Canadian Archives - Page 2 of 8

Canadians like their….full two scoops! (Facts about Food Friday)

canada, Canadian, canadians, facts about food, faf, faff, raisins | May 23, 2013 | By Jessi

While most people probably recognize “two scoops” of raisins as part of the slogan for Raisin Bran, it’s not something I have heard much of in recent years.

I assumed they still made the cereal, but it’s not exactly a cereal you see on TV much any more, is it? I would say it was way more popular in the 80s and isn’t necessarily a cereal that current elementary school kids are begging their mothers for. I could be wrong, though! It’s not like I’m a subject matter expert on TV considering I rarely watch it.

Regardless, I know the box; I know the cereal; I know the jingle; I know the smiling sunshine. I even vaguely remember a TV show back in the 80s where they counted the raisins and wanted to sue because there weren’t enough raisins or something like that. I want to say it was Mama’s Family, but again, not a TV expert. ;)

The first time I saw it in Canada, though, I was supposed to see that Two Scoops is what they know it as! You can see that “raisin bran” is listed in the middle still, but that’s as a description of the cereal….not as the name.

Upon further looking, I discovered that back in the 40s in the US, it was determined that you can’t trademark “raisin bran” because it’s merely the ingredients or characteristics of the ingredients, so if anyone else wanted to describe their cereal with the same words, they would be allowed to.

This is why you’ll find that Kellogg’s (the owner of all of the ‘two scoops’ branding), General Mills, and Post all three have cereals named “Raisin Bran.” In Canada, however, only Kellogg’s is going to be seen as “Two Scoops” instead, helping it stand out against the competition. :D

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, there ARE two scoops in every box, but the size of the scoop is what’s going to vary. ;) They actually put in the raisins based on weight and it increases proportionally with the size of the box. For an average size box on the supermarket shelf, it’s roughly 1/2 cup per scoop, for a total of one cup of raisins in the whole box.

Canadians like their…. Slurpees – My first Slurpee Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia

canada, Canadian, canadians, products, summer | May 6, 2013 | By Jessi

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Slime - The new creamy lime flavor from 7/11 slurpees

Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia = The technical name for “brain freeze.”

I’ve always known what Slurpees were, but it wasn’t until last year that I had a real one. Where I grew up, 7/11s were nonexistent which is the only place that real Slurpees are sold. I had had Slush Puppies before, though, and assumed they were pretty much the same thing…just different brands.

As soon as I hit Vancouver, I was informed of how very wrong I was. They are NOT the same and Canadians hold a huge claim over their beloved Slurpees. Who knew?

Froster - Several 7/11 slurpee flavors like lime, coca cola, fanta, etc

So in order to fit in with “real Canadians,” more than one person insisted that I get a real Slurpee. I had to wait until the weather got warmer, but I finally did.

The difference between large and medium slurpee options at Seven Eleven convenience stores

Machines with a dozen options of flavors are not really my friend considering that means I have to make decisions, so I waited patiently while my partner-in-crime chose multiple colors….and then I made sure I chose the exact opposite.

This meant that I ultimately got to try at least 8 different flavors and in varying combinations. I’m not big on sweet drinks, but I figured if I was going to try slurpees, I might as well try as many as possible, right?

Medium slurpee with lime, blue raspberry, white and red strawberry options

Large slurpee from 7/11 convenience store in Vancouver, Canada

For those Americans who find it weird for me to make a big deal about Canadian slurpees, there are two main reasons:

1. American Slurpees are different. Canadian slurpees are carbonated and American slurpees are injected with air instead, which means they have a different texture.

2. Canadians are obsessed with them, specifically those in Winnipeg. Winnepeggers hold the record sales for slurpees, which averages out to 188k drinks per month (yes, even across the cold ones), which is more than the Canadian average overall (179k per month).

Drinking a Slurpee on Skytrain in Vancouver, Canada with blue raspberry, coca cola, and other flavor combinations

And for the record, yes, I enjoyed my Slurpee. It was a warm Spring day and was nice to have a refreshing treat on my way home on the Skytrain. :)

Canadians like their….”Those Little Donuts”

canada, Canadian, canadians, doughnuts, reviews, snacks | February 21, 2013 | By Jessi

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Those Little Donuts - Canadian company which makes little doughnuts for fairs. Unique machine for frying them quickly.

I hadn’t heard of “Those Little Donuts” until almost the end of my stay in Vancouver. I’m so glad my friend Don invited me to go out to the PNE because not only did I have a blast that day, but I got to have these little bites of heaven.

Sure, they may look like just little donuts and that’s really what I chalked them up to when they insisted I needed to get some. Hey, I’m not going to turn down donuts regardless, ya know?

Mini doughnuts from Those Little Donuts dipped in sugar and cinnamon

But oh my god, these things are amazing. Their website says “Often imitated, never duplicated” and I believe it. I can see how many places would want to make these, but wouldn’t be able to get it quite right.

Machine frying doughnuts in a circle fryer from Those Little Donuts

I’m in love with their machines, too. They churn out dozens of fresh doughnuts within minutes, frying them quickly in a spiral setup that is mesmerizing to watch, before quickly dipping them into cinnamon and sugar. I know there was another flavor or two available, but I don’t even remember what they were. And I’ve been told that the shops outside the various fairs have a lot of quirky flavors available, too, like Oreo or graham cracker flavors.

Bag of mini doughnuts from Those Little Donuts

I was quite content with just the basic kind, though. They’re still warm when they hit your hands and the texture is perfect. They’re the same doughnuts that they’ve been sending out since the 60s, with the only difference being that their oil used now is trans-fat free, which I think most of us can agree is an okay change to make.