Oh Canada, We See You (And We Love You)

Turns out That Wasn't The Plan is basically a Canadian podcast at this point. Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton — you all showed up before anyone south of the border figured out what was happening. So Emily and Courtney decided to do the only reasonable thing: dedicate an entire episode to the Great White North.Courtney, for the record, is a dual citizen. Born in Newfoundland on a military base. Canada was apparently on the edge of their seat waiting to find out whether she'd claim it. Life happened. She forgot. She found out at the Social Security office in Los Angeles while in her twenties and spent the rest of the day walking around going "dual citizen." She has still never been back. She and Jonathan are planning their honeymoon there. One bathroom on a houseboat is where she draws the line.Emily, meanwhile, is accepting suitors. Canadian ones specifically. Three hours south of the border. Funny is non-negotiable. You know where to find us.What you'll learn about Canada in this episode:🩺 Insulin — invented at the University of Toronto in 1921. Probably saved more lives than anything else on this list🍕 Hawaiian pizza — invented by a Greek-Canadian man in Chatham, Ontario in 1962. The world's most divisive pizza is Canada's fault and we respect it🎲 Trivial Pursuit — dreamed up by two Montrealers over beers. Courtney's strategy: say "that's what I was gonna say" every single time❤️ The pacemaker and IMAX — both Canadian. We'll just let that sit there🍟 Poutine — rural Quebec, 1950s, several restaurants currently in a very polite dispute about who invented it🍁 Maple taffy on snow — hot maple syrup poured over clean snow, rolled onto a stick. Canadians looked at a blizzard and made dessert💰 The Great Maple Syrup Heist — thieves robbed Quebec's strategic maple syrup reserve for roughly $18 million Canadian dollars in 2011-2012. Yes, there is a strategic maple syrup reserve. Yes, this is real🍟 Ketchup chips, all-dress chips, Tim Hortons, and the Double Double — Emily has never had any of these and is prepared to drive to Vancouver to fix that🎭 The absolutely staggering list of Canadian comedians and entertainers: Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Leslie Nielsen, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Drake, Celine Dion, Shania Twain — we could go on🏃 Terry Fox — who ran a marathon a day across Canada on one leg to raise money for cancer research before dying from it. Look him up📺 Schitt's Creek and Anne of Green Gables — both beloved, both Canadian, Courtney watches Schitt's Creek with her whole family🐋 The orcas of the Salish Sea — shared between Seattle and Vancouver Island, and Emily's personal neighbors🐻 Polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba — self-declared polar bear capital of the world, where you can ride Tundra buggies out to see them up close🦦 Beavers as ecological engineers — and why reintroducing them wherever possible might actually help save the planet🚀 CanadaArm — the robotic arm that's been deploying satellites and supporting the International Space Station since the shuttle era👻 The Old Hag of Newfoundland — centuries of folklore around waking up unable to move with a figure sitting on your chest, which we now call sleep paralysis. The cures included saying your name backwards, which Emily and Courtney attempt with very mixed results. Yentruoc Dnalloh is flawless. Ylime Etihw is a work in progress🦕 Sasquatch Country — Harrison Hot Springs, BC, where local lore claims Sasquatches gather for reunions near the lake🐉 Cadborosaurus — BC's own sea serpent, affectionately called Caddy, with a horse-or-camel-like head and an impressive number of alleged sightings📩 Canada — write in and tell us where you're from. And Australians — you're next. Courtney's already planning your episode.💌 Write in and tell us where you're listening from! [email protected] or visit thatwasnttheplan.com📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan_podcast🎧 If this made you laugh — or if you're Canadian and just feel deeply seen right now — subscribe, leave a review, and tell a friend. Especially a Canadian one.That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🍁Support the show