Newbies to the US from Canada: Anyone else having trouble adjusting?

[ExPatty 502]

Some parts of the US have Tim hormone, you just moved to the wrong one. I drive by Tims on a daily basis

[goolia 54]

Things I have learnt to live without since moving to Alabama:

1) Decent Chinese food. Americanized Chinese food is a crime against humanity. Truly awful. We found one place where you can't taste the MSG in every bite and the ingredients seem fresh so it will be our go to place, I guess...for those times when we are truly desperate.

2) Decent West Indian Food: It doesn't exist. It just doesn't. There are two Jamaican places here...one sucks majorly. I have yet to taste the other but my hopes aren't too high.

3) A little while ago I was at Target I couldn't find shreddies so in my frustration I yelled, "why does this country not have shreddies?!!" in the middle of the aisle. There were three white American girls standing by me and because they assumed I wasn't with my husband, they froze like I was asking them about my cereal issue. I had to tell them that I wasn't. My husband told me to stop pointing out that I wasn't American.

4) Side Walks and Buses: They just don't exist outside a major city center. We have no sidewalks where I live so I need to hurry up and learn how to drive. It kind of sucks.

Things I like about Alabama:

1) Ross, Khols, Marshalls. Everything is better....Winners is slacking on us. Step up your game, Canada.

2) Super Target and Super Walmart. Just....Super. I love them. Its just beautiful. I spend so long looking around, my husband goes into "shut down mode".

3) The Viet food is top notch, way better than what I had in Toronto. I am not even going to attempt having pho in Toronto, it wouldn't live up to how good it is down here.

4) Great Middle Eastern food

5) Everyone is really nice so far.

The lack of sidewalks and public transport KILLS me. I planned on living in Toronto my whole life before meeting my husband and thus was realllllly taking my time getting my driver's license. I'm constantly kicking myself for it now. Soon enough though I'll be able to join the ranks of angry NJ drivers.

I lol'd at the shreddies incident. I've had quite a few "Canadian" moments myself. I tried to order deli meat in grams last week (husband usually does this bit of shopping) and the gentleman behind the counter looked at me like I had two heads.

As for the shopping. My husband is convinced grocery shopping is my favourite past time but I'm just not used to how incredibly large the stores here are. There are SO many products I haven't seen before so I love taking my time and going up and down each aisle which of course, drives him mad. I told him once I get my license, don't be surprised if my grocery trips easily take a few hours haha.

Edited April 20, 2016 by goolia

[BWise 18]

The lack of sidewalks and public transport KILLS me. I planned on living in Toronto my whole life before meeting my husband and thus was realllllly taking my time getting my driver's license. I'm constantly kicking myself for it now. Soon enough though I'll be able to join the ranks of angry NJ drivers.

I lol'd at the shreddies incident. I've had quite a few "Canadian" moments myself. I tried to order deli meat in grams last week (husband usually does this bit of shopping) and the gentleman behind the counter looked at me like I had two heads.

As for the shopping. My husband is convinced grocery shopping is my favourite past time but I'm just not used to how incredibly large the stores here are. There are SO many products I haven't seen before so I love taking my time and going up and down each aisle which of course, drives him mad. I told him once I get my license, don't be surprised if my grocery trips easily take a few hours haha.

Yes! I moved from Ottawa to Syracuse and I honestly HATE driving and since Ottawa has a fairly good transportation system I procrastinated about getting my license until the last possible moment! It makes me laugh that my mother-in-law will drive to a store when it's a 5 minute walk away! I think she thinks I'm nuts for walking all over! The the lack of sidewalks KILLS me and I'm finding in a lot of areas of Syracuse you don't even have proper crosswalks!!! You have to run across and pray you don't get hit!

I've definitely tried to order deli meat in grams too! Also, I hate not being able to find things in the grocery store! Now the shopping takes twice as long!

[goolia 54]

Yes! I moved from Ottawa to Syracuse and I honestly HATE driving and since Ottawa has a fairly good transportation system I procrastinated about getting my license until the last possible moment! It makes me laugh that my mother-in-law will drive to a store when it's a 5 minute walk away! I think she thinks I'm nuts for walking all over! The the lack of sidewalks KILLS me and I'm finding in a lot of areas of Syracuse you don't even have proper crosswalks!!! You have to run across and pray you don't get hit!

I've definitely tried to order deli meat in grams too! Also, I hate not being able to find things in the grocery store! Now the shopping takes twice as long!

Exactly! If a place is under a 20 minute walk, I'm going to walk there (strange concept to most people here). Oh, I've almost been hit multiple times and my husband is always screaming "watch out" even when a car is, by my estimation, nowhere near me. I'm so used to that pedestrians first mentality haha.

I don't really have much issue not finding things but I may be lucky in the area I'm in, in that we are surrounded by mega grocery stores. The only things I've had a hard/impossible time with are Canadian snacks (like Ketchup chips, which I probably shouldn't be eating anyway haha) and a couple random things, like leeks! Took me three stores to find leeks. That one was strange.

[chiggins82 88]

Things I have learnt to live without since moving to Alabama:

1) Decent Chinese food. Americanized Chinese food is a crime against humanity. Truly awful. We found one place where you can't taste the MSG in every bite and the ingredients seem fresh so it will be our go to place, I guess...for those times when we are truly desperate.

