December 07, 2004
When is a Canadian not a Canadian? I protest.Dec. 7, 2004. 07:46 AM
American tourists urged to pose as CanadiansSpoof 'Go Canadian' package includes language primer
LESLIE HOFFMANASSOCIATED PRESSALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An American T-shirt company has a solution for fellow citizens who want to vacation in Europe without having to answer questions about U.S. politics: impersonate Canadians.
For $24.95 US (about $30 (Cdn)), T-shirtKing.com offers the "Go Canadian" package, full of just the kind of things an American traveller needs to leave home and its politics behind.
There's a Canadian flag T-shirt, a Canadian flag lapel pin and a Canadian patch for luggage or a backpack. There's also a quick reference guide — "How to Speak Canadian, Eh?" — on answering questions about Canada.
It's the brainchild of employees at the Mountainair, N.M.-based company known for novelty T-shirts it sells worldwide on the Internet.
The Go Canadian idea sprouted after one of company president Bill Broadbent's colleagues heard of someone being harassed about U.S. politics during a recent overseas trip.
Some people might not mind, but others "just want to be on vacation," Broadbent said. "So we were joking that they could just go as Canadians, and that just kind of evolved."
The package went up on the company website Nov. 12, and sold a couple hundred within weeks.
Sylvia Dawson's boyfriend has been joking that she needed to find him a Canadian flag for a coming trip to Spain. That's after his daughter, who is studying there, warned that he might be questioned about politics when he comes to visit.
So she bought a package.
"I said, `What are you going to do if someone asks you about the prime minister of Canada?' And he said, `I'll study up,'" Dawson said.
Such questions are the reason for the package's quick reference guide, which offers tips in case an American in disguise gets quizzed on Canada.
When it comes to sports, the guide suggests: "This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is Wayne Gretzky.
If a Canadian says he had to "deke out of a meeting," it means he avoided the meeting. If someone is headed to "Hogtown," that's Canadian for Toronto. A trip to "Cowtown" means the person is going to Calgary.
And in all cases, the guide advises: "If your vacation is to be stress free, leave those heavy politics behind and travel with a light heart and quick wit, Canadian style."
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