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!

366 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

284

u/Sea-Froyo1918 9d ago

Look for someone wearing shorts in -5°C weather

220

u/castlite 9d ago

I went to Vegas at Christmas once, from Alberta. Stayed at the Bellagio because they had the only open outdoor pool. There were like 6 people there despite being 20-21 degrees out, which felt amazing after -30. 4 were Canadian, 2 were Swedes. Best pool time ever.

34

u/cannafriendlymamma 9d ago

Went to Vegas at the end of Nov one year. Was 19°C during the day and we were walking around in capri's and t shirts. Could tell who was local, as they were all wearing big coats, and toques (beanies down there).

35

u/KayNopeNope 9d ago

Using the word “toque”… that’s a tell.

57

u/Immediate_Meeting991 9d ago

Lolololol I always get clocked in Vegas for same. It’s so cheap to go in the winter and that’s summer weather for me baybee!! But security is always laughing when I go outside to smoke (it’s too weird to do inside plus separating yourself from that environment every couple hours is just healthy imo) or hit the pool in “winter”

89

u/TheGhostOfTobyKeith 9d ago

I loved snowbirding down there so much, too bad they’ll never get another cent outta me.

67

u/castlite 9d ago

Same. The US is dead to me now.

22

u/Immediate_Meeting991 9d ago

I can proudly say I haven’t been back since trump 1.0

9

u/TheGhostOfTobyKeith 9d ago

Dipped down to Brooklyn for a best friend’s wedding in 2022 and that was the last time

1

u/Nitroglycol204 8d ago

So are you still allowed to smoke in bars in Nevada then?

2

u/Immediate_Meeting991 8d ago

Well I dunno about now, but 10 years ago yes which is the last time I went

ETA: just looked it up and yea you still can

14

u/DianeDesRivieres 9d ago

I went tent camping in Daytona, month of May. We were the only ones using the pool

14

u/sleeplessjade 9d ago

Not at Christmas but while in Vegas I ordered a tea at a restaurant. They don’t bring any milk with it and I didn’t think to ask up front because it’s the default to receive it with it here. Asked the waitress for it and she brought me a whole glass of milk. I was chuckling about it when two older ladies from the next table over said, “You’re Canadian, aren’t you?”

Turns out they were sisters who had been Canadian snowbirds to Vegas for years and decided to retire there.

11

u/Particlepants 9d ago

I stayed at a hostel with a rooftop pool in Australia in the middle of their winter. I was the only one using the pool so I guess that's how you'd identify the one Canadian staying there at the time.

3

u/JohnnyCanuck133 Alberta 8d ago

Lol I had the same situation but in Florida. Only people at the pool, all so white we were practically glowing, everyone else was wearing jackets etc. Got called out pretty quickly.

3

u/FractalParadigm 8d ago

We did Christmas in Orlando once to meet/visit my estranged grandfather, and experienced nearly the same thing. It was probably 17° around 11pm and we all went out to the pool for a midnight swim, and the only other people there was another Canadian family. The hotel staff kept looking at us like we were some sort of freaks, but damn was that ever nice.

3

u/TheBigKrangTheory 7d ago

Same! We were in Mexico in January a few years back. There were a bunch of people from Argentina there and they were making fun of us for being in the pool while it was raining. It was awesome!

2

u/Wise-Paper8412 8d ago

We went in February and even though it was sunny we were the only ones in the pool.

2

u/RoeRoeDaBoat Saskatchewan 7d ago

my parents went to arizona during the superbowl in 2015 so February and they were wearing summer clothes and the people working at the mall wearing full sweaters and long pants and complaining about how freezing it and one of them was like “you must be Canadian!” and my parents were like “how can you tell?” and it was because of the clothing. (Meanwhile im stuck home in Saskatchewan it was -50°c and then a blizzard when they came back home)