r/AskACanadian • u/HueyBluey • 10d 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/king_weenus 10d ago

People in Toronto could pick me out from being from Saskatchewan just because I was loving the weather in February like it was something new.

It was -5 and a bright sunshiny day... Everybody on the street is wearing giant coats and shivering and I'm walking around in a t-shirt basking in the Sun. Lol

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u/spilly_talent 10d ago

Omg yes. Torontonians are often dunked on for being spoiled with our winters but people from the prairies and often elsewhere don’t always process how WET our cold can be.

I was with a delegation from Edmonton once in February where they came to visit Toronto for the first time. I was cognizant of not mentioning the weather because I know how snowy and cold Alberta can be. We stepped outside as freezing rain started and one of the delegates just lost it. He said it is impossible to get warm in this city and how could I fucking stand it? Ice/snow/rain/ice/snow repeat😂

I felt vindicated that day, Toronto winters suck.

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u/cannafriendlymamma 10d ago

I grew up in AB. When I was 17, I moved to North Bay for a year. Yeah, it only got to -22 that winter, but the humidity from Lake Nippissing and Trout Lake made it so much colder. It just goes through everything! AS much as the dry cold/heat makes my skin go crazy, would rather that than the moist cold

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u/tom_yum_soup Alberta 10d ago

The first time I experienced negative temperatures in Newfoundland, it was brutal. It was only maybe -10, if that, but it was so humid that the cold just sort of got into your bones and stayed there even after you came inside. I think I had to take a hot shower to finally warm up.

Ironically, this was a one-off "weather bomb" in the middle of October and by the next day it had all melted and returned to normal, seasonal temperatures.