Canadian Folk Dances (1966)
If you’re like me, you’re probably woefully ignorant about our neighbors to the north. So here’s some interesting facts about Canada from canadafacts.org:
- A temperature of -77.5 °C (-108 °F) was recorded on Mount Logan in 1991. This is the coldest temperature ever recorded outside of Antarctica.
- The USA buys more oil from Canada than from any other country, including Saudi Arabia.
- In the 15 – 64 age group, for every 100 men, Canada has 102 women.
- Canadian adults (18 and over) watch more TV than children, an average of 28.8 hours a week in a full year. This works out at almost 1,500 hours of television viewing each year, including an estimated 25,000 commercials.
And speaking of Canadian TV, they do have some fantastic shows that you don’t see much in this country. Some of my favorites from the past are Made in Canada, Trailer Park Boys, Corner Gas, and of course, Puppets Who Kill. In case you aren’t familiar with Puppets Who Kill, here’s the trailer:
The last time I was in Canada, we stopped at one of the Tim Horton’s that seem to be positioned about every two blocks. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the chain, it’s pretty similar to a Dunkin’ Donuts. I pulled up to the drive thru and asked the kid at window “So who’s Tim Horton”? He snorted and replied “So, are you like American, eh? Tim Horton was a great hockey player, eh”. Apparently not knowing this will immediately identify you as an American so hopefully you can learn from my social gaffe. I took some time to look up Tim Horton and it turns out the guy was pretty good. It’s difficult to fathom that goalies once played without masks.
(Updated 03/10/10) I had a cool video of Tim Horton scoring an incredible goal until the weasels at Youtube removed it so you’ll just have to use your imagination or perhaps ask a Canadian friend about Tim Horton.
So now you’ve just increased your knowledge of Canada exponentially and you’ll be able to converse with the natives about their three favorite subjects. Television, hockey and beer (I’m assuming that you already know something about beer so no additional material was covered here).
Just one more thing to cover. Apparently, if I’m to believe this album, they like to do silly dances too. So now we know what they’re doing when they’re not watching TV or going to the beer store. In order to embrace the full Canadian experience, I have included the gatefold instructions that explain each of the steps for you. Have fun and good day, eh.
Tracks:
Side One
- 01_01 – Maple Leaf Stomp
- 01_02 – Carding the Wool
- 01_03 – Les Carillons De Dunquerque – Instructions
- 01_04 – Les Carillons De Dunquerque – Music
Side Two
Just makes you want to say “daw-lur” over and over and over and over, doesn’t it?