The Pursuit of Canadian Culture: A Journey From Canada to Germany to Switzerland and Beyond
Disclaimer: This article is very patriotic. You should probably watch the hockey game, eat some bacon, listen to the Arrogant Worms – Canada is Really Big, roll around in the snow, and sing the national anthem before you read it.
Dear Friends,
As some of you may know, I am currently living and working in Germany for my co-op term. It has been a real rollercoaster ride. Hopping on a plane with nothing but a week’s worth of clothes, some basic supplies, a laptop, a ski jacket, and my good buddies Peter “International Toronto Maple Leafs Fan” Hoskin and Jae “I Will Soon Be Trilingual” Han, I somehow arrived in this tiny town in the middle of Baden-Wurttemberg called Ellwangen. I had no idea where I was going, what I was supposed to do, or who I was supposed to meet, but somehow, I managed to find my apartment, get to my first day of work, and make some friends.
All that is fine and dandy, but it really has nothing to do with the real story.
The real story begins when I first started getting to know my co-workers and fellow German compadres – one of the first things that always comes up is the comparison game. It works like this: I see something completely crazy for Canadian standards, but which everyone else around me thinks is totally normal, and then I make a big deal about it. Sounds like fun eh? Well it can be, but after a while it really gets you thinking.
I have been in Germany for just over a month – I have travelled to roughly 10 new cities, been to 4 countries including 1 that is not in the European Union (Switzerland always has to be neutral) and 1 that rains a lot (poor England), and met people from all over the world – but I really don’t know what to tell people when I say I am from Canada. I know that I love my country. I know that it is a beautiful country that is far more progressive than we give ourselves credit for. I know that we have a basis of many different cultures, and that people generally think Canada is a pretty decent place.
But when I was in Switzerland talking to a Belgian engineer about Canada, Belgium, and their social and economic differences, I really stumbled when she asked, “So how would you describe Canadian culture?”
I mean, when I think of Germany, they have a very distinct culture. Foreign countries even know that Germany has their own culture. My friend Johannes, who also happens to be my boss, would say that Germany has a few issues with immigration – not so much problems as they are nuances – in which many workers in the 1970s came to Germany and lived in big building complexes with other workers of the same country, so they never really fully integrated into Germany society. These groups rarely learned the language as first-generation German citizens, and this causes many people a lot of grievances with them. Germany has a very interesting and distinct history, most of which – at least post-World War II – is not pretty, and so the regulations in Germany tend to be very skewed in one direction. Germans are generally quite upset when people do not attempt to learn the “German” way of life when they move to the country, but after a rough history, telling anyone this publicly can end in some serious consequences.
When you think of Germany, you probably have a few very distinct images in mind. Here’s what I think of (or at least thought of before I got here):
German engineering.
Saying something was “German engineered” has an air of quality and performance about it. When you buy a German car, or a German kitchen appliance, or even some German chocolate, you expect the best. The Germans are an incredibly industrious people, who not only combine a history of hard work and discipline with modern technologies and innovation, but have managed to be very progressive in the way that they structure union settlements, overtime expenditures, and even dental plans. Germany is also a very progressive cultural country in which the old, traditional side of things – such as Guggamusik (look it up, it’s awesome!), famous pastries, old buildings, and religious ties – meet with the modern, new age style of thinking that youth provide. German companies appreciate hierarchy and demand respect for those who have the most experience, but they ensure survival in today’s changing world by encompassing new, young talent and innovation directly into their business plans.
German food.
I think of pretzels first and foremost, and for anyone who is curious, they are incredible, but this also includes more traditional dishes such as Spaetzel, Bratwurst, Schnitzel and fresh cheese. Farms are the heart of German food culture, and dairy and meat still reign supreme, despite the tremendous amount of carbs in German diet. I will likely return home from this trip with about 20 extra pounds on my frame (not the good kind!). Interestingly enough, despite rich produce and a large modern push in major cities for vegetarian options, finding good vegetables is difficult, and most restaurants serve limited fresh produce. Kartoffelsalate – or Potato salad, usually with some kind of vinegar or pesto mixed in – is a favourite, but it is always accompanied with a big slab of meat – whether deep-fried or breaded.
German history.
