Celebrating Canada

I'm not sure if you all know this, but I'm Canadian. I'm actually surprised at how many people assume I'm from whatever country they happen to be living in. I'll admit that most people assume I'm American, but I've also been mistaken for British and Australian too. In the same way it's amazing how many people assume that their favourite treat are actually available all over the world. It's probably the same reason that most people assume that there isn't enough candy in the world to sustain a website like candyciritc.org. The truth is, there are thousands and thousands of candies out there, and still many for me to try.

Check out my latest Canadian candy review.

Laura Secord

One of Canada’s most popular chocolate companies has a really odd relationship with Canadian history.  Laura Secord the person is a Canadian war hero from the war of 1812. She learned of an impending invasion of then British occupied territory (later Canada) and informed the British soldiers of an American invasion. Her information helped the British soldiers win an important battle that kept Canada from becoming American.

Laura Secord the chocolate shop has no real relation to the person, other than being named after her. None of her family owns or has ever owned any part of the company, it wasn’t even founded in the city/town she lived in (although it’s kind of close). The Laura Secord website says the following:

“In 1913, Frank P. O’Connor opened a small candy store in Toronto where he sold hand-made chocolates. He named his store after Laura Secord, the Canadian heroine who was a symbol of courage, devotion, and loyalty.”

While I’m sure Frank P. O’Connor wanted his business to thrive, I’m sure he couldn’t have guessed that it would be one of the biggest candy companies in all of Canada. This is where things get a little weird, because there are likely several Canadians in the world now who know Laura Secord as only a chocolate shop and not a person. While Laura Secord the person did make some history in her time, it appears her legacy is more tied up with chocolate.

The extra odd thing is that the chocolate shop still pays tribute to her. Many of their packages and even the chocolates themselves have her image printed or engraved into them. Her face is still on their logo as well. If I was seeing this store for the first time, my assumption would be that this Laura Secord started this chocolate shop. The thing is, she’s never been to this chocolate shop and never tasted their chocolates.

I’m not sure how the chocolate shop could change that, or even if they would want to. This is a really odd situation where the shop named after a person has become so much more popular than the person themselves. 

Meet Me?

Hey everyone, I’m going to be in Canada later this month and I’ll be making an appearance along with the gang from Tic Toc Tom. If you want to swing by and get a comic (Blue Orchid or Tic Toc Tom) signed or just chat about candy, I’ll be more than grateful. It’s all happening at www.worldscollide.ca on August 30th.

The national dessert of Canada?

 Canada is having a bit of an identity crisis. When you try to pin down something that is Canadian, it’s never an easy task. There are lots of reasons that this might be true, including our multiculturalism or our modesty. We have a few things we consider to be national icons, like beavers, maple syrup and saying sorry too often. Honestly these are all great things, I would happily put any of these on a flag and wave it high (with the maple syrup we kind of do that already). The part that always frustrates me as a Canadian food writer is trying to nail down our national foods.

It’s funny because while I’m frustrated, I’m also really happy about this problem. This is where the multiculturalism really kicks in, as I have a hard time finding a food that’s really Canadian, and instead when I’m home I constantly find amazing foods from all over the world.

On a recent trip to Canada I decided to really look for the ultimate Canadian dessert. I wanted to find a dessert that I would feel comfortable calling it our national dessert. A few things I was looking for was history, originality and exclusivity. In other words I wanted it to be a dessert that was invented in Canada, has been around for a while and to some might be a hidden Canadian gem. I also wanted something that was known and maybe popular all over the country. Canada is a big place and we have some local delicacies that fit these requirements, but they might be very local and not really something that represents the whole country.

After giving it much thought, and many tastes, I think I may have come across my choice. Feel free to argue with me if you want, because I love eating and exploring Canadian desserts. Right now however I’m pointing to the butter tart as my choice as Canada’s national dessert.

As far as I know, butter tarts have been around for a very long time. My grandfather loved them and felt nostalgia for them, so did my father and so do I. I assume they’ve been around for a very long time, maybe as long as Canada has been a country. As far as I know, butter tarts where invented in Canada as well, again I haven’t done a great deal of research on the subject.

Most importantly I believe that butter tarts are very exclusive to Canada as well. I’m willing to guess that there are even several of you who have never heard of this amazing dessert and are booking your flights to the great white north right now so you can taste one. 

I’m pretty sure that butter tarts are not the most popular dessert in Canada. I’m even betting that they’re not the most well known Canadian dessert (I think that title goes to BeaverTails). However I think a butter tart is really the most Canadian dessert we have to offer. The fact that they’re not popular makes them even a more Canadian treat, because we are a fairly humble country.

Happy Victoria Day

 

I hope all my Canadian friends are enjoying a slice of Victoria sponge on this awesome day.

The Caramilk Secret

 When I was a kid, the caramilk secret was such a big deal. Does anyone ever wonder how candies are made today? So much so that they could do an entire add campaign asking about it?

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Is Maple The Official Flavour of Canada

As a Canadian I struggle to define the flavours of my own country. I've given several answers to the question about our national dish. I've told people it's poutine, baked potatoes, and even ketchup chips. The one thing however that most of the world associates with Canadian food is maple syrup. The problem is maple syrup isn't really a dish as much as it's an ingredient. I also get a lot of push back from Americans in Vermont. So what do you think is Canada's national dish, and does it even have maple syrup in it?

Check out my most recent maple flavoured Canadian treat review.

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Creep Mr Big Commercial

 It's interesting how it's kind of scientific, but then it just gets a little creepy.

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So Many Coffee Crisp Memories

 I don't understand why I love this commercial, it's only slightly clever, but it makes me feel all warm and nostalgic. I love being a Canadian.

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My Latest Thailand Discovery

 Over the last little while I've made a few stops in Thailand to enjoy some western delights (since I live in a country with very few western restaurants and shopping options) and to check out some great local Thai food too. I'm finding more and more that Thai food is having a similar identity crisis as Canadian food. While there are some sure fire Thai options out there, the food in Thailand (and in particular Bangkok) is starting to become more cosmopolitan. This basically means that I feel like in Bangkok you'll have an easier time finding something that isn't Thai than something that is. 

Even the local dishes in Bangkok are starting to get international twists. It's a tough argument as to weather or not this is a good or bad thing. If you love authenticity than it might be a bad thing, but if you love variety it's a good thing. Fortunately however, if you look hard enough you can really enjoy both. Since most of my travel to Bangkok is to enjoy some western treats, as well as the local favourites, for me it's perfect.

We can start this journey by looking at some of the imported places, and see how they're being handled in the Bangkok market. Some things appear to be pretty much exactly the same, but there might be an interesting twist. Take Taco Bell for example is fairly new to Bangkok, and most of the menu looks fairly similar to what you might find in North America. There is one difference however, every single Taco, Crunch Wrap Supreme, or quesadilla is spicy. It's not burn your mouth off spicy, but everything has a bit of a kick. This made it particularly challenging for me as I took an opportunity to have my first Crunch Wrap Supreme. I liked it, but it was a little spicy for my liking.

My beloved Tim Horton's, another new addition to Thailand, also has some twists on the classics. Recently I had a maple yuzu donut. Even stranger is the donut pictured above, and chocolate peanut butter donut. It's weird because I think this is an attempt to make a flavour of donut that appeals to foreigners, or at least what they feel foreigners would eat. The thing is, I've never seen a donut like this in Canada, so in fact it's not a donut we'd have. I'm not sure who these are made for, is it for locals who want to try a exotic flavour, or for expats that want a taste of home. Either way it's kind of inaccurate. 

They also have crazy custom boxes that I've never seen in Canada.

As well as overtly over Canadian merchandise.

One of the best examples of foods that have exploded in Thailand from other parts of the world is ice cream. I'm not sure how popular ice cream was before, but now I've seen lineups in malls just to get a soft serve ice cream cone. McDonalds ice cream is also really popular, but interestingly they've adapted some of the flavours for Thai tastes. Above is a mango, bubble tea flavoured sundae from McDonalds that's not only tasty but visually interesting.

Dairy Queen has also jumped in the crossover game with mango and durian sticky rice Blizzards. It's clever how they've managed to incorporate the rice on the top to make sure it keeps it's sticky texture.

Famous brands are even making special versions or packages to celebrate their Thai bonds. It's a little strange seeing a Nutella jar with a temple on it.

North America isn't the only place influencing Thai food culture. Other Asian countries are getting in on the act as well. Korea and Japan seem to be the heaviest influencers in Thai culture. K-Pop and J-Pop are everywhere, but so is the food. Overly decorated and super cute items are becoming the norm in Thailand, like these very realistic kitty cat ice creams wearing fruit helmets (thank you internet). While I can't confirm where these actually originated, it's a very Japanese idea to make something super cute and edible.

Street food is a really interesting place to see this crossover. After all, Thailand is famous for it, but it's even starting to get heavily influenced by outside sources.

