loony for loonies

An infestation of frazzled, irritable and zombie-like students has plagued campus this week. They walk slowly, equipped with everything from coffees and lattes to their third red-bull of the day.  They struggle as night falls, actively fighting their heavy and blood-shot eyes to stay open. They knock back whatever caffeine they can to read what seems like the 100^th chapter talking about the exact, same, thing as all the other 99 chapters.

Yep, you guessed it—it’s midterm week.

Sorry for the zombie apocalypse reference—I grew up with three brothers who have every handbook, tv series and movie that will prepare them for the day that zombies take over…boys eh? Also, the longer I draw out this blog post, the longer I stay away from actually studying

      Anyways, with tests, papers, quizzes galore I find that I have been spending waaaaay more time at the library café then I care to admit—I’m on a first name basis with the café guy.

      Lately, when I go to pay for my extra hot non-fat chai tea latte with cinnamon and caramel drizzle, I feel like it takes me decades to sort through my money to get the appropriate amount. Why is it so gosh-darn hard to take $3.80 out of my wallet for that overpriced latte?

Then I realized that I have such a hard time because, well, every Canadian bill has a different color and symbol where U.S. money is the same plain ol’ green for every bill. Also, up north we have these nifty little coins called loonies and toonies. Loonies are gold coins valued at a buck and toonies are a little bigger, gold and silver, and worth two bucks. With this great variety of coins and bills, you dish out that 3.80 faster than the barista can ask you if you want whip cream.

These names do sound a little wacky, they may even sound…loony. I also know a lot of people aren’t particularly fond of extra coinage. Despite this, I think that the colored bills, loonies and toonies really add some flavor and diversity to your wallet. Well that’s enough out of me, time to head back to work, but first…I think I’m going to grab another coffee.

pardon me...no ketchup?

            It was the first day of classes and I had successfully made it to all of my classes on time and I didn’t cry—not even once. It was just about noon and with a smile on my face and pride in my Canuck heart, I ventured into my college’s food court to pick up a bag of my favorite snack.

Still fresh across the border, I wanted something that reminded me of the Great White North. So I scurried over to a great wall of chips and then, just like a densely packed snowball, it hit me—the U.S. doesn’t have ketchup chips.

            I have been at an American college for about two semesters now, and frankly I’d be lying if I said that I’m okay with the fact that ketchup chips do not exist in the U.S.  

When I tell my American friends about these fabulous morsels of tangy-salty delight, I am laughed at, scolded at, or just plain ignored. It’s almost like I have just told them that I have a pet dragon, or that a #15 seed could beat the #2 seed in March Madness…

Anyways, what really irks me about this absence of ketchup chips during my freshman year is that ketchup itself is a staple part of the American diet. With this being said, how on earth did the flavor barbeque surpass ketchup? I mean there are probably hundreds of different types of barbeque chips—yet there is not one, measly variety of ketchup chips.

There are honey barbeque chips, hot and spicy barbeque chips, sweet southern heat barbeque chips, mesquite barbeque chips, hickory barbeque chips, barbeque Cheetos, barbeque flavour twist Fritos—well, I think you get the point.

For a nation that proudly boasts the best in fast food cuisine, I think it is time that we take a step back from barbeque. Not only as a Canadian, but as a global citizen, I think it is time that the U.S. gives a little more attention to the condiment that really started it all—ketchup.