Advice for those skaters moving to Canada

[chopinskate]

Unless ... she is already on this thread under an assumed username!

Dun dun dunnnn

 

[BillNeal]

Unless she provides us with more frequent news updates, we are stuck with some filler bagged milk discussion/speculation for now

 

[Tavi...]

Unless she provides us with more frequent news updates, we are stuck with some filler bagged milk discussion/speculation for now

There’s actually been a lot of news. It just got drowned in milk.

 

[hanyuufan5]

Okay, now that this thread has been moved to Le Cafe, I can finally ask this without contributing to the off-topic:

Some people here have made Ontario sound like a barren wasteland when it comes to finding Slavic food! I thought there were a lot of Ukrainians in Canada? I was considering possibly moving there someday, but not if I can't get buckwheat and dill! So what's the real story?

 

[Scrufflet]

I think you can get just about any kind of food here, at least that is the case in Toronto. I haven't checked out buckwheat and dill but I'd lay odds they are here somewhere. There are what I'd term international pockets throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Can't remember where the Ukrainians are. I thought Bloor/Shaw area (that's central/west) and my husband yhinks same area but farther south so I 'm not sure.

 

[kwanatic]

There’s actually been a lot of news. It just got drowned in milk.

This whole thread is :rofl2:

 

[SnowWhite]

Okay, now that this thread has been moved to Le Cafe, I can finally ask this without contributing to the off-topic:

Some people here have made Ontario sound like a barren wasteland when it comes to finding Slavic food! I thought there were a lot of Ukrainians in Canada? I was considering possibly moving there someday, but not if I can't get buckwheat and dill! So what's the real story?

I don't know about slavic food because I'm never really looking for it, but I would guess it's available if there's a big Ukrainian population. In Ottawa there's a big Lebanese population and there is lots of Middle Eastern food available, both restaurants and grocery stores. There are Shawarma places everywhere actually.

According the the Canadian Encyclopedia, "Ukrainian Canadians are Canada's eleventh largest ethnic group; Canada has the world's third-largest Ukrainian population behind Ukraine itself and Russia". And it sounds like a lot of them settled in Ontario.

There are definitely several slavic restaurants and delis/smaller grocery stores (though can't attest to the quality since I've never shopped there). I'd imagine there's more available in Toronto, just because it's a bigger city.

You can definitely find fresh dill in regular grocery stores here though.

 

[Tavi...]

So I may go to Toronto in September - anyone know of a great Turkish (as opposed to Greek, Middle Eastern, Lebanese, or Moroccan) restaurant? Cheap or expensive is fine. I adore Turkish food but it’s impossible to find in Denver.

 

[chopinskate]

So I may go to Toronto in September - anyone know of a great Turkish (as opposed to Greek, Middle Eastern, Lebanese, or Moroccan) restaurant? Cheap or expensive is fine. I adore Turkish food but it’s impossible to find in Denver.

Why, though? You should just drink bagged milk.

 

[TGee]

So I may go to Toronto in September - anyone know of a great Turkish (as opposed to Greek, Middle Eastern, Lebanese, or Moroccan) restaurant? Cheap or expensive is fine. I adore Turkish food but it’s impossible to find in Denver.

Can't say for Toronto, but if you get to Ottawa, head to Topkapi in the suburb of Nepean.

It's run by a family that has had the best Turkish food in the region for a half a century. They recent moved from a central location, hopefully the chef cousin who had come from Istanbul is still with them.

But Lebanese food in Ottawa is also something special as the community is very large.

 

[ancientpeas]

Okay, now that this thread has been moved to Le Cafe, I can finally ask this without contributing to the off-topic:

Some people here have made Ontario sound like a barren wasteland when it comes to finding Slavic food! I thought there were a lot of Ukrainians in Canada? I was considering possibly moving there someday, but not if I can't get buckwheat and dill! So what's the real story?

I did two years of Ukrainian Dance when I was little (and I could not be more of a W.A.S.P. if I was pulled out of the earth of England like a potato). There are a lot of Ukrainians here. And Russians too. There are 3 beautiful Russian Orthodox Churches in Ottawa and more in Toronto. Toronto.com says there are more than 100,000 Russians in Toronto proper and 250,000 in the GTA. Nearly 20% of people in York Center's mother tongue is Russian. http://www.little-russia.org/aboutus is a website about Russians in Canada.

