Ode Canada!

Chup and I try to celebrate Canada Day every July 1st. I mean, who doesn't?

I was a missionary in Montreal, Quebec back when things were dated with 199_. As anyone knows, Quebec is a gift to Canada. Should the rest of Canada forget, Quebec will secede. Or at least spend decades threatening the possibility. Do you love the drama? I was surely sent to the right place.

For this reason, I never saw much celebration for Canada Day while living in Quebec. But you should see the debacle of St. Jean Baptiste Day. I mean, I actually don't know what it is like because we were asked to lock our doors, duct tape our windows, and hole up inside our apartment until the holiday was over. But we heard reveling on the streets. Tell you what, eh?

I would celebrate St. Jean Baptiste Day but then I'd feel like a traitor to the rest of Canada. Even though, I feel my inner Quebecois. I even pronounce Quebec like this: K-bec. According to Forvo three out of five Quebecois pronounce it the same way. I also like turquoise, nudity, tarte au sucre, Mickey Mouse Christmas lawn ornaments and Celine (hangnails and gobstoppers, I love Celine).

So as to not hurt any one's feelings (Quebec or the rest of Canada) Chup and I celebrate Canada Day by eating Quebec's poutine (thanks to a reader, poutine packets were shipped straight from the motherland) and drinking Ontario's Canada Dry Ginger Ale. This way we have all our bases covered. But still, sometimes I feel uneasy. How do I please everyone?

Last night we ate and drank in our pajamas as we watched a rousing episode of you So You Think You Can Dance. When Karla and Vittolio performed Quebecois Jean-Marc Généreux's quick step to Montreal citizen Rufus Wainwright's Putting on the Ritz suddenly the poutine tasted just right.

La, tu sais?