I miss Canada a lot lately. I've started hoarding all the Canadiana I can to bring to the U.S. How do you commemorate your homeland?

[keysjangle 145]

- I bought some beautiful wall calendars showing Canadian landscapes (they still put me more in awe than Hawaii's beaches and jungles, believe it or not) I couldn't find any big coffee table photography books, so that will have to suffice... for now.

- My aunt bought me a tin of biscuits from the Bay with Canadian wildlife on the lid. A lifetime keepsake for me!

- My mom bought me a stuffed moose toy :3

- Boxers with Maple leaves all over them!

- I have one keychain for all my Canadian keys that has a moose, raccoon, etc in a little canoe... my Hawaiian keychain has a hula dancer (yawn)

- Canadiana mugs for the litres of tea I consume

- My biggest commemoration is in the works. A tattoo of the North Star, Polaris! My cousin designed it for me last night. I hope it will always remind me that I can always go back north, to my true north, strong and free!

How do you keep a little bit of Canada with you wherever you go?

Edited October 14, 2013 by Gervl

[Not a Tailor 1,370]

We're about a year out but we make lists for everything on google docs. At this point? It looks like in my suitcase I'll have two or three changes of clothes, a LOT of Canadian food, condiments and probably I'll hit some shops for some really Canadian keychains and stuff to give people while I'm there. I don't anticipate returning to Canada for quite some time, though, as I have no family to send me things. I think in a lot of ways that will make things harder. Until my fiancée is done grad school, I probably won't see Canadian soil again and, while I have friends I will certainly keep in touch with, I think it'll be hard in a lot of ways.

I think what I'm going to miss the most is autumn. It doesn't seem to be the same in Austin and I certainly can't take autumn with me. I'll probably end up with a framed picture of fall somewhere.

[keysjangle 145]

We're about a year out but we make lists for everything on google docs. At this point? It looks like in my suitcase I'll have two or three changes of clothes, a LOT of Canadian food, condiments and probably I'll hit some shops for some really Canadian keychains and stuff to give people while I'm there. I don't anticipate returning to Canada for quite some time, though, as I have no family to send me things. I think in a lot of ways that will make things harder. Until my fiancée is done grad school, I probably won't see Canadian soil again and, while I have friends I will certainly keep in touch with, I think it'll be hard in a lot of ways.

I think what I'm going to miss the most is autumn. It doesn't seem to be the same in Austin and I certainly can't take autumn with me. I'll probably end up with a framed picture of fall somewhere.

There's something about seasons that I miss so badly. My heart ached when I was in Hawaii (on vacation in Toronto now!) and I knew that all the leaves were changing colour, and that particular bite of cold air is in the wind signalling winter slowly rolling in. I'm immersing myself in it now. Perfect sweater weather, we always called it. I miss seasons! People think I'm crazy, but it's a very special time of year I'm bringing real Canadian maple syrup back for a couple people at home who have never had it! The real stuff is super expensive in HI, so all they know is table syrup. Getting ready to blow some minds.

I miss old forests, I miss our landscape, I miss being up in the country, I miss getting dock-drunk, haha! I don't know where you grew up, but the whole "going up to the cottage" phenomenon is huge in Ontario... getting away from the city and escaping for a few days to commune with the country and beer. I miss that in HI. I hope it's a thing somewhere else in the U.S... they don't know what they're missing.

If you're unfamiliar with the website Reddit, they offer "sub forums" for every topic you can imagine. One of them is the Snack Exchange, where people from around the world send country-specific foods to each other http://www.reddit.com/r/snackexchange You just sign up really quickly (username and password, no e-mail necessary) and exchange away!

[ricnally 258]

I have a killer butter tart recipe!

[NikLR 13,220]

I have a killer butter tart recipe!

okay but where to get tart shells?!?!

[ricnally 258]

okay but where to get tart shells?!?!

Can't say as I've ever tried to buy them--just make my own pastry and use a muffin tin.

[NikLR 13,220]

/facepalm

ARGH!

I make candied yam for thanksgiving, but I've always bought tart shells. You can't buy them in the USA. Now I have to learn how to do this myself. Sigh. Oh well something else that's new.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

/facepalm

ARGH!

I make candied yam for thanksgiving, but I've always bought tart shells. You can't buy them in the USA. Now I have to learn how to do this myself. Sigh. Oh well something else that's new.

If you're desparate take ready-made pie pastry and cut them out.

Pastry is easy peasey - grab yourself a youtube video and a recipe from a website - you can do it! Homemade is always better anyway

[Teddy B 17,251]

I miss Canada a lot lately. I've started hoarding all the Canadiana I can to bring to the U.S. How do you commemorate your homeland?

I'm going to put a Tim Horton's in our back yard for my Mrs.

[JensJrny2Ray 367]

Tim Hortons coffee makes a Tassimo T-disc variety so my husband and I order those from Amazon. I have my Metis sash on my bookshelf. I have lots of little bits of Canada around me. My husband knows it is my home and loves it as much as I do. When you go back home to visit you appreciate it so much more. OP - maybe buy a Hudson's Bay blanket to keep on the sofa.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

We fly also both flags out front of the house - its a conversation piece in the neighbourhood

[Teddy B 17,251]

Tim Hortons coffee makes a Tassimo T-disc variety so my husband and I order those from Amazon. I have my Metis sash on my bookshelf. I have lots of little bits of Canada around me. My husband knows it is my home and loves it as much as I do. When you go back home to visit you appreciate it so much more. OP - maybe buy a Hudson's Bay blanket to keep on the sofa.

I'm going to get a case of the Tim Hortons K Cups for one of my wife's Christmas presents.

Has anyone else noticed that the Tim Hortons coffee you get in the states tastes different than in Canada? I was told they use a different blend in the US by one of the girls behind the counter at a Tims in NY. Not sure if she was yanking my chain or not.

[floridaboundcanuk 7]

I'm going to put a Tim Horton's in our back yard for my Mrs.

You can start with this, its the same one they use in the stores - http://bit.ly/197vCYN

[JensJrny2Ray 367]

You can start with this, its the same one they use in the stores - http://bit.ly/197vCYN

Yes! I've heard of that! I do find the coffee doesn't quite taste the same, but that's also probably because they don't have the 18% coffee cream in the states like they have in Canada. Then again, Tim Horton's coffee doesn't quite taste the same as it did 10 years ago either! Mostly it's the name that keeps me happy .

[Teddy B 17,251]

You can start with this, its the same one they use in the stores - http://bit.ly/197vCYN

Nice!