Be a Canadian on vacation

[cmotherofpirl]

T-shirt company helps Americans relax on vacation - by posing as Canadians

By LESLIE HOFFMAN




The "Go Canadian" package which includes a Canadian flag-T-shirt with the words to that country's national anthem, "O Canada," a Canadian flag lapel pin, a Canadian patch for luggage and a quick reference guide titled "How to Speak Canadian , Eh?". (AP photo/T-shirtKing.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An American T-shirt company has a solution for fellow citizens who want to vacation in Europe without having to answer questions about U.S. politics: pose as Canadians.

For $24.95 US (about $30 Cdn), T-shirtKing.com offers the "Go Canadian" package, full of just the kind of things an American traveller needs to leave home and its politics behind. There's a Canadian flag T-shirt, a Canadian flag lapel pin and a Canadian patch for luggage or a backpack. There's also a quick reference guide - "How to Speak Canadian, Eh?" - on answering questions about Canada.

It's the brainchild of employees at the Mountainair, N.M.-based company known for novelty T-shirts it sells worldwide on the Internet.

The Go Canadian idea sprouted after one of company president Bill Broadbent's colleagues heard of someone being harassed about U.S. politics during a recent overseas trip.

Some people might not mind, but others "just want to be on vacation," Broadbent said. "So we were joking that they could just go as Canadians, and that just kind of evolved."

The package went up on the company website Nov. 12, and sold a couple hundred within weeks.

Sylvia Dawson's boyfriend has been joking that she needed to find him a Canadian flag for a coming trip to Spain. That's after his daughter, who is studying there, warned that he might be questioned about politics when he comes to visit.

So she bought a package.

"I said, 'What are you going to do if someone asks you about the prime minister of Canada?' And he said, 'I'll study up,' " Dawson said.

Such questions are the reason for the package's quick reference guide, which offers tips in case an American in disguise gets quizzed on Canada.

When it comes to sports, the guide suggests: "This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is Wayne Gretzky.

If a Canadian says he had to "deke out of a meeting," it means he avoided the meeting. If someone is headed to "Hogtown," that's Canadian for Toronto. A trip to "Cowtown" means the person is going to Calgary.

And in all cases, the guide advises: "If your vacation is to be stress free, leave those heavy politics behind and travel with a light heart and quick wit, Canadian style."

[Tony]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='Dec 8 2004, 07:54 AM']

When it comes to sports, the guide suggests: "This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is Wayne Gretzky.

[/quote]
except the NHL is in a lockout :angry:


dont them canadians like curling too?

[homeschoolmom]

When I was traveling in Spain during high school, we were instructed that if anyone asked us where we were from, we were to tell them Australia. Reagan was not especially liked at that time, if I remember correctly... anyhoo... someone asked if it wouldn't be easier to pretend to be Canadian... they said no... I guess most Australians are just loveable...


note to Phazzan-- "MOST"...

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Dec 8 2004, 08:25 AM'] note to Phazzan-- "MOST"... [/quote]




i love this idea. haha. id be able to do that with ease! i have a patch on my backpack from canada. people sometimes ask me why i came to the states and i just play along for a while making them think im really canadian then tell them i was kidding. lol. its fun. anyway.... GOOD ARTICLE!

[shelly_freak]

When my family and I go on vacation we say we're Canadians. Don't want French men after us.

[God Conquers]

Are you kidding me?

This is not right. You are betraying your country while on vacation?

Are you ashamed of being an American?

Plus, people in Europe and elsewhere have begun to catch on to this stuff!

Americans dress up as canadians and do obnoxious things in other countries and now it gets blamed on us!
People will soon stop believing REAL canadians when they come and lump us in with American!

ah what a wordl what a world!

[Sojourner]

I agree with GC ... if you're going to another country, you should be prepared to deal with whatever carp you get about your own country's politics.


Edited to say: Plus, who would want to say they're Canadian? I don't think that's a step up ...

[shelly_freak]

[quote name='God Conquers' date='Dec 8 2004, 10:42 AM'] Are you kidding me?

