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"use the cheapest, crappiest ingredients, and charge the maximum amount", which seems to be prevalent in the U.S....
not just the US. The supermarkets have been dumbing down food in the UK for years and they do it so gradually that people don't notice. The bigger a company gets, the less the quality.
I say bring back all the independent little shops
Yes, Tim Horton's DOES rock- I found one on the U.S. side, and thought to myself, "Oh YEAH!"....went in, got myself a donut, bit into it, and darn near gagged. It was awful. And then, I realized why....it was the old, "use the cheapest, crappiest ingredients, and charge the maximum amount", which seems to be prevalent in the U.S.... (they taste MUCH better, and are less expensive in Canada)...I was disheartened, truly.
But my waist thanked me profusely- LOL
Tim Horton's donuts are crappy in Canada too - that's what happens when you use frozen dough. So is their coffee (gasp ), and just about all the other crap they sell as "food". To be honest, I think most Canadians in the cities patronize Tim's only because it's fast, convenient, and cheap. Outside the city, it's often one of only a few options. For a quick coffee, I personally think the new McDonald's McCafe is much better than what they serve at Tim's. It wasn't that long ago that Tim Horton's was just one of many coffee and donut shops. It's only within the last ten or fifteen years that it's become this national icon (of course, it's not even Canadian-owned anymore, but who cares), largely because of the success of their Roll Up the Rim contest that no one ever seems to win.
I friggin hate living in the suburbs, having to choose between Tim's, or McDonald's or Starbucks for coffee, and not ever being able to eat a donut because I won't touch that frozen crap they peddle at Tim's. Then when I'm in the city I'm suddenly in coffee and donut paradise, surrounded by independent coffee shops that make amazing brewed coffee (I always buy beans by the pound now in the city to use in my French press at home so I don't have to endure Tim's), and bakeries with soft donuts just out of the frier, usually sprinkled with sugar, but also available in other varieties if you know where to go
So now that I've said these things, I'll sit and wait for the police or CSIS to come and arrest me for treason or sedition or something.
heh heh...well, I live in the U.P. of MI now, and if you know anything about the U.P., the biggest town is around 19,000, and I don't live there- But....the donuts in the little shops around here are excellent. I just have to stay away from them, seeing as how it's hard to get out and work it off with the wonderful Spring snowstorm we've been hit with, after a typical U.P. winter (snow..and lots of it).
And just when we could actually see some of the the grass again......so close, sigh!
I friggin hate living in the suburbs, having to choose between Tim's, or McDonald's or Starbucks for coffee, and not ever being able to eat a donut because I won't touch that frozen crap they peddle at Tim's. Then when I'm in the city I'm suddenly in coffee and donut paradise, surrounded by independent coffee shops that make amazing brewed coffee
I can never understand how this happens. Everyone says this but then they still go to the chains/big companies. I'm sure it's just because the big companies buy out everything and force independent shops to close through lack of business...either that or the majority of people just take the easy route/drive in.
I friggin hate living in the suburbs, having to choose between Tim's, or McDonald's or Starbucks for coffee, and not ever being able to eat a donut because I won't touch that frozen crap they peddle at Tim's. Then when I'm in the city I'm suddenly in coffee and donut paradise, surrounded by independent coffee shops that make amazing brewed coffee (I always buy beans by the pound now in the city to use in my French press at home so I don't have to endure Tim's), and bakeries with soft donuts just out of the frier, usually sprinkled with sugar, but also available in other varieties if you know where to go
Yeah, but they're not that near to where I'm staying at, and they're damn expensive, and not really that great anyways. I wouldn't say they're independent either. usually they're monolithic cafes that try to be everything to everyone. Not like my fave spots in TO, that's for sure.
In Sauga, we got a few good bakeries in my area, but not any good coffee shops. So I buy my baked goods at one of the nearby bakeries and make my own coffee at home in the French press. But in a pinch, McDonald's coffee is pretty good.
One more year, baby. One more year, and hopefully I can get the hell out of here and back into the city. Thing is, the city has changed so much since I moved, rents and housing prices have soared, the whole scene seems to have changed - it's gonna be like moving to a totally different city. I'm still there a few times a week, but it ain't the same as living there.
Many Americans think of Canada as sort of our "northern suburb" not really any different than we are except that they spell funny and that 36 degrees Canadian is hot and 36 degrees American is cold. And we have Dunkin and they have Tim Horton's (I will concede that battle to the Canadians- Horton's is 100 times better) They like hockey, we like football. But aside from that Canada is "pretty much like we are here in the USA". And, in many ways, they are.
BUT there are some very important differences that can dishearten Americans. The first is that Canada has a very different legal system than we do. Ours is based on our Constitution. Canada's is based on the Magna Carta (English law). In Canada you do not really have "rights" per se. They have a Charter which gives people basic human rights but things like "freedom of speech" and "the right to bear arms" among other things are unheard of in Canada.
Doing things you take for granted in the USA can get you in quick trouble in Canada. Speaking out against homosexuality or racial minorities will land you in court there fast. Speaking against the Queen is also forbidden there (but you can "nicely" speak against the government).
There is also no "freedom of the press" there. The government or a court can- and sometimes does- issue gag orders (called publication bans) on things they don't want published.
There is also no right to "bear arms" in Canada. Pistols are almost illegal for anybody but the police and rifles and shotguns must be licensed and you have to have a license to buy ammo there. And getting caught with an "assault rifle" will earn you about 5 years in a cold Canadian prison!
