ha ha Brian, yeah, I don't know much, but there are a few things that seem to be ingrained.... if it has to do with shoveling, hockey, curling, cutting firewood (by hand of course), blizzards, or good Canadien beer... yes, 'Canadien'... well, THAT stuff registered (congealed??) at an early age!!!! Heh heh!!!
When we were little, we used to ride our bikes all over the dirt back roads, once chores were done (kind of a rare thing). We'd end up in Canada (Quebec) of course and no one cared or noticed... so my dad, being about the most practical man I ever met, lined us up in the kitchen one day and gave us a mandatory French lesson. We had to repeat it over and over, in case we ever got lost over the border. (He wouldn't have cared too much -- it had to actually be
important to get his attention.)
We were dutifully repeating the lines, over and over, when my mom walked in. [They were bilingual but it all died with our generation.. bummer!] Laughing, she asked what on earth we were doing. Serious as could be, we all piped up: "Donnez-moi du soupe au pois et deux bieres!"
Her eyes got big and she just burst out laughing... our "survival lesson" was "Give me some pea soup and two beers!" When she gave my dad a questioning look, he just shrugged and said "Well, they won't starve up there now, for Chrissakes!"
O Canada.............................................
