It’s Canada Day up Canada Way, and I’d like to share a story about one of our neighbours who always celebrated Canada Day with us. His name was Mr. Evans, and he was actually American. His cottage was across the street from ours, and he made sure to do a massive fireworks display on the long weekend. It was Canada Day and 4th of July all in one. Mr. Evans and his family spent hundreds of dollars on those fireworks every year, probably close to a grand. And they were American fireworks: bigger and brighter than ours, not to mention illegal up here!
The rockets’ red glare, and bombs bursting in air, united our countries together in friendship every July long weekend.
Mr. Evans was always good to us when we were kids. There is one story I’ll never forget. It was about soda pop.
“Up here in Canada, you can buy raisin pop,” he told us. “You can’t get it in the United States, only in Canada, so I make sure we buy some every time.”
Raisin pop? None of us had ever seen, heard or tasted such a thing! But he insisted it was real.
One day he showed us a can of proof! There it was on a Crush: “Raisin”.
But our American friend missed something. In Canada, everything is bilingual. Boisson gazeuse: “Raisin” is “grape” in French. All he found was a case of ordinary grape soda!
A modern can of Grape Crush with French and English on one side
mikeladano.com 
Great story, they don’t have grape soda here in the UK so I made sure I had some the last time I went to the States.
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Good going — it’s good stuff. One of my favourites (after orange).
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Happy Canada Day!
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Thanks eh!
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Hope you’re enjoying a Canada Day boisson gazeuse at the cottage this weekend!
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No cottage this weekend, just too hot. We thought it would be safer to stay in town this weekend.
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Probably wise – it’s definitely an Air conditioning weekend!
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Wise choice. It is very hot here. I have been cooling down by stepping into the wading pool.
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Ha…great story!
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That’s awesome, good job Mr. Evans!
I’ve always loved the wordplay with this translation. English: grapes. French: raisin. But if you go a bit further, you get English: raisins. French: raisins secs. Dry grapes. Lots of secs! haha.
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Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 One food I remember seeing up there that I can’t find anywhere else is ketchup potato crisps. Last time I was in Canada I got maple tea for my mother in law. I don’t think we were able to find it here, I think it’s only in Canada.
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Before the Blue Jays game today they mentioned ketchup chips. I was not aware that they weren’t available in other countries. Maple tea is one of my favourite flavours.
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Never tried grape soda. Couldn’t imagine such a thing as raisin soda.
Anyhoo, Happy Canadialander Day, eh.
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In Japanese, grape and raisin are the same word, too.
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Interesting!
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Is there anything better. Anything Crush is great. And it’s good for you too!
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That last part I’m not so sure about!
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I used to call it raisin pop! But I was being silly.
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Well out there somewhere was a guy who thought it was raisin flavor.
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Well… raisins were once grapes so….
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