We All Scream For Poutine

Today is the World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto, Canada.

Whoever wolfs down the most poutine in 10 minutes wins $750.

Ahhh, poutine: the Canadian holy trinity of fries, gravy and cheese curds.

And now over to you, bitches.

If you entered an eating championship, what would be your food of choice to gorge on?

The Trouble With Timbits

Canada is the Donut Capital of the World.





Not only do Canadians eat the most donuts of any country’s citizens, we also have more donut shops per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Yes, we Canucks have a love affair with the donut and consider it our national snack.

Timbits, for example, are popular bite-sized donut balls also known as “donut holes” because they're the part of the donut cut out to make the hole in the donut.







Timbits are sold at Tim Hortons donut shops, otherwise known as Mecca to donut-loving Canadians from coast to coast.







A single Timbit sells for 16 cents Canadian each though most people buy them by the box.







Last week a tempest erupted over a Timbit.

Nicole Lilliman, a London, Ontario Tim Hortons employee, attempted to calm a fussy baby by offering the tot a Timbit.

And that’s where the trouble began.




Nicole Lilliman holding Exhibit A



The Tim Hortons managers noticed Lilliman’s act of kindness on videotape and promptly fired her!







A Tim Hortons district manager is quoted as saying, "Employees aren't allowed to give out free products and that's the bottom line. She gave out free product and it doesn't matter if it is a Timbit or a coffee or a doughnut or 10 sandwiches or what."

Nicole Lilliman said, "I have been fired for giving a baby a Timbit."

"It was just out of my heart – she was pointing and going `ah, ah...' I should have gone to my purse and got the change, but it was busy."

"I was crying. I was like, 'I'm a single mom with four kids and you are going to put this on my record? You should bring all the staff in here and fire them all and yourselves, too.' People give out Timbits to dogs in the drive-through all the time."



Happy ending



Enraged Canadians rallied round Lilliman, and a PR nightmare ensued with customers threatening to boycott Tim Hortons.

Long story shorter, Lilliman has been rehired and will begin working at another location with compensation.

Tim Hortons has also publicly apologized.

Lilliman says if she ever gets the urge again, she’ll pay the 16 cents out of her own purse.





Like the book says, we are a Timbit Nation.

Vive La Poutine!

Poutine.

The Canadian holy trinity of fries, gravy and cheese curds.

Not just for laughs.

So take that, Steve.

KRAFT DINNER: Gotta b KD

We Canadians call it ‘Kraft Dinner’ or ‘KD’ for short. The Americans know it as ‘Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.’ And the Brits call it ‘Kraft Cheesey Pasta.’

Kraft Dinner is a staple of the Canadian diet. Especially if you’re a student or low on cash.

A box of KD contains dried macaroni noodles with a powdered cheezy sauce. Cook it up and the mixture turns fluorescent orange.

Canadians consume more Kraft Dinner per capita than any other nation on earth.



Kraft Dinner is such a Canadian icon that it’s mentioned in the song If I Had $1000000 by the Barenaked Ladies. They sing that they’d still eat Kraft Dinner even if they had a million dollars. An entry in Wikipedia states that:

The song became so popular in Canada that when it was performed live in concert, fans would often throw boxes of Kraft Dinner on the stage during the song. In recent years they have encouraged their fans to donate the food to charity rather than throw it on-stage (especially when some fans started cooking it beforehand and the cooked macaroni was getting stuck in the instruments). There is usually a sign outside the venue saying Macaroni & Cheese hurts when you get it in the head. BNL would appreciate donations to the food bank instead. Thank You.

Read more about Kraft Dinner.


How do you serve your KD?

With our without ketchup?

Bottle of red wine or bottle of white wine or box of wine?

Do you add anything else to the KD mixture such as meat, fish or veg?

Have you experimented with your own KD recipes?

Tell us what Kraft Dinner means to you.