 

[ancientpeas]

Ottawa has really embraced it's Lebanese Community. We probably have a 3:1 Tim Hortons to Shawarma place ratio and any Canadian will tell you that is impressive. We also have something called LebFest once a year.

 

[TGee]

I don't know about slavic food because I'm never really looking for it, but I would guess it's available if there's a big Ukrainian population. In Ottawa there's a big Lebanese population and there is lots of Middle Eastern food available, both restaurants and grocery stores. There are Shawarma places everywhere actually.

According the the Canadian Encyclopedia, "Ukrainian Canadians are Canada's eleventh largest ethnic group; Canada has the world's third-largest Ukrainian population behind Ukraine itself and Russia". And it sounds like a lot of them settled in Ontario.

There are definitely several slavic restaurants and delis/smaller grocery stores (though can't attest to the quality since I've never shopped there). I'd imagine there's more available in Toronto, just because it's a bigger city.

You can definitely find fresh dill in regular grocery stores here though.

Yup, 50 years ago Ukrainian was the 3rd most spoken language in Canada.

Ukrainian language immersion courses in Edmonton were a thing ...the Harvard Ukrainian studies program was connected during the wave of studies after the Soviet breakup.

Toronto has a Ukrainian museum on Spadina Ave, and Toronto.com lists 10 neighbourhoods where Ukrainian is likely to be heard..mostly southwest.

https://www.toronto.com/community-s...eighbourhoods-where-you-re-likely-to-hear-it/


By contrast, the Russian community in Toronto is more concentrated in North York.

https://www.toronto.com/news-story/...eighbourhoods-where-you-re-likely-to-hear-it/

Armenian is also a well represented ethnicity and language. Here's a local feature on 20 signs you're Armenian in Toronto.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.narcity.com/amp/20-signs-youre-an-armenian-torontonian

 

[Tavi...]

Why, though? You should just drink bagged milk.

Lactose intolerance.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Lactose intolerance.

Well, we do have this. :dev3:

 

[TGee]

Well, we do have this. :dev3:

Link is jumping to weekly specials (sigh).

Did you mean lactose free milk...?

http://lactantia.ca/food_product/la...bxdRurGzGD7QdYLOhFJUC5J7wXCRSzRBoC2tEQAvD_BwE

Or

https://www.natrel.ca/en

Says something about Canadian commitment to dairy milk that there are competing brands of lactose-free milk, available in skim, 2%, 3.5% and even whipping cream....but sadly not in bags . . .

 

[ancientpeas]

Do they still sell lactease? Does it work?

 

[ancientpeas]

Link is jumping to weekly specials (sigh).

Did you mean lactose free milk...?

http://lactantia.ca/food_product/la...bxdRurGzGD7QdYLOhFJUC5J7wXCRSzRBoC2tEQAvD_BwE

Or

https://www.natrel.ca/en

Says something about Canadian commitment to dairy milk that there are competing brands of lactose-free milk, available in skim, 2%, 3.5% and even whipping cream....but sadly not in bags . . .

I love watching cooking shows and they always talk about heavy cream (which is like whipped cream but not apparently) and we can't get that here which really steams me. The U.S. and the U.K. have it for sure (I don't know about if any other countries sell it). It shows up in so many baking recipies and we have to sub in whipped cream but I'm told it's not the same but that whipped cream is the closest thing to it.

Also.. coffee cream. Is that a thing in other countries?

 

[Osmond4gold]

Some other unique Canadian treats to be eaten while in Canada include;

Chocolate Bars
Coffee Crisp
Smarties, like a chocolate candy coated M&M
Crunchie Bar
Crispy Crunch
Wonderbar
Mr. Big
Aero Bar
Cherry Blossom
Kinder Surprise, yes, available here and originally from Europe, but banned in the states

Potato Chips
All-dressed, 4 different flavoured chips in one bag
Ketchup chips
Hickory Sticks

Desserts
Date Squares
Nanaimo Bars
Butter Tarts
Beaver Tails
Maple Walnut Cake
Maple Butter, like a whipped maple fudge or a maple Nutella

And of course...the famous Quebec Poutine and the Nova Scotian Donair. Not recommended to be eaten together

 

[NanaPat]

Do they still sell lactease? Does it work?

I saw the original lactose-free milk ad, and it said it was regular milk with lactase enzymes added. I wondered at the price, so I looked up the separate pills you can take for lactose intolerance. They sell it (various brands) at both London Drugs and Walmart, and the price of regular milk + number of required pills seems to be about the same as the price of the combined "lactose-free milk".