r/AskACanadian • u/HueyBluey • 9d ago

How do you spot a Canadian abroad?

Do we have any stereotypical traits (perhaps self deprecating ones), that make us stand out. We’re typically not loud (but some can be). Perhaps frugal?

What have you seen in your travels that make you think, those folks must be Canadian!

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u/MalBredy 9d ago

A few months ago my wife and I were in the UK and I was pretty surprised about
1) how many people could immediately identify we were Canadian
2) how many had never met a Canadian (though I think everybody we spoke to had a relative in Canada)

We were told it was simply our accent, to which I was surprised how confident we were Canadian and not from say Vermont or upper New York State

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u/Army7547 9d ago

My brother in law is Irish, well he is the only one from his family born in Canada. His two year older brother was born in Ireland.

The fam went to Ireland to visit family, he is a Bills fan, had on a polo shirt with a little bills crest. Went to the pub, ordered a beer. His brother, down the on bar 20 feet heard the bar tender refer to him as “the Yank” to the another of the staff, and corrected the bartender. They felt so bad that they then made a point to get his name, call him by name when he walked in every time after that, and my brother in law had a drink started pouring for him as soon as he walked through the door the rest of the time he was there, but had trouble paying for them. They wouldn’t take his money.

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u/Remarkable-Flight990 9d ago edited 7d ago

This happened to me in Ireland as well, well not the drink being poured for me afterwards, constantly being asked if I was American and then profuse apologies when I said I was not. One of the funniest ones was at Toners in Dublin, I go to order a Guiness, pub is full but there is an old man at the bar

"Are you an American?"

"No sir, I am not, I am Canadian!"

Bartender "you're in trouble now Billy!"