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It ’ s Different in New Brunswick Milk Comes in Bags and Cars Roll Uphill
THE GREEN WAVE GAZETTE
A drive thru only Tim Hortons location in Moncton . ( Stu Pendousmat via Wikimedia Commons Sharealike )
“ Milk came in bags ! … My mother was shocked to see this and laughed at the sight .”
Drew Wilson ‘ 20
Poutine is more popular than French fries . ( Courtesy Drew Wilson )
Drew Wilson ‘ 20 Contributor
It ’ s hard to believe that a country next to ours could be so different . Last summer I had the opportunity to experience Canada during my family ’ s vacation to New Brunswick . While there , I learned a lot about the Canadian way of life . We were only there for a week , but that was long enough to get a firsthand experience of the many things to do and see , and how they do some things just a little bit differently than we do .
Let ’ s start off with food . I noticed that the colors , brands and overall taste , of items we are familiar with , were different . When we first got to New Brunswick , my cousins took us out to eat . When we ordered our food , they asked for chicken with a side of “ poutine ,” and I did not know what that was . We found out that they are their version of French fries .
Poutine is potato wedges that are deep fried , topped with cheese curds and gravy . It is available with just about any topping at most restaurants in the Maritime provinces . Of course , our version of French fries was available too , but Canadians prefer poutine . Some other food differences are the color schemes on cereal boxes , candy wrappers and drink containers . Also , the most popular peanut butter brand was Kraft peanut butter .
We visited the local McDonald ’ s , and were greeted by a man wearing a suit who directed us to order our food on a touch screen that was much like our laptop touch screens , just bigger . Payment was also made at this kiosk , using either debit / credit cards or cash .
Another difference was that milk came in bags ! We were looking for cartons in the store , but we could not find any . Instead , we found bags of milk on the shelf . My mother was shocked to see this and laughed at the sight . Three milk bags were equal to four liters of milk .
Food was not the only difference we saw . My cousins see moose everyday
Hopewell Rocks ( Wladyslaw via Wikimedia Commons )
on just about any country road . And , while driving past the border of Canada , not far from our family ’ s house , we saw a moose behind a wire fence . The fence was there to keep the moose safely behind it , and away from the highway . It was exciting to see .
We have Dunkin ’ Donuts , but in New Brunswick ( and all over Canada ) they have Tim Hortons . It ’ s named after its founder , Hockey Hall of Famer Tim Horton who started the business in 1964 while still playing defense for the Toronto Maple Leafs . Mr . Horton died in a car crash in 1974 while he was still playing in the NHL , but the business lives on and has grown to over 4,600 locations , many in New Brunswick .
Money is different too . The coins there are very nice looking and have some different denominations than we use . They do not have pennies , but they do have $ 1 and $ 2 coins called Loonies and Toonies . Their dollar bills are made of a slick plastic material that I thought we should use instead of paper .
I ’ ve been talking a lot about the items of daily life , yet I haven ’ t mentioned the people . I noticed that many of the towns were very small communities . There would be about four blocks and that was it . We would pass them by in about a minute .
The people were very polite to each other . Toby , my cousin ’ s father , was well known in their town . Everywhere we went , he would say hello to people that were either walking , in a shop , or at the bank , and they would respond , “ Hey Toby !”
I noticed Canadians are always prepared for any kind of weather , and usually have an umbrella on hand . One day , we drove to Moncton in the Bay of Fundy to see the famous Hopewell Rocks , where fast ocean waves rush in and create strange patterns , engravings and tunnels in the rocks . It was on the beach so we just assumed it would be warm , and wore tee-shirts and shorts . Everyone else wore jackets and jeans . When it rained , and we were all soaking wet , we wished we were as prepared as our Canadian cousins .
Yet another unusual attraction in Moncton , was a place called Magnetic Hill . Nothing seemed to be different about this place , it was just a regular pavement road over hill . But as you get to the bottom of this hill and put your car into neutral , your car starts to roll up the hill ! Yes , your car rolls up the hill . This is really an optical illusion . Our eyes see the ground as symmetrical to the grass and trees , which makes our brain think the hill is going up when it is really going down . It was a neat and a memorable experience .
One of my favorite things was the graffiti covered wall . At a local skateboard park , there was a wall made just for graffiti . Instead of banning graffiti , they encourage it . I also enjoyed the views of scenery and nature . Outside my cousin ’ s house , and most places we saw , they had beautiful views of the mountains and land below . There were great tall trees on top of the most beautiful mountain tops , beautiful flower lands covering the grounds for what seemed like miles , open fields below , and amazing land formations providing great photo opportunities .
New Brunswick is a unique place where I learned a lot about Canada . If I have the chance to see it again , I will not pass it up . I am sure there is a lot more to see . Check it out yourself !