WHY DO CANADIANS SAY "EH" ?

As a tour guide for bus groups and individuals from all corners of the world,  I get the most enjoyment with people that are first-timers to Canada.  The majority know relatively little about our country.  Often, they don't know who our prime minister is or the population of our country.  Eh,,,,even less know that we won the war of 1812.  Most don't even know that Canada had a war.  However, some markers are indelible to our image abroad.

If you ask a 70 year old their first impression Canada they will say "Anne Murray" and you say "EH"

If you ask a 50 year old their first impression of Canada they will say "socialized medicine" and you say "EH"

If you ask a 40 year old they will say "Celine Dion" , "loose marijuana laws" and you say "EH"

If you ask a 30 year old they will say "Pamela Sue Anderson", "Jim Carrey",  "SARS" and you say "EH"

If you ask a 20 year old they will say "Avril Lavigne", "winter olympics" and you say "EH"

If you ask a 12 year old they will say "Justin Bieber, EH??"




Good photo op, eh?


"EH" is the constant that defines us across generations and countries.  Sure, we have a reputation for being polite and over using the word 'thank you' but that pales to the impact that our use of the 100% Canadian word  "EH". 

For my international friends, let me extol the virtues of the word 'eh'. 

For Canadians, 'eh' is a short cut to almost any otherwise longwinded sentence.  "EH" can mean any number of diverse things such as:

• I don't like what you're presently doing or saying and I wish that you would stop it before I get angry.  This sentence can be summed up neatly in Canada by just saying "EH?"  in a crisp, questioning and monotone tone.
• I didn't quite hear everything that you just said.  Do you mind repeating that?  Thank you.  To shorten this burdensome request all you have to do in Canada is say "EH?" with the emphasis on the 'e' which sounds like a pleasant hard "A" sound, while letting the 'h' trail and fade into the background.  At the same time, you lift up your eyebrows in anticipation and everyone knows what you mean.
• I want everyone to pay attention and check out what is going on through my eyes but by the time I explain it, the moment will have passed.  In Canada you can make sure no one misses an experience by properly using the word 'eh'.  For instance, when we are driving up north to get to the cottage at 70 miles and hour and someone in the back seat spots a family of moose along the side of the road after dark, the word 'eh', when said in an agitated tone while quickly recognizing both sounds, assures that everyone will turn their heads and not miss the moose family. 
• Great job, my friend.  Hat's off to you!  Just say 'eh' while keeping the hard 'A' sound going in a paradoxically smooth but stuttering motion---like "E eeeEEEE eeEE H!  That will suffice.
• I have just spent the last hour spilling my deepest secrets to you and crying and I haven't let you get a word in edge wise.  Now I desperately need to hear your feed back to ascertain whether you are at all connected to my drama.  I have finally shut up and this is your 'in'.  I beg you to give me your take on things based on my take of things!  In Canada, we avoid this by just saying 'eh' in a casual voice after our confessional diatribes.  That is meant to give the other person free reign to respond and connect to us.
• "F---OFF, EH".  As in other countries, some Canadians like to use the 'f' word to quickly get their point across in an edgy and memorable manner.  Here in Canada you will often hear the dreaded "F" word being used in conjunction with the word 'eh'.  Really, either one could be used on their own to purvey the message and effect.  However, proponents of the 'f' word mentality of communication often like to double their effect by using both words together.
• I've been ignoring you for the whole evening and am just too busy to take time to talk to you but I don't want you to get the wrong idea and think that I didn't know you were here.  You just have to say "eh" once to the person in question while they are within earshot and you need not explain any further.
• Don't rope me into being the one to organize the peaceful protest.  It was only an idea, that's all!  I was hoping someone else would take that ball and go with it.  Saying "eh eh eh" multiple times in succession while holding up your hands with palms facing outward in a 'stop' gesture and waving them gently back and forth like the queen will let them know you are not going to head up any cause that you support.  Three 'ehs' in a row is the equivalent to saying that you just don't have time, you would rather just stay in the background or you are all talk and little action. 
• Canadians are totally awesome, are we not?  "Eh" followed by a high five will suffice.



EH!



On my tours,  I am always asked why Canadians say eh and what it means.  I consider it an honour to give this lowly 'butter knife' expression the credit it is due.

"It dices, it slices, it never needs sharpening and it will save you time and change your life"!

For all international groups that would like to earn their PHd in "EH" while being educated and entertained by great Canadian tour guides, find more information here at DiverCities Niagara Tours.

Local folks are encouraged to comment on the blog and share how 'EH' has changed their lives.

 

Charlie Sheen Going Over The Falls in a Barrel

Charlie Sheen Going Over The Falls in a Barrel

WHY DID a 63 Year OLD Woman Go Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel

WHY DID a 63 Year OLD Woman Go Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel

DiverCities Tours Freedom Trail Tour Highlighted in the Buffalo News

For information on DiverCities Niagara Freedom Trail Tour and the History of the Underground Railroad in Ontario, follow the link to the article as it appeared in the Buffalo News on Sunday, February 20th.

http://www.buffalonews.com/life/travel/one-tank-trips/article347037.ece

SUISHA GARDENS GETS MY VOTE FOR BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT IN NIAGARA

This Valentine's Day my sweetheart scored extra points in his choice of restaurants by picking Suisha Gardens Japanese Restaurant in Niagara Falls as the romantic hotspot for the evening.  Perhaps some of you are wondering how raw fish could possibly set the stage for an intimate evening.  Well, fortunately the menu was incredibly diverse and I was spared the task of devouring eel while feigning that Valentine's Day come hither look. 

The slogain on their business card says "YOUR TABLE IS OUR KITCHEN----the shows great, the food is even better!".  That is no exaggeration.  Suisha Gardens (suisha means waterwheel in Japanese) practises a teppanyaki style of cooking.  Simply put, the skilled chef cooks at an iron grill that is built right into your table. 

The teppan tables at Suisha Garden Japanese Restuarant in Niagara Falls

After drinks were served, everyone placed their orders from the stellar menu.  Tony and I decided to share, so that we could sample each other's entrees.  We worded a salmon entree and a N.Y. Strip Loin Steak entree.  Others at the table had lobster and beef and chicken teriyaki entrees.  Our choices came with soup, salad, shrimp, scallops, the main meat course,  hibachi vegetables, Japanese rice and dessert.  Not bad at all ! 

Our chef rolled out a cart with all the ingredients for the table of eight.  With skills that would put Emeril to shame, he oiled up the grill and began to prepare the food, all the while performing juggling tricks with his spatula and making erupting volcanoes out of onion towers.  Pretty fun stuff.  I was glad when he didn't start juggling the razor sharp knives he was wielding around with childlike abandon.


The chef makes a tower of onion rings to resemble a volcano and with a little presto--flames shoot up from the middle


Somehow, he timed all eight meals perfectly so that we were all served almost simulateneously within a very short time.  This guy was a master.  However, even the spectacular food prep display paled compared to the quality and taste of the food.  Now, those flavours definitely pushed my romantic buttons!  The servers came around frequently and attended to all details in timely manners.  I heard not one complain by any one at our table.  The Suisha Garden experience was PERFECT! 

The decor was cozy and the restaurant was surprisingly spotless, with all the oil and cooking going on in the dining area. 


The lounge area with the waterwheel in the distance


They also have more traditional tables available for all sizes, as well as a bar and different food prep stations throughout the restaurant.  The owner greeted us after our dinner and was kind enough to show us the large back room in the restaurant.  This was done in typical Japanese style where you sit on the floor and the tables are recessed below that level. 

The lounge featured a functioning water wheel, fireplace and comfortable couches to wait for your table and the washrooms were tidy and clean.

If you have not experienced this entertaining dining experience before, you must put it on your bucket list!  Gentlemen, if you wish to impress then Suisha Gardens on Lewis Street in Niagara Falls is the place to do it.  Suisha Gardens Japanese Restaurant in Niagara Falls is without a doubt, one of the best restaurants I have been to if not the very best.

For more information on Niagara Attractions please visit my article directory by following this link. To see the extensive list of services offered by DiverCities Tours and Niagara Tourist, to ensure you get the most out of your Niagara or Toronto vacation, take a moment to look at the Services list on my blog.

To view Suisha Garden's full menu and price list please visit their site by following Suisha Gardens

*Photos are derived from Suisha Garden website.

Inside the Secret World Of Cross-border 'Kinder Surprise Egg' smuggling

This Monday, CBC ran a news story about about a Winnipeg woman who was caught trying to enter the United States of America with a Kinder Egg in her vehicle.  Apparently Kinder Eggs are illegal contraband in the United States and anyone caught trying to bring one into the country is subject to a $300.00 fine.  This woman was let off of the fine but the saga continued when she received a formal seven page letter from the United States government requesting that she authorize the destruction of the seized Kinder Egg.  Furthermore, if she wanted to contest its' destruction, there would a $250.00 storage fee for the egg. 

Apparently the United States' Custom officials take the war on Kinder Egg smuggling very seriously!  The article went on to state that in the past year, border officials have seized up to 25,000 Kinder Eggs from 2,000 different vehicles.  This means that the average take is 12.5 Kinder Eggs per vehicle.  Those numbers definitely point to a sophisticated smuggling operation and I'm sure they're making a dent in it.

