Eh! It's rochrox again, with my second issue of "Eh! The Canada Column!" In the last issue I talked mostly about Canadian demographics. This Week: Canadian Pop Culture!

Music

What do Nelly Furtado, Nicleback, and Avril Lavigne all have in common? They are all popular Canadian music artists. Have you heard of them before? If not, I reccomend checking out these fantastic, all-Canadian songs: "Say it Right," "Girlfriend," and "If Everyone Cared."

You've probably all heard about the Grammy Awards, but have you heard about the Juno Awards? The Juno's are all about Canadian music, Canadian artists, and Canadian bands. On April 1st 2007, the 36th annual Juno Awards were held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Stores

In Canada, we have many of the same stores as the US. American Eagle, Old Navy, and Hollister, to name a few. But Canada does have some unique stores you won't find in the US. Have you ever heard of the store Garage? Garage is a Canadian store for girls, ages 11 and up. What about Roots? Roots is a family store, like the Gap.

Food

Canada's most famous food is maple syrup, but there are numourous other delicious Canadian foods. Have you ever tried Beaver Tails? How about a Candy Apple? Kraft Dinner? Ketchup, dill-pickle, or all-dressed chips? What about Smarties? Poutine? If not, I highly suggest trying these foods on your next visit to Canada.

Myth Exposed

Canada copied their money from Monoply? That is simply untrue! Yes, Canadians use different coloured money than the US ($5 = blue, $10 = purple, $20 = green, $50 = red, $100 = brown), but this is simply for ease of use. Having colour-coded money certainly saves time, when trying to determine the different amounts. What about $1 bills you ask? Canada has come up with a system to replace $1 bills. Instead, we use a gold-coloured coin with a loon on the back. These are called "loonies," and are worth $1. We also have $2 coins, called "toonies."

Definitions: What did all those crazy Canadian words mean? Take a look!

Demographics: Facts about populations
Juno Awards: Canadian music awards
Saskatchewan: A province in the prairies of Canada
Saskatoon: A city in Saskatchewan
British Columbia: A province on the west coast of Canada
Toronto: The capital city of Ontario (another Canadian province)
Maple Syrup: A tasty pancake topping made of maple sap
Beaver Tails: A sweet pastry, a.k.a. Elephant Ears
Candy Apple: Basically an apple on a stick covered in caramel, and sometimes candy
Kraft Dinner (KD): The Candian version of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Smarties: A candy coated chocolate, like M&M's
Poutine: French fries with cheese and gravy
Loonie: A one dollar coin
Toonie: A two dollar coin

I hope you all learned something new about Canada. Check back next issue for more about Canada!

This has been rochrox, making sure I have included the "U" in colourful!