2) Decent West Indian Food: It doesn't exist. It just doesn't. There are two Jamaican places here...one sucks majorly. I have yet to taste the other but my hopes aren't too high.

3) A little while ago I was at Target I couldn't find shreddies so in my frustration I yelled, "why does this country not have shreddies?!!" in the middle of the aisle. There were three white American girls standing by me and because they assumed I wasn't with my husband, they froze like I was asking them about my cereal issue. I had to tell them that I wasn't. My husband told me to stop pointing out that I wasn't American.

4) Side Walks and Buses: They just don't exist outside a major city center. We have no sidewalks where I live so I need to hurry up and learn how to drive. It kind of sucks.

Things I like about Alabama:

1) Ross, Khols, Marshalls. Everything is better....Winners is slacking on us. Step up your game, Canada.

2) Super Target and Super Walmart. Just....Super. I love them. Its just beautiful. I spend so long looking around, my husband goes into "shut down mode".

3) The Viet food is top notch, way better than what I had in Toronto. I am not even going to attempt having pho in Toronto, it wouldn't live up to how good it is down here.

4) Great Middle Eastern food

5) Everyone is really nice so far.

I agree with so much of this!!!

Where is the decent Chinese Food and why do so many Chinese food restaurants insist on putting fried chicken, cream cheese wontons, etc etc... I realize that Canadian Chinese is nowhere near the real deal either, but I was not prepared for such a difference between Can/US versions. I miss plum sauce... why Can't America have a good plum sauce.. or green onion cake!

I have been here for a year now and I live in a fairly large city (Minneapolis) and I have only just found an OK Thai restaurant.. Still cannot find decent Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Indian... Basically, I can only get good burgers..

You are lucky to have good Pho and Vietnamese! We have one OK Pho place, but they are all very basic

I have mini-breakdowns a lot too over groceries... the two that stood out for me was the discovery that Nabob coffee is Canadian... and the first time I tasted American Corn Pops... Gross!!! I also get very confused where things are in American grocery stores... In Alberta Bread is always in or next to bakery... theirs is in an aisle. I find that very strange. I always have to search for things like almond milk and vegetarian items.

Even in the city, our sidewalks are often only on one side or sometimes, they just don't have one in neighbourhoods... what is up with that? It feels dangerous and makes me drive everywhere.

Also agree that the shopping is better... though I miss smaller stores sometimes. Super centers overwhelm me.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Yes! In Florida the lack of public transit is awful.

[goolia 54]

Yes! In Florida the lack of public transit is awful.

I was just outside of Clearwater this past weekend visiting a friend and scoping out the scene (husband and I loathe the winter and are contemplating a move south) and I was in awe to see that public transit can be even worse than it is in suburban New Jersey. I don't think I saw a single bus the entire weekend! Definitely a huge con for moving.

[NikLR 13,227]

Denver has great greek, thai, and pho! We also have lots of sidewalks. Move here!

(I do notice a distinct lack of sidewalks in small towns in Alabama and even in OKC.)

[Transborderwife 4,666]

I was just outside of Clearwater this past weekend visiting a friend and scoping out the scene (husband and I loathe the winter and are contemplating a move south) and I was in awe to see that public transit can be even worse than it is in suburban New Jersey. I don't think I saw a single bus the entire weekend! Definitely a huge con for moving.

That's my hood exactly! We are minutes from downtown Clearwater.

[Ontarkie 14,226]

Public transportation and sidewalks suck here in Arkansas too.

I don't like that they don't have neighborhood parks either. I need to pack up the kids and drive to a park. Now it's a great park and all but I would like one we could just walk to!

[goolia 54]

That's my hood exactly! We are minutes from downtown Clearwater.

No way haha. I was in Dunedin specifically. (I hope I spelt that correctly)

[Transborderwife 4,666]

No way haha. I was in Dunedin specifically. (I hope I spelt that correctly)

Yep. That's about 10 min up the road from me, maybe 15. Beautiful area

[warlord 73]

Denver has great greek, thai, and pho! We also have lots of sidewalks. Move here!

(I do notice a distinct lack of sidewalks in small towns in Alabama and even in OKC.)

No please don't move here. We have way too many people here and need to get rid of people before no one can afford to live here.

On the other hand, glad you like our sidewalks. Plus we have a great transportation network that keeps on developing and not to mention amazing bicycle facilities all over the metro region (o.k. that's what I do for a living is future transportation planning) .

But on the Chinese thing, it's always been a standard at least from my experience in Ontario (the only place I've eaten or really been in Canada) to the US (where I've eaten Chinese in probably 30 states) is that American foods are dulled down. Chinese is a bland mixture of dull ingredients and there's really no flair in how it's prepared. In Ontario at least, the Chinese is amazing. They don't use the fake crab, they use real seafood. The sauces have a ton of flavor and so on.

I see that though a lot with foods as I see most people here having hotdogs or burgers with only ketchup on them and that's it. In Canada we (people I knew) always put everything possible on them.

I just think it comes down to the taste buds and maybe Americans are less apt to adapt to more variety and flavors than other places? Hell compare cane sugar in drinks like Coke to high fructose corn syrup they have here. I never drink coke at home, but when I go up to Canada I do...

[Transborderwife 4,666]

I was shocked to find out that Canadian Coke has more sugar than American.

[oncefuturealien 45]

Mexican Coke is where it's at. :thumbsup: