CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CANADA THAT I MIGHT HAVE OVERHEARD IN NEW YORK, HAD I BEEN THERE AT THE TIME:

 

---"It's odd that I have never heard of the term for an admirer of Canada. If we had someone like that here in New York, maybe they could help finance a public exhibit on recent Canadian culture."

---"I would assume that admirers of Canada are called Canadophiles, but I may be mistaken. I should call my friend at The New York Times and ask her if she knows the answer to that one."

---"Maybe if you called your friend in Great Britain, she would know the answer. It probably comes up a lot over there, where an English citizen will want to refer to his keen affinity for Canada and Canadians. It's very likely that the term 'Canadophile' originated from that type of intense English admiration of the Canadians."

---"I wonder what they do for sports in Canada during the summertime. They must have lots of indoor ice hockey rinks to keep them occupied. But they also play soccer very well, as the American women's soccer team recently learned at the Olympics."

---"I have never heard of a heart-healthy Canadian menu. It might make a great idea for a new restaurant."

---"I need to find a book that highlights every occasion in which an American cultural leader or political leader actually praised Canada. I would say that Canada is one of the most under-praised affluent nations in the entire world."

---"I can see why many Canadians hate us Americans. The Canadians get insulted by Americans on a very frequent basis, including at the most recent Olympics when a female soccer player told the news media that it was inexcusable to lose to Canada in women's soccer."

---"I find it tragic that Americans have a relationship with Canada whenever they shop at the supermarket, but those same Americans never tell their friends or relatives that they are eating foods produced in Canada."

---"One term to never verbalize is 'Canuck', if a Canadian citizen visits New York and asks you to give them a tour of the city. If there were a guidebook on how to conduct yourself when you are greeting Canadian visitors, rule number one would be NEVER call them a CANUCK. CANADIANS HATE BEING CALLED CANUCKS!"

---"But is calling a Canadian a 'Canuck' more offensive than calling an Australian an 'Aussie'? Maybe we worry too much about irking or offending the Canadians who visit New York."