How To Spot a True Canadian

How To Spot a True Canadian

Okay, nothing really to do with Ghana, but so quintessentially ‘Canadian’ I can’t help but share it.

Somewhere in the midst of Hours 35-43 a group of 4 young women came into the canteen where I was nodding in and out of sleep. I didn’t pay much attention until I heard the word ‘timbits’ enter the conversation. Pastor Abraham noticed my sudden attention to their conversation—yes, eavesdropping, if you really want to put it that way—and asked me if it was strange to come all the way to Ghana, only to hear English being spoken. I answered that it was stranger to come all the way to Ghana only to be seated next to a group of Canadians! Bewildered, as he should have been, Pastor Abraham asked me how I knew they were Canadian.

My answer: ‘timbits!’

Perfectly clear to a Canadian, perfectly baffling to most non-Canadians: The ‘timbit’ is both the mascot and edible bit of sugary heaven that represents the ‘Tim Horton’s’ restaurant chain. It’s so ‘Canadian’ that there’s even a commercial that pretty much re-enacts my afternoon: a young Canadian man goes off to see the world with a Tim Horton’s take-away mug clipped to his backpack. Everywhere he goes he is greeted by Canadians who spot the Tim Horton’s mug and they share great adventures. As he steps off the plane at the end of his adventures he is met by his loving parents who are holding a cup of Tim Horton’s coffee.

And it may sound ridiculous, but it’s true.

So… how did I respond to the ‘timbits’ reference? As we were leaving the canteen I stopped by the table and said, “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear, and with a ‘timbits’ reference, I have to ask, ‘where in Canada are you from?’” “You have to follow up a ‘timbits’ reference when you hear one! We’re from British Columbia,” came their answer.

You gotta love it!
Go ‘timbits’!