Other things can get you into trouble there too. For example, it is perfectly legal for you to watch foreign TV broadcast here and to own a satellite system from Canada (we have one we brought from Canada). The TV police won't come to your house in the USA, kick down the door and haul you off for having ExpressVU or Star Choice in the USA. But they will if you get caught with DirecTV in Canada. It can get you 3 years in the slammer.
On the other hand, you do have somewhat more rights in court. If you are accused of a crime- or even a traffic infraction- you can elect to "plead guilty with an explanation" and if you offer a good explanation to the court for your crime (such as "I just moved here from Georgia and did not know U turns were illegal without a sign permitting them"), the judge and The Crown (prosecutor) may elect to go a bit easier on the penalty imposed. You might get a small fine and "supervision" which means that, if you stay out of trouble for the next 6 months, the "crime" just disappears and no record of it will hurt you.
Another thing you should know is not to ever drink and drive in Canada. Unlike the USA, that is a FELONY offense in Canada and will get you jail time and, if you are not a citizen, a lifetime ban after you get out.
Another thing is cell phones. In the USA we have a cell phone culture. In Canada cell phones are very expensive. You are not going to find that nice $30 unlimited talk, text, long distance and roaming plan in Canada. A plan like that will set you back at least $90. And if you plan to bring your phone across the border while visiting, be prepared to be crushed by $1 a minute usage charges (50 cents for roaming and 50 cents for a long distance call)
Also getting into Canada is not all that easy unless you have family there (my wife is a citizen there) or you do a job that Canada needs people to do. Unlike the USA, Canada has a point system for admission of non family immigrants. You get points for education, speaking English and French and other things.
Maybe some Canadians can expand on this list.
In short, Canada is a lot more European
Anyway, I always thought of Canada as the civilized version of the US
Actually, many of the things you mention in a kind of negative way, I consider advantages...
^^^^I don't know if you should take too many of those points very seriously because most of them are not accurate at all.
The poster's knowledge of Candian rights and freedoms are especially poor. Canadians do not rely on Magna Carta for their fundamental rights and freedoms - that little Charter thing he mentioned, The Charter of Rights and Freedoms does indeed give us the right to free speech, or rather "freedom of expression", but hate speech is illegal in Canada, or rather speech that may incite hatred against various groups of people. The Charter also expressly gives us freedom of the press, and gag orders are only issued in the preliminary stages of a trial to avoid tainting the jury pool - I believe they do the same thing in the US.
It is not against the law to insult the Queen of England - that's horse crap. And I don't know what he means when he says that we can "nicely" criticize the government, because our very free press very often criticizes the government without pulling any punches, and our right to freedom of assembly allows us to protest just as forcefully as in the US.
Pistols are not "almost" illegal for everyone but the police. Anyone can buy a pistol provided they don't have a criminal record and take a two-day course in restricted firearms, then pass a test. Same with rifles and shotguns. There is no right to bear arms, but plenty of Canadians do. I don't know what his idea of an assault rifle is, but the .223 AR thagt they want banned in the US is legal in Canada, but high-capacity magazines are not. So you will not be going to prison for owning an AK unless you dont have a gun license or if the gun has illegal modifications.
I don't know what the hell he's talking about with police kicking down your door for having satellite TV in Canada. That's such BS it makes me laugh. I've known so many people who literally stole satellite signals, and they simply reset their cards when they scrambled the signal to thwart pirates. I've never heard of anyone ever going to jail for this kind of thing.
I think it's a very good thing that it is an indictable offence (not a felony) to drink and drive in Canada. If that helps deter people, great.
We certainly have a huge cell phone culture in Canada. The Blackberry was invented here, and everyone owns and uses cellphones. Maybe plans are more expensive here, but so are a lot of things.
Immigrating to Canada is not necessarily easy, but it's not easy in the US either unless you do it illegally.
Point is, this post is full of falsehoods about Canada, and I'm sorry that anyone read this and believed it. For more information about our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, here's a link: Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982
I had one of those huge 10' dishes to receive both the "C" band and "Ku" signals for years but got supremely tired of driving my lawn tractor around that damn thing so relented and now have the "legit" stuff.
That huge dish sat on my side yard for the better part of 8 years, with local cops living on my road seeing that thing every day on their daily commute. Downloading code changes just got old.
That dish alignment arm with it's little 24 volt motor now does duty in the attic of my shop sending my cable hoist boom out over the shop door.
Oh, and I have had a .44 Ruger six in the past but with age comes carpal tunnel syndrom so that too has gone the way of the dodo.
I had one of those huge 10' dishes to receive both the "C" band and "Ku" signals for years but got supremely tired of driving my lawn tractor around that damn thing so relented and now have the "legit" stuff.
That huge dish sat on my side yard for the better part of 8 years, with local cops living on my road seeing that thing every day on their daily commute. Downloading code changes just got old.
That dish alignment arm with it's little 24 volt motor now does duty in the attic of my shop sending my cable hoist boom out over the shop door.
Oh, and I have had a .44 Ruger six in the past but with age comes carpal tunnel syndrom so that too has gone the way of the dodo.
I cant pinpoint how or where but that just spoke to me
lololol
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), and just about all the other crap they sell as "food". To be honest, I think most Canadians in the cities patronize Tim's only because it's fast, convenient, and cheap. Outside the city, it's often one of only a few options. For a quick coffee, I personally think the new McDonald's McCafe is much better than what they serve at Tim's. It wasn't that long ago that Tim Horton's was just one of many coffee and donut shops. It's only within the last ten or fifteen years that it's become this national icon (of course, it's not even Canadian-owned anymore, but who cares), largely because of the success of their Roll Up the Rim contest that no one ever seems to win. 