This is not right. You are betraying your country while on vacation?

Are you ashamed of being an American?

Plus, people in Europe and elsewhere have begun to catch on to this stuff!

Americans dress up as canadians and do obnoxious things in other countries and now it gets blamed on us!
People will soon stop believing REAL canadians when they come and lump us in with American!

ah what a wordl what a world! [/quote]
It's not like we act obnoxious and dress wierd.

Are you serious? Betraying our country? Please. I happen to be the least patriotic person out there anyways

[BLAZEr]

I think I would rather be treated badly than pretend I was an . . . ugh! . . . Canadian!

[stargirl3:16]

That reminds me of a shirt my friend has. It has a maple leaf and it says "Invade Canada".

[God Conquers]

Bah! We are much better behaved than all of you!

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Dec 8 2004, 11:52 AM'] I agree with GC ... if you're going to another country, you should be prepared to deal with whatever carp you get about your own country's politics.
[/quote]
But we were in high school....

[Sojourner]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Dec 8 2004, 04:04 PM'] But we were in high school.... [/quote]
Maybe high schoolers would be more careful in how they voted when they grow up if they experienced firsthand the world's thoughts on our foreign policies.

[BLAZEr]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Dec 8 2004, 04:29 PM'] Maybe high schoolers would be more careful in how they voted when they grow up if they experienced firsthand the world's thoughts on our foreign policies. [/quote]
ummm . . . or maybe they would recognize that most of the world is just jealous of our life and has an inferiority complex.

America Rocks!

[Ash Wednesday]

In the past, before 9/11, Canadians complained that Europeans lumped U.S. and Canada together and Europeans didn't give a ratt's rear if someone had a Canadian flag on their backpack or not. I saw that first hand -- Canadians yelled at for doing anything dumb no different than an American would -- I suppose it's the idea that somehow they thought erroneously that they would be able to avoid a cold shoulder just because they were Canadian, despite the fact that they were still just as stupid when it came to etiquette and street smarts.

I have been to Europe twice since then and have never had problems with anyone, and nobody has asked me about politics that I can recall to a great extent. And if you don't want to talk about politics, then just say so. Change the subject. Be courteous and respectful and you won't have problems. When they ask where you are from, give a general area in the U.S. where you are from. I usually say matter of factly, "Seattle". Say "Iowa" or "Dallas" or whatever. You don't have to scream that you're an American. No harm is done if you just state the area where you're from. That way you're not giving the message that they are too dumb to figure it out.

If Europeans are going to ask you about your country's politics or want to discuss them, most of the time they are only asking if they have gotten to know you (and/or have had a few beers.) That is the case with the average Johan on the street. Most of the time they hold nothing against you personally despite the fact that they might dislike your president's policies. It's more that the average johan is perplexed and doesn't understand us, if they are bothering to ask about anything at all. It usually is never personal.

If someone is an Anti-American jerk then they are the same kind of jerk you find here -- fortunately not something tourists have to come across all the time. If you're not stupid about who you want to meet and hang out with when you're there, then you don't need a Canadian t-shirt.

Now thanks to all the publicity, whoever wears those silly shirts are going to be seen for what they really are: Americans trying to look Canadian.

[BLAZEr]

[quote name='BLAZEr' date='Dec 8 2004, 04:52 PM'] ummm . . . or maybe they would recognize that most of the world is just jealous of our life and has an inferiority complex.

America Rocks! [/quote]
BTW . . . I'm not really isolationist as I pretend to be.

[J.P.]

Haha, you guys are posing as Canadians! Love it! I just hope that ppl believe me still when I say Im Canadian. Well, we are great...what can I say? Anyone seen the I am Canadian beer commercials? Those are Canadian. Haha. Still love you Americans though.

Edited December 10, 2004 by J.P.

[Luthien]

Wow...feel the love...

[shelly_freak]

Canada is great! I'm glad to say I am a quarter Canadian. My Canadian relatives rock my socks.

[God Conquers]

woooohoooo. OOOOOOH CAAAAAAAAANAAAAADAAAAA!!!

I love my country, I despise my government.