

[KTandTommy 31]

My fiance SWEARS that KitKat is different, and even comes in different coloured wrappers (ours are more red, and in the US they're a bit more red/orange-y)

Yeah, I'll probably miss No Frills and Bulk Barn too. I forgot about those... I often make Tom little care packages with spices from Bulk Barn. Can't get a lot of Indian spices down in FL.

After trying Poutine for the first time here, Tom wants to open a poutinerie in Florida now. I think it would be a hit. A few are starting to pop up in LA and NYC now, I think.

[Saylin 1,605]

Oh yes, how did I forget about the health care?!

Let's see,

...visiting a clinic in Quebec to get a prescription for birth control: $0

...visiting a clinic in South Dakota to get a prescription for birth control: over $100

Hmmmm....

[pocheros 101]

Oh yes, how did I forget about the health care?!

Let's see,

...visiting a clinic in Quebec to get a prescription for birth control: $0

...visiting a clinic in South Dakota to get a prescription for birth control: over $100

Hmmmm....

That's awful. Have you tried Planned Parenthood? They gave me a 1-year prescription for free, and they charge $26/pack for all birth control pills (at least they do in Las Vegas.) Problem was they don't accept insurance, so when i finally did get insurance they told me they have to fax the prescription to another pharmacy, but after calling a bunch of pharmacies they said they won't accept prescriptions from planned parenthood because they weren't written by a doctor. #######! The system is needlessly bureaucratic, but I also suspect there were some biased pharmacists who don't like planned parenthood...

Edited October 22, 2012 by pocheros

[Saylin 1,605]

That's awful. Have you tried Planned Parenthood? They gave me a 1-year prescription for free, and they charge $26/pack for all birth control pills (at least they do in Las Vegas.) Problem was they don't accept insurance, so when i finally did get insurance they told me they have to fax the prescription to another pharmacy, but after calling a bunch of pharmacies they said they won't accept prescriptions from planned parenthood because they weren't written by a doctor. #######! The system is needlessly bureaucratic, but I also suspect there were some biased pharmacists who don't like planned parenthood...

Well, the birth control itself is cheap (just $9 a pack at Walmart, a generic brand), thank goodness. Last time I got my prescription, I had no health insurance. This time around (I have to go back around December/January for another yearly prescription), I have health insurance through my work, so it should definitely be cheaper.

[katchoo12 8]

Oh yes, how did I forget about the health care?!

Let's see,

...visiting a clinic in Quebec to get a prescription for birth control: $0

...visiting a clinic in South Dakota to get a prescription for birth control: over $100

Hmmmm....

That would be my greatest fear about living in the US ?

Even with a good insurance it is freaking expensive ! Healthcare is suppose to be a right, not a privilege but it seems money and greed is more important than anything in that business...that is super scary for a canadian, believe me !!

[Saylin 1,605]

That would be my greatest fear about living in the US ?

Even with a good insurance it is freaking expensive ! Healthcare is suppose to be a right, not a privilege but it seems money and greed is more important than anything in that business...that is super scary for a canadian, believe me !!

The only, ONLY good thing about it here is that I didn't have to wait very long to be seen by a doctor. Compared to Quebec where I used to wait a couple hours in the clinic to be called. But, in all honesty, if I can get a prescription for free, I really don't mind waiting that long. As long as I have a book, I'm happy

[pocheros 101]

Another thing I miss: I'm not gonna pretend Canada is perfect or doesn't discriminate ever, but in general Canadians, at least the ones in certain areas, tend to have a more liberal attitude than Americans. I went to the bank the other day to get some joint bank account statements for my AOS package and explained that is was for immigration. The teller was a nice young man and he told me about how crazy immigration was and how his best friend, who is Canadian, has some issues with it... And then I realized that his best friend was probably his boyfriend, but the teller couldn't say that. I might just have been imagining it but that's the sense I got- and it's really sad the teller just couldn't say it outright.

That's not to say someone in Canada might not feel the same pressure to hide themselves, though. But at least same sex marriage is legal...

Edited October 22, 2012 by pocheros

[katchoo12 8]

Well, the birth control itself is cheap (just $9 a pack at Walmart, a generic brand), thank goodness. Last time I got my prescription, I had no health insurance. This time around (I have to go back around December/January for another yearly prescription), I have health insurance through my work, so it should definitely be cheaper.

My doctor here gave me a 2 year prescription for depo provera wich i plan to bring with me ! It cost me about 49$/shot wich is good for 3 months. I cannot even imagine how much it will cost me in the US ! Even if i will be covered with my soon to be hubby, most insurance cie just dont cover birth control...

[Flames9_RN 358]

My doctor here gave me a 2 year prescription for depo provera wich i plan to bring with me ! It cost me about 49$/shot wich is good for 3 months. I cannot even imagine how much it will cost me in the US ! Even if i will be covered with my soon to be hubby, most insurance cie just dont cover birth control...

That shot costs $6 here in Nicaragua!! If your ever this way....no prescription required,lol

[The Mean Lady 604]

Another thing I miss: I'm not gonna pretend Canada is perfect or doesn't discriminate ever, but in general Canadians, at least the ones in certain areas, tend to have a more liberal attitude than Americans. I went to the bank the other day to get some joint bank account statements for my AOS package and explained that is was for immigration. The teller was a nice young man and he told me about how crazy immigration was and how his best friend, who is Canadian, has some issues with it... And then I realized that his best friend was probably his boyfriend, but the teller couldn't say that. I might just have been imagining it but that's the sense I got- and it's really sad the teller just couldn't say it outright.

That's not to say someone in Canada might not feel the same pressure to hide themselves, though. But at least same sex marriage is legal...

In some cities, but in most, no one really hides the fact that they are gay anymore.

My doctor here gave me a 2 year prescription for depo provera wich i plan to bring with me ! It cost me about 49$/shot wich is good for 3 months. I cannot even imagine how much it will cost me in the US ! Even if i will be covered with my soon to be hubby, most insurance cie just dont cover birth control...

Many many many insurances cover birth control.

And if they don't, we have many family planning programs via your county health dept that offer affordable birth control. The shot costs between 35 and 75 at a planned parenthood.

Also, if you choose alternative methods such as the pill, you can get them cheap on generics from walmart.

I get 3 months of pills for $27.

[Krikit 1,164]

Kit Kats in the US are made by Hershey.... which is an infinitely inferior chocolate. Kit Kats in Canada are made by Nestle.