What is of real concern to me is how many of these sinister little Kinder Surprises have slipped through the ever so vigilant eye of U.S. Immigration and are now making their way through the black market to private collectors everywhere.  These officials are thoroughly trained at spotting people smuggling people, drugs, bombs and Kinder Eggs.  It's easy to spot a Kinder Egg.  It is always the same egg shaped item wrapped in tin foil with the words 'Kinder Egg' proudly displayed on the front.  Inside the foil you will find a chocolate egg with a 'milky white centre'.  Crack the hollow shell and you will find an orange or yellow plastic capsule and inside the capsule you will find a really cool miniature toy with IKEA like assembly instructions.

It is the Kinder Egg Surprise toy that is at the centre of the U.S. ban and the subsequent smuggling rings.  This toy is considered to be a choking hazard to children.  So, if we skip a few steps and head straight to the bottom line, we should be able to therefore assume that Kinder Egg smugglers are just grandmotherly type Canadian 'child chokers' and must be weeded out at all costs. 

I had the opportunity to test the Kinder Egg Border Security efficiency last summer on my annual cross border camping weekend.  I took the old van, my son and about thirty Kinder Egg Surprises over the border in plain view.  In my defense, I hadn't heard about the $300 fine per Surpise at this point. 

I rolled down my windows and answered the obligatory questions about citizenship and destination.  They checked out my son's i.d. and took caution to establish our relationship just in case I was a child smuggler.  It was as if their eyes were blinded to the illegal Kinder Egg Surprises that were in plain view, as the following picture clearly shows.

Here are the Kinder Surprises glued to my dashboard.  Homeland Security failed to detect them!







Then they wished us a great trip and waved us on.  The Surprises had been glued to my dash for a while.  I am wild over the toys, as everyone knows that it's really the adults that are purchasing them.  We give the chocolate to the kids and we snatch the toys for ourselves.  EVERY ONE'S A WINNER!  To give my rather impressive private collection the respect it deserved, I decided to display them in my vehicle where they would get the most exposure!  I also figured that they would amuse the grand kids on long drives. 

It never dawned on me that they would get hungry for the toys and eat them.  That didn't happen and I don't recall hearing of any Kinder Egg Surprise related deaths in Canada.  Then again, I never assumed that my son would shove a chick pea up his nose, requiring a trip to the emergency ward.  Somehow it never dawned on me to sue the chick pea farmer, manufacturer, grocery store, stock boy and cashier over the incident either.  Nor did I start a campaign to have them labelled or banned.

Kinder Egg, on the other hand, advises against giving the surprise to anyone under the age of three, in 17 different languages.  Still, if you are a citizen of the United States you may be allowed to keep guns in your home but if you want to keep a few Kinder Egg Surprises there, you will need to go the illegal route.  Simply google Kinder Egg smuggling and you will come across forums that provide the latest open smuggling channels.  There are small and dedicated pockets of sympathizers scattered throughout the world.

Word on the street is that the capsules are the preferred container of choice for smuggling dope into prisons.  I guess they can be easily concealed in bodily cavities.  Thankfully,  it is clear that Homeland Security isn't quite too sure what these Kinder Egg Surprises actually are yet so smugglers shouldn't have to resort this extent to conceal the Surprises just yet.

I encourage all my friends from the U.S.A. to live dangerously when visiting Canada and buy a few Kinder Eggs.  You'll see what all the fuss is about.  The acquisition of these little gadgets is addictive to the point that it is seen as a threat to the youth of America. 

Sure, our taxes are a little higher but the privilege of being able to play with our Kinder Egg Surprise collections in the open while puffing on Cuban cigars, with no fear of impunity,  seems like a small price to pay!

WE CANADIANS LOVE OUR CHOKING HAZARDS!

For more articles on the Niagara area and Canadiana, please visit the Attractions link or scroll through the blog archives.  Comments are always appreciated!

We Come In Peace





Niagara Falls New Year's Eve Party 2010/2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM NIAGARA TOURIST

Once again, a great party and crowd down at Niagara Falls.  You can't ask for more----A White Christmas and a Green New Year's Eve!  That particularly applies when you have to park a few kilometres away from the action.  This year was no exception.  The early birds got the good parking.  However, the weather was fantastic and there was a lot of 'turkey and stuffing' being walked off.  The Bare Naked Ladies did a great job.  They brought in the New Year with their signature song "If I Had A Million Dollars".  They tried to time if to end right at midnight but that required repeating 'If I Had A Million Dollars' an extra ten times or so.  No one seemed to mind.  The bug elevator made its way to the top of the Skylon Tower,  setting things in motion.  Fireworks went off from the Skylon Tower. over the Falls and in Niagara Falls, New York.  The crowds went wild and couples began to make fireworks of their own!  It was a great event and time for me to get these pantyhose off and throw on some comfy pj's and dream of all the great things that 2011 has in store.

Did you attend this year's party down at the Falls?  Take the time to comment on the blog or share pictures and let me know how you enjoyed it!

Happy New Years!

'You Killed Kenny'