Bus on a wide street in North Vancouver
On our recent trip to the UK, here are a few things that struck me as odd now that I am used to living in Canada.
- People don’t get into conversation with each other.
This was probably one of the biggest things for me. I had not realised that I am so used to striking up a conversation with anyone. So it was quite a shock when my conversation starters hit brick walls. “Is it always as busy in here?” was met with a grunt and a question about ordering drinks. It feels very unfriendly.
- Cellphones (mobiles) are small and cheap – and everyone is talking or texting.
Yes we were envious of the cellphone costs. We bought a pay as you go phone for nine pounds – an unimaginable price in Vancouver. I don’t think people are necessarily on their phones more than in Canada, but with lower costs I expect they were.
- Vegetarians are really well catered for, even with whole aisles in the supermarket for veggie meals.
Canadian restaurants often have no vegetarian options, though will rustle something up if you ask. Often this is pasta and is usually pretty unimaginative. Supermarkets have very few vegetarian options apart from the rubbery veggie sausage and various tofu creations. Warning: there is no Quorn in Canada.
- There are few Sushi bars
Another Vancouver feature that is missing in most of Britain. I am sure there is sushi but in Vancouver it is likely that a 5 minute walk will involve passing at least two of them. Here the Indian restaurant takes the place of the Sushi bar as the most common food outlet. I would like to see a few more Indian restaurants in Vancouver so I could satisfy my need for a curry more often.
- Good coffee is harder to find than it is in Vancouver.
OK, I know Vancouver is crawling with coffee bars, and that I have become a coffee snob, but our hotel room had instant coffee only. There are a lot of coffee bars around but our experience was that they did not always make such good coffee. They may have the equipment but either the staff were not trained to use it properly or they did not care. And I guess the customers are not as fussy as they are in Vancouver.
- There are children in pubs.
We saw parents with children of all ages in the pub. I guess we have got used to the fact that kids under 19 are not allowed in pubs. Canadians are probably shocked by pub gardens with children’s play equipment but it is part of the British way of life that many people miss.
- Pubs are everywhere.
They have changed a lot since we lived in England. The smoking ban and more emphasis on food have made many of these places more attractive places to visit. And I for one enjoyed a few pints of real ale.
- You can buy beer, wine and spirits even in a supermarket.
Canada’s attitude to alcohol is that it is almost a controlled substance. This seems to work if you want to avoid teenage binge drinking or public drunkeness, so perhaps the inconvenience of having to get your booze from a different store is worth it.
- Cars are smaller and drive much faster than in Vancouver.
The roads seemed always to be busy and the cars to be going way too fast. Our roads are wider and less congested. And cars (trucks and SUV’s) generally travel fairly slowly.
- Cars parked facing in the opposite direction to the traffic flow.
It now seems so random to see cars parked facing in either direction on the side of the road. And they are packed in like sardines too. Kudos for parking skills as parallel parking in Vancouver is a lost art and an entertaining spectator sport.
- There is a bus along every 10 minutes or so.
We did not travel in peak time but for our little expeditions, by bus and train, it was rare for us to wait more than 10 minutes. The Oyster cards were a great idea and Vancouver could certainly do with something like that. In this day who needs to be scrabbling around for exact change when getting on the bus?
The list above is a personal one and I am sure that other things will strike different people. I’d love to hear your thoughts.