This item was labelled as Cornyaki, a play on the Japanese Tayaki. Tayaki is a fish shaped cake filled with beans, cream, or chocolate. It's available all over Japan, and today it's available all over Thailand as well. This interesting version features a corn filling and a corn theme. It's another way that the Thai people have taken a twist on a foreign theme and made it their own.

The same night market also sold Tanghulu strawberries. This is a very popular Chinese street food that's also made its way to Thailand. If you're unfamiliar, it's fruit, covered in a candy coating that's super crunchy. As you can see from this video, when you bite into it, it crunches very loudly. Tasty and a good time for all.

I love visiting Bangkok, because it offers me so much. It offers me flavours and textures from all over the world, it offers me Thai flavours and textures, as well as hybrids of both. It's getting a little difficult to see what is authentically Thai and what's an import, but I kind of relate to that. As a Canadian, I come from a country made up of immigrants, people from all over the world. Each person, each culture and each tradition has place in my culture. Sometimes those traditions are changed to suit tastes and available ingredients and something else is born. Maybe this is why I like visiting Thailand so much. I can see things blending together, and cultures being enjoyed and celebrated in creative and beautiful ways.

Best of all, I can taste it all as well.

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Maple Shirt Will Be Sweet

Maple Sugar T-Shirt
by candycritic

 The perfect gift for that special Canadian that loves sweets.

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On My Way To Mars

When I first started this site, I never gave much thought about reviewing the same treat from a different part of the world. This new Mars bar review is a great example. I happened to have picked up my first regular Mars bar in Europe, I wrote the review and left it at that. Now however, I know that the same bar made in different parts of the world might actually be different. So today I've finally managed to get a Mars bar from Canada on candycritic.org.

Check out my latest Mars bar review from the great white north.

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Eating Everything I Can When Traveling

 So I recently went on a pretty big flight. I traveled from Canada to South East Asia, with many stopovers along the way. As a side note you'll probably notice a few more Asian treats appears on this blog as well as on my social media and reviews. As an experiment I decided to document every thing I ate along the way for this trip that took almost two days. I also accepted almost every single thing given to me, even if it meant eating dinner at 3 in the morning.

I started at the Ottawa airport with a bag of potato chips, Miss Vickie's to be exact. I got these in the lounge while waiting many hours for my first flight to the other side of Canada (British Columbia). This is not going to be the last bag of Miss Vickie's I'll be eating on this trip as I believe Air Canada has some kind of deal with them.

My first full meal was a dinner I believe. I picked the cheese tortellini. Most notable about this meal is the fact that the cheese cake was super dry and on the menu the salad was said to have "a Brussel sprout" and it did. It has one single Brussel sprout sliced thinly.

This photo does not tell the truth. While pictured above is one bag of almonds, I think I had at least 3 of them over the course of this flight (about 6 hours). While I miss peanuts on airplanes, almonds aren't that bad a replacement. I much prefer them over weird snacking crackers that are also common on some flights (see below).

My second bag of Miss Vickie's potato chips came before leaving the first of 3 flights. I was only offered either a bag of chips or a chocolate bar, but I asked if I could have both and the wonderfully patient flight attendant agreed that I would need it for the rest of my long journey.  As an FYI, I saved the Kit Kat bar for later and it melted in my bag. I'm sure I'll post about it on my social media real soon.

We landed in the airport in British Columbia and headed straight for the lounge again. We had a very long (6 or 8 hour) wait ahead of us for our next flight. The lounge had a nice range of food including a constant supply of spring rolls and samosas. I came back to this several times, and it was a good warm up as the place we were going also has a lot of these available.

I couldn't leave Canada without one more bag of Miss Vickie's chips. This time I went for the salt and vinegar, probably my favourite flavour of chips in the world (you can read my full review of these right now if you like). I also had several cups of tea while waiting for this next flight, there were a few flavours to choose from with varying levels of caffeine.

There was also a large jar of cookies available throughout our wait in British Columbia. I did indulge a few times, but I ate far fewer cookies than you would expect from a guy who writes about candy for a living. I was probably just really tired and out of my mind.

Finally we boarded our next flight that would take us across the Pacific Ocean. This was a weird flight for us as we'd already eaten dinner, but because of the time changes we were offered dinner again. Allison decided to sleep, but I decided to go with dinner and I was not disappointed. This flight had a very different method of serving dinner, and it involved table clothes and multiple courses. Dinner started with a small ball of cheese with green and red stuff stuck to it (likely spinach and sundried tomato) as well as a small tart filled with some kind of fish salad.

