Oh, Canada, the land that sounds almost made up. Famed for its politeness, endless maple syrup, and free healthcare, the country seems like a dream already. But when you add the more villainous side to the mix, like the geese that are always prepared for combat and the seemingly never-ending cold, it’s like you’re in a fairytale land. Add a bunch of wild animals and plaid and you’ve got yourself a weird Disney movie.
This inoffensive weirdness is reflected in the many Canadian memes floating around the internet. They’re always a little self-deprecating, a little modest, and never too in-your-face. The ones you’ll find in the list below were acquired at Only in Canada, a Facebook group with over 438,000 members. Scroll down to enjoy the selection.
#1
Image credits: Heidi Jonah Fogarty
One of the most beloved Canadian things all around the world is, of course, maple syrup. But while it has the love of most of the world’s sweet-toothed population, it needs more attention from scientists. That is because the liquid gold is a mystery to this day. The syrup is made by boiling maple sap, which seems straightforward enough. However, a lot of the chemical reactions caused by the heat are still unknown because sap is so complicated. That’s why replicating the flavor is so difficult.
Replicating the flavor might be necessary as reservoirs of this deliciousness is limited. Just in 2021, we all experienced a worldwide maple syrup shortage. To manage it, Canadians, more precisely, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, tapped into their strategic reserve to fix the problem. They released an additional 50 million tons of the good stuff. It’s not the first time they had to do it, too. Three years before that, in 2018, they had to dip into their stockpile as well.
#2
Image credits: Ibolya Ivan
#3
Image credits: Van James
The reason why shortages happen is because the harvest period highly depends on weather. It can only happen for a limited time during the year, when the temperatures are above freezing during the day, but still drop below 32°F at night. Back in 2021, the spring harvest period was too short to collect enough supply, which caused the unfortunate situation.
It’s important to note that, if done responsibly, sap harvesting does not affect the growth of the tree. After all, it takes about 42 gallons of sap to get 1 gallon of syrup. That is why there are strict rules in place to regulate it. One can only tap 1–1.5 quarts of sap per tree, or one tenth of a tree’s sugar. Maples have to be over 8 inches in diameter to be tapped and even the biggest ones can only be tapped up to three times a year.
#4
Image credits: Cheryl Bitz Rygh
#5
Image credits: Ibolya Ivan
#6
Image credits: Van James
The produced syrup is classified according to color and taste. The deeper the color, the later in the season it’s harvested, the stronger the flavor it has. And it can be used everywhere, not just on pancakes and waffles. That is why the myth that Canadians use it every day is not so far from the truth. People put it in their morning coffees, use it in salad vinaigrettes and marinades, and replace the sugar with it in baked goods.
#7
Image credits: Crystal Desormeaux
#8 Pure Canadian
Image credits: Johnny Cooper
#9
Image credits: Darren Nivens
When it comes to nutritional value, it’s important to remember that maple syrup is a sweetener that’s high in sugar, so it’s not going to be incredibly healthy. However, it does have some valuable nutrients in it such as calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and manganese. One study also found that it has 24 different antioxidants, with darker ones having more than the lighter ones. So, replacing your average refined sugar with maple syrup does have some small benefits.
#10
Image credits: Andrew Lee
#11 Can’t Get More Canadian Than This
Image credits: Andreana Mancini
#12
Image credits: Crystal Desormeaux
Maple syrup has also been a target of a heist. You see, it is not only a delightful indulgence, but also an expensive delicacy. And wherever there’s money involved, there will be somebody trying to play dirty. That’s what happened in 2012 when a group of people siphoned off 18 million dollars worth of syrup off of the aforementioned Quebec stockpile.
#13
Image credits: Kriti Bhatnagar
#14
Image credits: Kenneth Matthew Belcourt
#15 Remember Walking To School In The Winter When We Were Kids? Our Parents Never Drove Us – Ever
Image credits: Van James
The criminals, led by Richard Vallières, did it gradually, over several months. At first, they were replacing the liquid in the barrels with water, but, later on, as they kept getting away with it, they would just leave them empty. The disappearance of the massive 3,000 tons was discovered accidentally, during the annual inventory. The inspector started climbing the barrels, expecting them to hold his weight. However, they did not and he almost fell to the ground. Once they realized that some of the syrup was gone, they called the police to identify the damage. That’s when they found out that 9,571 barrels out of 63,000 were gone.
#16
Image credits: something-you-knownothingof
#17
Image credits: Stacey Hartnett
#18
Image credits: Maurice Rivard
Vallières was caught after the police were tipped off, together with 15 others related to the crime. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, the harshest penalty in Canada for anyone involved in a heist. The man also needed to pay 7 million US dollars, or all the profit he was able to make, to his victims. Vallières says he did it to get back at the federation. Apparently, they had fined him 1.3 million US dollars back in 2007 for selling maple syrup illegally. Unfortunately for him, he got too greedy to get away with his revenge plan.
#19
Image credits: Jacob Bos
#20
Image credits: Van James
#21
Image credits: Cheryl Bitz Rygh
When you think about it though, what a Canadian crime: a maple syrup heist. You can safely file it under the list of things Only in Canada. If you’re curious to see more of those, be sure to check out this and this post as well.
#22 Go Canada! You’re Looking At The Longest Covered Bridge In The World!!
The Hartland-covered bridge in New Brunswick holds the record. Built in 1909 the covered bridge over upper ward creek in New Brunswick has been a charming part of the landscape for over a century.❤️??❤️
Image credits: Van James
#23
Image credits: Van James
#24 Made Only In Canada
Image credits: Van James
#25
Image credits: Trpimir Matasovic
#26
Image credits: Derek Costa
#27
Image credits: Allison Schwartz
#28
Image credits: Abdul Haq
#29
Image credits: Mike Kaube
#30 That Is Not Good. Why Trudeau Picture On Pair Of Socks??
Image credits: Pritpal Singh Sekhon
#31 The Rest Of The World Is Missing Out
Image credits: Van James
#32
Image credits: Jackie Lebrun