Canadians Shared Culture Shocks They Faced In Different Provinces & Bagged Milk Was A Big One

While, nationally, there are tons of things Canadians have in common, regionally, Canucks live quite differently, one recent Reddit thread points out.

People on Reddit are sharing "cultural shocks" they had in different provinces in Canada, and it turns out that a well-known thing in one province — like bagged milk, for example — could be a complete mystery in another.

In the subreddit r/AskACanadian, Canucks were asked to describe cultural differences they faced in another province, with Redditors sharing things like realizing they couldn't get certain foods in some regions and that even just saying "yes" can look different depending on where you live.

Here are some of the culture shocks Canadians shared.

Bagged milk

"Went to Quebec (I'm from Alberta), and bagged milk threw me for a loop," said one person.

Another chimed in, "I always thought it was a Canada thing, but apparently it’s an ON/QC/Maritimes thing."

Bagged milk is typically something that shocks both newcomers and Canucks who didn't grow up with the stuff. As for the point of it, well, that's still unclear to many.

"Bagged milk is the most delightfully useless thing ever," said one person.

"Is it cheaper? Please tell me that bagged milk is at least cheaper," asked another user.

"Only marginally," a user said in response.

According to Reader's Digest, parts of Canada originally implemented bagged milk as a cheaper alternative to glass bottles.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day

"My first summer in Quebec, I didn't know why everything was closed on June 24th. Nobody out West has ever heard of St. Jean Baptiste day!" commented one user.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is a holiday celebrated in Quebec and by Francophone communities. The day is a celebration of the French language and traditions, but many Canadians outside of Quebec may be unfamiliar with it.

One user who said they moved from Quebec to Ontario (but is from Alberta), also agreed that the holiday seems to be lesser-known outside of Quebec.

"There's an entire huge holiday the rest of Canada has never heard of, St. Jean (fete nationale) and it's enormous," they said.

Fiddleheads

"Maritimes to Alberta: No garlic fingers/donair sauce. No Moon Mist ice cream. Fiddleheads were almost impossible to find when they were in season," said one user from the East Coast.

Visitors who went to other provinces from Maritime regions also chimed in on the lack of fiddleheads, the tightly coiled tips of ferns that are said to have a taste similar to asparagus, with the snappy texture of green beans.

"Nova Scotia to B.C., I was in ruins when I found out the fiddleheads aren't as common here," said one person.

The fern fronds seem to be mainly an East Coast thing — in fact, the village of Tide Head in New Brunswick is known as the fiddlehead capital of the world.

"Southern Alberta is mostly too dry for fiddleheads, I find," said another person.

"B.C., here. Never heard of the latter two," said one user, referencing Moon Mist ice cream and fiddleheads.

Nose scrunching

"First moving to Ontario from Nunavut was a pretty big change when I went to uni. For a while, people would look at me like I was nuts because I kept forgetting I couldn't just raise my eyebrows to say yes or scrunch my nose to say no," said one person.

In Nunavut, it's common for locals to express themselves through facial expressions, like raising their eyebrows to say "Yes" and scrunching their nose to say "No," as demonstrated by Shina Novalinga, an Inuk creator and throat singer based in Montreal.

However, Canucks in other regions might not be as familiar with the practice.

"I've been on the other side of that when I moved to Nunavut for a short time! When people scrunched their nose at me in response to my questions, I discovered that it's contagious. I loved living there," said one user.

"Honestly it's way more convenient than shaking your head or nodding... minimal energy expenditure. I don't do it so much anymore but whenever I go back to visit I'm right back at it!" said another.

Quebec apartments

"Apartment hunting is entirely different here from every other place in Canada," said one person, speaking about their experience moving from Ontario to Quebec as an Albertan.

"Moving is almost always on July 1. Almost all leases end July 1," they said.

"The vocabulary is different — it's not "one bedroom," it's "3 1/2," or 4 1/2 for a 2 bedroom. Triplexes, etc., and the actual architecture is just totally different here from Toronto. It's like the entire city is a triple-decker bus."

Quebec is unique in the way it describes apartments, listing the total number of rooms (including things like the kitchen and living space) rather than just the bedrooms, as provinces like Ontario do.

As the Reddit user pointed out, a "one-bedroom" in Ontario might be called a 3.5 in Quebec.

"I’m from Quebec and I lived in B.C. for a bit (back in Quebec now) and I absolutely HATE the naming convention we have for apartments here. It’s so dumb. Why do I gotta do a math problem just to know the number of bedrooms?" said one person.

Others commented on July 1 in Quebec, aka "Moving Day." According to Quebec's housing board, most leases end on June 30 in the province, with many people moving then.

"It's a very odd custom if you're not used to it, that's for sure," commented one person. "Especially when the entire city reserves U-hauls and moving trucks on the same day."

Fair enough!