Canadian Expatriates, its contributors, and readers have been invited by Foreign Affairs Canada to participate in a series of eDiscussions. The current topic is “Showcasing Canadian Culture and Know-How Abroad”.

We are asked to consider the following questions:

What role does Canadian culture and know-how play in our foreign policy?

How might the government best promote Canadian talent and expertise in the world?

The eDiscussion runs from April 4 to May 6, 2005. At its conclusion, a summary of the discussion will be sent to senior policy planners.

The Expat admin team encourages its readers to join in the eDiscussion at the Canadian International Policy website.

---

Posted by Admin

The administration team is currently searching for Canadian expatriates who would be interested in contributing to the Expat Blog. The subject matter is wide open, but must remain family friendly.

If you are interested in joining our blogging team, please send an email our way!

Thank you!

It has been said many times that we, as human beings, do not really appreciate what we have until it is gone. Since moving to the United States, I have found this sentiment to be quite true, especially in the snacking department.

While in Canada, I did not really appreciate the abundant variety of potato chips that graced the grocery store shelves. Certainly some popular flavours, such as Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, and Ripple can be found in the US, but there are many notable exceptions. Dill pickle, for example, is only made by Lays and is quite different from the Old Dutch variety that is popular in the western provinces. Ketchup, All Dressed, Bacon, Chili, Buffalo Wings, and Fries & Gravy are impossible to find south of the border.

It has become a game for my husband and I to cruise down the chip aisle of the grocery store on the lookout for the familiar flavours of Canada. Most of our excursions are met with bitter disappointment, but every once in awhile Lady Luck finds us. Last night was one such occasion.

Making a late night run to Walmart to buy some additional Christmas lights for the tree (we want that baby to be able to light up the whole neighbourhood by golly!), we decided to meander down the chip aisle just for kicks. At that moment, the clouds parted, a choir of angels appeared, and a beam of sunlight illuminated the Ruffles section. There, we saw two varieties of chips that were previously not there - Loaded Baked Potato and Sour Cream & Cheddar. Next to the Ruffles, we even found Taco flavoured Doritos.

Watching a TiVoed version of the Grey Cup just got a whole lot sweeter.