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Summary

People on Reddit Are Sharing The 'Worst Canadian Foods' & Ouch, Tim Hortons Got It Bad

"Ketchup chips are crap!"

The Canadian flag. Right: A Tim Hortons cup.

The Canadian flag. Right: A Tim Hortons cup.

Writer

There are some foods that are just inherently Canadian — things like butter tarts, poutine and Tim Hortons, of course. But are some Canadian foods better than others?

People on Reddit are sharing what they think the "worst Canadian food" is, and commenters got real about some Canadian classics.

In the subreddit r/AskACanadian, Canucks were asked what they think the country's worst food is, and while some of the answers might not be very surprising, others may be worthy of having your citizenship revoked.

Here's what Canadians said are the worst foods in Canada.

Nanaimo Bars

"Gonna get a bunch of flak for this but I can't stand Nanaimo Bars," said one commenter.

Others agreed, with the consensus seeming to be that the dessert bars, which, naturally originated in Nanaimo, B.C., and are made with a layer of chocolate, custard, sugar and butter, cocoa and coconut and graham crumbs, are too sweet.

"I'm with you on this. Too sweet, too messy and has shaved coconut," said a Redditor in response. "Nanaimo bars are a dessert abomination."

Seal flipper pie

"Seal flipper pie tastes like steak pie made from a cow that drowned at sea and washed ashore much later," said one user. "Source: I ate flipper pie."

"Flipper pie. No thanks," said another person.

Seal flipper pie is a Newfoundland specialty, traditionally made for Easter and Good Friday.

The meal is said to taste as strange as it sounds, with seal being tough, gamey and dark (so, fair take).

Caesars

"Not a big fan of the Caesar tbh," said one Redditor. Others chimed in with their agreement.

"This!! Seriously, clamato juice... tf," replied one person.

Caesars seem to be a divisive drink in Canada, despite being considered the country's national cocktail.

The drink is made with vodka, clam juice, tomato juice, spices and Worcestershire sauce, and is usually served with a rim of celery salt and a celery stalk garnish.

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Canadians drink more than 400 million Caesars annually. Despite this, many apparently would consider the drink one of Canada's worst.

Tim Hortons

"I would say almost anything from Tim Hortons as the obvious answer," said one person. Others seemed to agree that nothing on Tim Hortons' menu was redeeming.

"Anything currently served at Tim Hortons," said another person.

"Tim Hortons is horrible, and not particularly Canadian. About all they got right was one of the most successful rebranding/ad-campaigns in Canadian history," replied another commenter.

"The breakfast sandwiches taste like sawdust and cardboard with some grease for a binder," said another.

The sentiment reflects research released earlier this month that found that Tim Hortons isn't a favourite coffee brand in any province in Canada, with most residents preferring Starbucks, McDonalds, or local shops for coffee.

Ketchup chips

"Ketchup potato chips," said one person simply.

Others in the thread agreed, with one person saying that Ketchup chips are "totally gross."

"*prepares for an onslaught of downvotes* Ketchup chips are crap!" said another person.

"I'm with you on this. I've never understood the appeal," said another commenter.

According to CBC, the Canadian snack (which is only available here), came to be when Lays (called Hostess, at the time) created a line of fruit-flavoured chips.

While most didn't stand the test of time, the tomato-based flavour became the classic Ketchup chips we know today.

Poutine

Possibly the most shocking of all, quite a few people on the subreddit named poutine one of Canada's worst dishes.

"Honestly not a huge fan of poutine. I've had it like, twice, and all I can think of is, 'this is SO not worth the calories!'" said one person.

"I like the first few bites of poutine while the fries are still crispy, but then you're just left with a soggy mess," said another.

"The gravy is absolute trash. Literally dumpster juice and the tears of orphans," one person added.

"Poutine. It's just a hot pile of poop," one person summed up.

The classic Canadian dish is simply made with French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. While it originated in Quebec, other provinces have developed their own iterations.

"After the first several fries with a decent combination of gravy and cheese, it turns into a congealed mess," said one commenter. 

Some Redditors, however, seemed to think that in this case, "to each their own" shouldn't apply. 

"Citizenship revoked," said one person. Seems fair!

  • Contributing Writer

    Katherine Caspersz (she/her) is a contributing writer for Narcity Media, covering travel, things to do and more. She has written for various news sites and magazines, including Yahoo Canada and The National Post, and worked as an editor for the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. She loves shopping, travel and all things spooky.

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