Germany has some amazing and terrible history, especially in the last 100 years. From the overtaking of what is currently Germany by most of the Holy Roman Empire in… some very long time ago… Germany has been a haven for historical events. Participating, and generally losing, two world wars (well, really, everyone loses in a world war) has left the country rebuilt and refurnished in most places. Cities like Dresden were completely leveled during bombings in WWII, and after some very strict punishments in WWI, Germany has had some rough times. Germany was split into two countries after the Second World War, and controlled primarily by American and Russian influences, respectively. After the rejoining of the country, German go-to attitude, a lot of hard work, and some financially savvy investments, have left the country leading the charge (or keeping afloat) the European Union.
Now while all this is fine and dandy, you are likely saying to yourself, “But what about us? What about Canada?”
And that my friends, is the real question I want to ask you.
I love my country. I have travelled thousands of miles away from home, visited different cities, provinces, countries and even international unions, without shame of wearing a toque (what’s a toque? Is that a Canadian thing?) with my country’s name on it. I would eat Maple Syrup with just about anything, and I pronounce poutine like “pootsin”. Most people here have no idea what poutine is, but that just means they are missing out.
But when someone asks me what Canada is like, I want to tell them something other than “really really big.” In fact, we are so big, the Arrogant Worms wrote a song about it – look it up! 30 years ago, if you travelled the world and told someone you were from Canada, they would treat you like you were someone worth getting to know. Canada used to be a country plowing ahead in terms of social and economic development. We have resources coming out of just about everywhere – most of which we sell to the states – and a mosaic society that many countries are struggling to understand, let alone try to match. We have one of the best healthcare systems in the world, gay marriage, and civil rights that actually mean something. We, as a society, accept people of any religion, creed, nationality, sexuality or denominations, or at least make a damn good effort at striving towards it. I am not saying that we aren’t that same country now that we were 30 years ago, but I think we have fallen away from the great nation we used to be, or at least used to be recognized as.
But how do I explain that to someone when all they know about Canada is that we love hockey, beer, host the Olympics once in a while, and think it is cold all the time?
No, we do not live in igloos, although some people pay a lot of money to travel up north and give it a try. No, we all don’t play hockey, but if you have a nice clean sheet of ice and an extra pair of skates I won’t turn you down. No, we don’t say “a-boot” – unless we are from the east coast – and no I do not know Jimmy, Larry or Susan from Canada, but I am sure they are nice people. Yes, we measure distance with time – i.e. how long it takes to get there – and we know it is a messed up system, but when you are planning out your day, it makes a lot of sense. We do say please, thank you and sorry a lot, but that is not because we are actually sorry all time, we would just rather take the blame for the small stuff and keep the peace than get all uptight about something stupid.
I guess the whole point of this is that I have traveled to 4 countries, probably a dozen cities – if not more – and met people from Korea, Australia, Russia, Ecuador, Switzerland, China, Japan, the Czech Republic, France, England, Ireland, Austria, Hungary, Germany and Belgium, to name a few, and I could tell you a fair amount about all of those countries.
But not one of them could tell me anything relevant about Canada or its culture, other than hockey.
Is that what it has come down to? Do we need to hire Coca-Cola or Proctor and Gamble to make a marketing campaign to say “Hey! We are nice people, but there is more to this country than just ice, hockey, beer and French fries with gravy and cheese!” What about the REAL culture?
But it begs the question, what is Canadian culture?
I like to think that Canada does a good job of representing the “mosaic” idea that many politicians like to use. In America, in Germany, in many other countries, when you immigrate, you leave your old life behind and adapt to a new culture – unless of course you open a restaurant – but that is not the case in Canada. We say “Bring your culture! Bring your food! Bring your traditions! We won’t think less of you for it, and we certainly will not hold it against you.” I love Asian food, I will eat a burrito if you put it in front of me, and Indian food, no matter how spicy, is always a delight. I would love to eat more Bangladesh-style cuisine if it wasn’t so difficult to find, and eastern European Borscht is still atop my list of “Strange Foods I Never Thought I Would Ever Actually Like”. We have MacDonald's, KFC, Tim Horton's, dozens of ethnic restaurant chains, and some pretty street meat. And all of those can be found in Canada – but are they really Canadian?