The next course involved a potato covered in cheese and a steak. I'll be honest I'm not really a big fan of steak, but the alternative was fish and I'm even less plussed about that. I'm sure if meat and potatoes are your thing you would have been totally impressed with this, but I kept thinking about the tortellini I ate on the other flight, and the fact that I should probably be sleeping instead of eating.

For dessert, we had some kind of chocolate hazelnut pie. I'll be honest, it kind of sucked. The best part of the pie was the hazelnuts, and the best part of dessert was the grapes.

After a few hours of restless sleep we were rewarded with breakfast. There are two things worth noting about this breakfast. First of all they offered us a plate of sliced fruit, next to a fruit salad that contained exactly the same kind of fruit. So in some ways we received fruit two ways. The other thing worth mentioning is that bowl of creamy stuff on the top of the tray. I'm not sure what it was, but it was fantastic. I would describe it as some kind of pudding/yogurt with some very tasty granola mixed in.

This odd pile is the second course of the breakfast I got (they kept up the whole fanciness even for breakfast). It's supposed to be an orange and chocolate hazelnut, cream filled crepe. It tasted better than it looked, except for the fact that there was way too much orange zest on it.

We landed in Asia, and made our way quickly to our next flight. It was a tight connection and we had no time for any snacks along the way. Frankly I was so tired and messed up at that point I don't know how interested I would have been in eating at that point. We boarded our third and final flight and the first thing we received was a bag of random salty snacks. It was more in line with the cracker based snacks that I'm not too keen on, but I was happy that the peas were not too spicy with wasabi.

On this flight we received our final meal of this journey. I couldn't tell you if it was supposed to be lunch or dinner as I was pretty tired and totally messed up from the jetlag. It was a very typically Asian airline meal with some random meat served with rice and some bok choy. We also got some more fruit, but this time it included dragon fruit, a favourite of mine. I'm pretty sure I didn't manage to eat everything on my plate at this point, but it was nice to pick through it at least.

Dessert for this meal did not disappoint though. Even better was the fact that Allison was not interested in her ice cream, so I got two. While I had a hard time eating everything on this last meal, I found space for the two servings of ice cream.

We arrived at our destination just as I finished my cup of tea. The menu for this flight offered many different varieties of tea, however the flight attendant's English was not great, and when I asked about the teas she just assumed I wanted the traditional Chinese tea. It wasn't what I was thinking about, but it did hit the spot.

Make sure to check out my social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) as I'll be posting a lot of fun discoveries on this new epic journey that I'm on right now.

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Junk Fud Drive Around Two Lakes

 In this episode Chris and Allison talk about a drive around two of the great lakes.

Check out all the episode of Junk Fud on the Road right here.

Also be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Don't forget to pick up our amazing new book called Treats and Beasts too.

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Happy Canada Day!

 

May all your candy be red and white and maple flavoured!

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Canada Day Candy Commercial

 While Canada has had some amazing commercials for candy, I feel like for me, this is the ultimate piece of Canadian nostalgia. No kid my age could ever forget this song.

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What Has Covid Done To Candy Critic

In this episode of Junk Fud and You I talk about how Covid has affected Candy Critic as well as the candy industry.

Make sure to keep up with all my candy shenanigans on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds.

You can also follow me on YouTube to see all the new videos we put out.

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Tell The World You Love Canadians and Candy

Maple Sugar Madness T-Shirt
by candycritic

You can wear a shirt that celebrates the best sweet treat in Canada.

Make sure to check out more fun merch from a proud Canadian.

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This Bar Has No Name... Literally

Have you ever had something that feels so normal to you, but to many other people in the world it's totally bonkers? This is how I feel about No Name products. No Name is a Canadian brand that's been around for as long as I know. I'm very used to seeing the word "No Name" written all over products in my pantry and in my refrigerator. It's only been since the advent of the internet that I've seen reactions from people outside of Canada, and realised it's kind of strange. No name has the most generic of all possible names, and the packaging matches it perfectly. The thing is, it warms my heart every time I see that bright yellow package with the words "No Name" written on it.

Click here to find out what "No Name" chocolate tastes like.

Be sure to check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds too.

Don't forget to follow me on Patreon to get all kinds of extra stuff.

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Another Sweet Shirt From A Canadian Classic

Maple Sugar T-Shirt
by candycritic

Another fun shirt from our collection featuring what I can only describe as the most Canadian candy ever.

You can check out all our swag at our Zazzle store.

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