Comment by michaelmior
2 days ago
As a Canadian who married an American and now lived in the US, I was surprised how many things I say are Canadianisms without me having realized. There have been a lot of (minor) miscommunications because I didn't realize I was saying something only Canadians understand. Like when I told her that my parents' hydro had been out all day.
I initially worked in Canada where it wouldn't be uncommon to go out for a work lunch and order a beer.
When I got a new job in the US, my boss took me and several coworkers to a restaurant for lunch as a way to welcome me. When the waitress asked what I wanted to drink I asked for a beer. I then heard one of my coworkers who was sitting next to me ask me incredulously, "What are you doing?" I responded that I was ordering a beer. He said that I could get fired for that. That's when I realized that for a country that seemed so similar to Canada on the surface it was quite different below that surface.
Many companies and cultures in the US are fine with a drink or two at lunch. What industry was this company in?
Good to know. This was in suburban Chicago, Naperville, IL to be exact, during the 90s. The industry was Telecomm. Maybe it was a more conservative area compared with the Bay Area or Boston.
It’s usually best if the manager/more senior employees order first and sets the tone for “is this a beer friendly lunch”. Definitely don’t make the new guy order first and guess
had plenty of drinking lunches w/ US companies. the current (Canadian) company I'm at is quite strict about drinking -- would likely be fireable.
the Aussies would have been disappointed if I only had one...
It's common to order a beer at work lunch in the US too.
Though I have worked at places if the company was paying for the lunch they won't pay for alcohol. In those cases we've always asked for the beers to be on a separate check so the expense report is easier.
The term Hydro for electrical power (power lines) is not used in PEI the older generation would call it the "light bill" younger people now may call it the "power bill". If it was out we'd just say the power is out.
Hydro is just for QC, ON and BC where the electrical companies have "hydro" in their name.
Other parts of the country just call it power/electrical. But in NS my grand parents would also call it a "light bill".
Hydro is from Canadian provinces that use mostly hydro power
I always assumed we just called it hydro in BC because so much of the power comes from hydroelectric, but then I moved and it seems we call it hydro everywhere no master source..?
Hydroelectric was historically even more dominant in Canada than today. In places that aren't majority hydro now, they were in the past, like in Ontario and Alberta.
The name of the utility companies in most provinces was probably an influence. Until 1999 in Ontario it was the Ontario Hydro-Electric Power Commission, shortened normally to Ontario Hydro. Manitoba Hydro. Hydro Quebec. I think in Toronto they still stamp manhole covers with THES (Toronto Hydro-Electric System).
In Ontario, we still have Hydro One as a (the?) primary distributor of electricity outside urban environments.
If I remember correctly, Hydro One also serves some parts of the Ottawa area, and their delivery rates were different enough from Hydro Ottawa that it was often a material consideration for where one chose to buy one's house.
I think it’s primarily BC and Ontario. And maybe a French version in Quebec.
Hydro-Québec is the name of the power company there so I’m guessing it is.
I think it's pretty common in Western Canada. Definitely the norm in Manitoba.
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That would definitely make the most sense. It’s also hydro in Quebec (hydro-Québec).
I've had to explain to an Albertan friend that hydro meant power, they mostly use coal out there from what I understand.
Alberta doesn't use any coal actually.
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> Like when I told her that my parents' hydro had been out all day.
When I immigrated to Canada (Ontario) a decade ago, the term hydro was the most confusing to me. I assumed it meant water supply or plumbing, but it was always in the wrong context. I imagined the disaster of hooking up the plumbing to the electrical service! Now it’s completely natural to call it “hydro” but confusing at first.
I travel to the UK a lot and am usually pretty careful with my Canadianisms, but during my last trip I accidentally asked a server for both a pop and a serviette at the same time, leading to a blank stare.
Pop isn't a Canadianisms, is common in a lot of the US too.
https://www.businessinsider.com/soda-pop-coke-map-2018-10
do people look at you puzzled when you say "keener"?