My friend said that I should cook “Canadian” food sometime and the whole office will try it. I said I would love to, but that much poutine may not go over so well. I mean, other than that and “Canadian Bacon”, what do we really have? Maple Syrup? You can find it in Europe, and the good stuff is still Canadian Maple Syrup, but it isn’t a meal – it’s an add-on.
I was sitting on top of a Swiss Alp with 3 Canadians – Jae “I Have My Own Calendar” Han, Peter “The White Lebron James” Hoskin, Chris “Our Other Canadian Friend” Durning – and a German – our friend and translator Stefan – and we were eating breakfast and enjoying the view, and we had cheese from Switzerland, oranges from Spain, Belgian Waffles, and Canadian Maple Syrup, and I said that we should come back in 20 years and do this all again.
But I have some hopes for the next 20 years.
I hope that in 20 years when I am talking to a Master’s-level Belgian Engineer working for Proctor and Gamble and I mention Canada, she can tell me something other than “It is very cold, you love hockey, and you didn’t uphold the Kyoto Protocol for environmental action.” I hope that when I am in an international beer store and look for “Canadian Beers” I can find one I would actually recommend to our new Australian friend. I hope that when I travel with a Canadian flag on my backpack I don’t have other tourists laugh at me for so proudly displaying my country. I hope that when someone asks me what country I am from, and I reply Canada, they will say something like “Oh! I have heard it is one of the best countries in the world to live in!”, not “Oh… so that’s part of the United States, right?”
I see Canada as a country with tremendous potential. We are not American, as much as we try to be, and that is a good thing. We don’t have most of the world angry at us – although we are steadily heading in that direction – and we don’t have years of history dictating our future. Canada has been around for less than 200 years, and despite the red tape politicians like to pretend exists between the “now” and the “then”, we are a country that has very little history holding us back. Countries like Russia, Germany, France, many countries in the Middle East, China, Japan, and even the United States, have already set who they are as a nation who they are going to become. All of these countries have big stereotypes, and maybe we do too, but unlike many countries we still have time to change that. We are a country that can dictate our own future more than just about any other, and with our abundance of natural resources, connections to Eastern Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States, we have the potential to take in all of these cultures and decide for ourselves what the outcome will be. We are a nation still struggling to find its identity, but I think that is what makes us great. We are a photograph that is still developing, and though you can see the outline of what is in the picture, you can’t make out the whole thing.
Maybe I am day-dreaming, and maybe it took me 5000 miles and a 6 hour time difference to realize that my country is not all sugar canes and lollipops, but I am still proud of where I come from. I just wish the rest of the world would see all that Canada has to offer.
We are a land where discrimination is not tolerated and multiculturalism is more than just a long word, where you can speak your mind, say what you feel, and do what you please – as long as it doesn’t affect my right to do the same, where you can eat food from 3 different countries for breakfast, lunch and dinner, where progressive new ideas can take hold and flourish, where “please” and “thank you” are more common than “fuck”, and where people can be welcome for who they are and who they may become, rather than who they were or what they have done. We are a country of second chances, broken dreams and fresh beginnings. We are a light at the end of the tunnel, a steep mountain climb, and the view from the top all rolled into one. We are whatever we really want to be, because I am not really sure we are anything – yet. And the “yet” is what I am fighting for.
I am living in Germany, and I have met people from all over the world, and no matter how hard I try to assimilate into the German culture – learning the language, eating the food and working my tail off – I will always be Canadian. I am damn proud of the country I come from, and I think you should be too. Especially if you are not from here originally – that is the kind of thing I am talking about.
I hope that in the next 20 years, when I return to Switzerland with my 4 friends, I can tell people where I come from, and they will know what I mean. I will still be proud of my country. I will still carry a backpack with a Canadian flag on it, and wear my Canada swag wherever I go. I will still love hockey, eat poutine and sing O Canada if it is playing – because that is who I am. This is where I come from.
I am Canadian, even if I don’t really know what that means. Canada and I are still trying to figure ourselves out, and maybe that is what I like best about it.
I am still trying to find out what being Canadian means to me.
And maybe you should too.
I wish you all the best of luck with the rest of your term, and I hope that through your struggles you find what being Canadian means to you.