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Up here, Northwest Ontario is known as God's Country. If you've been here, you know why. You may also know are some of the things unique to Northwest Ontario or maybe not. How many of these do you do or say?.
You’re going to “camp” this weekend
Meaning your personal cottage or cabin. Many other areas say they are "going to the cottage," but here it's a "camp".
It’s a “Social,” not a Stag and Doe
When a couple is getting married, their bridal party usually throws them a big party beforehand to help them out with the cost of their wedding. In many places, it’s called a Stag and Doe or a Jack and Jill, but in Northwest Ontario, it’s called a “social.”
You can’t have frozen fries anymore
It probably started with the yummy fresh, hand-cut fries from Ye Olde Chip Truck, which has been in business for over 50 years. But now, it’s really hard to go into a restaurant in Northwest Ontario and not expect fresh, hand-cut homemade french fries. Luckily, most restaurants in the area offer them!
You know how to drive a boat
Long before you can drive a car.
It’s a walleye, not a pickerel
Growing up, we called those sweet-tasting fish "pickerel," like they do in Southern Ontario. Somewhere along the way, we started calling them walleye, like the Americans do. Whatever you call them, they are delicious!
You have a “Kenora Dinner jacket”
The trend has caught on and now even the Canadian athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics seem to have followed suit, but for years we’ve called it the Kenora Dinner Jacket. #kenoradinnerjacket
May 2-4
The May Long weekend is often called May 2-4. Why? Well, the annual holiday is historically a national holiday to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday which was on May 24th. However, I think it’s really about the 24 pack of beers many northerners consume that weekend. Which leads me to…
Two-Four
A two-four is a case of beer. When you hear, “Please pick me up a two-four,” it means to buy a 24-pack of beer.
You go camping May Long (May 2-4)
And you go whether it’s snowing or not!
You wear flip flops much earlier in the season than anywhere else
If it’s above freezing you know you'll undoubtedly find someone wearing flip flops (or thongs, as they are sometimes called).
You get excited about the return of the seagulls
Once they migrate back to the area, you know spring is near.
You own a “snowmachine”
Although when I was a kid we’d go "Ski-Dooing," and some of the younger generations now also call them “sleds," we all go sledding.
Do you know any other things we do in Northwest Ontario that are not so common elsewhere?
