Category: in canada

sweets in canada!

ok, so let’s get down to business and talk about canadian sweets. first of all, the omnipresent maple-syrup!

no complaints here, we’re big fans of it. the boiled sap of maple trees is a versatile product, which can be put in lots of things, including cookies, candy or glazing.

speaking of tim hortons, their selection is mouthwatering.

but if you’re not feeling like having a whole pastry, they have little donut holes called “timbits”, just a bite-sized hit of sweetness. timbits is also the name of their community program that sponsors kids sports teams.

next on our list, beavertails… these were a bit underwhelming, if i’m being honest, a limp piece of fried dough with toppings. i know dough is usually just a vehicle for a topping, but somehow, this sounded better than it tasted.

ice-cream! ice-cream was everywhere, and the canadians go all out on their flavours, making some fun combinations like bear claws (dark chocolate ice-cream with caramel swirls and choco-coated cashews), moose tracks (vanila ice-cream with fudge and peanut butter cups) or grandma’s cupboard (supposedly, all the sweets you find in grandma’s pantry)… and always in huge portions!

next, a mini peach pie that we had on a small roadside farmer shop on our way to niagara which was a-ma-zing! when i went to take the photo it was already half-eaten…

we also tried butter tarts, pudding chômeur, date squares… they’re all delicious and give you warm fuzzy feelings of happiness and christmas.

i guess canada’s spirit really comes through in their sweets. :)

analogue wednesdays in canada

analogue wednesday #158

wisdom from the streets of toronto.

foooood in canada

poutine and friends

so besides eggs and smores, what did we eat in canada? well, to start, poutine!

what is there not to like in a dish of fries, topped with gravy and cheese curds? we liked it so much we even tried variations of it, and i can proudly say, i’ve never met a poutine i didn’t like…

… though i did meet one i couldn’t finish! :D

corn was in season during our visit, and our friend lynda taught us the proper way to eat it on the cob. goodness, sweet fresh corn is amazing! having convinced my parents to grow butternut and hokkaido squash (instead of the bland types), beetroots and spinach, i wonder if we could convince them to grow sweet corn as well…

another highlight: a proper grilled cheese sandwich with these fun lattice chips. we had them overlooking the river in a town called paris! :)

oh, and chipotle! we’ve been hearing about this chain and their tacos and burritos for years, so we were happy to finally try it out. it’s such a simple formula, but oh-so-good. what is it about mexican food that is so deeply satisfying?

cream soda is one of the boy’s favourite drinks, but it’s so hard to find on this side of the pond! so we had that too, along with root beer.

another thing we tried was kraft’s mac&cheese, which we’ve been hearing about for ages. we followed the instructions on the box, and managed to get a slimy load of carbs out of it — not bad, but for some reason, not as satisfying as i had imagined it. when talking to lynda about it, i got the impression that everyone adds their tweaks to the recipe, in order to improve it, so maybe that’s what was missing.

below is one confusing meal at a place called swiss chalet. with a name like that, we assumed it would be famous for fondue or raclette, or maybe something with sausages and potatoes? or chocolate, perhaps. but this place had none of that. instead, they’re famous for their ribs and grilled chicken! ahah. :D

goodness, chinese food! toronto gives berlin a run for their money in multiculturalism, and we basked in on it. gimme all the braised duck and soupy noodles!

also, while randomly walking around chinatown, we found one ajisen, which despite being a japanese chain, was one of our favourite places in shanghai. just the sight of their familiar mascot brings back so many memories of meals shared there. so we were super happy to go grab some ramen and ease all our longings.

aaaaand that concludes this quick tour of delicious eats in canada! but wait — what about desserts, you might ask? i’ll tell you about it on another post! :)

foooood in canada

the egg carton

did you know that the egg carton, that magnificent device that allows us to transport eggs safely, was invented by a canadian man?

it looked a little different back then…

… but it was still a remarkable invention! :)

in canada

bruce trail

while in canada, we walked a tiny portion of the bruce trail, the path that follows the edge of the niagara escarpment for almost 900km, all across ontario. i didn’t know it at the time, but it’s one of the longest and oldest marked trails in canada.

what a beautiful thing to breathe all of this green! really makes us want to go back in autumn one of these years to see the colors turning. if only we had all the time in the world…