Cultural Variance

Tonight I taint the Lost Hemisphere with its first non-VS related post. Such are the depths I sink to.

Back in the balmy snowiness of December, my place of employment was to hold its Christmas party (I don’t care if you think it’s a “holiday party” or not, it’s a Christmas party to me), but it got rescheduled at the last minute due to impending overabundent snowiness.

Rescheduled to this evening, January 26th.

This is a special date for me, being Australia Day, so naturally I wore my Australian Flag tie and happily explained the significance to anyone who asked. To their credit, some of the local Canuckians actually knew already, good on ‘em.

Sitting around the table with a bunch of the girls I work with and all of our respective spouses, it’s always amusing to see what anecdotes surface (and boy howdy, we had some doozies…), but two of my favourite giggle-inducing terms came up.

The first is Thong.

• In Canada it’s an article of underwear. This underwear is usually referred to in Australia as a G-string.
• In Australia, it’s footwear. This footwear is usually referred to in Canada as a flip-flop.

I still smirk when I explain that when you’re on a beach in Australia, seeing a hot sheila wearing a black rubber thong isn’t anywhere as exciting as you might otherwise think. Tee hee.. 

The second is Roots.

• In Canada, Roots is a highly recognisable brand of clothing known for being Canadian and of good quality.
• In Australia, Root is a less-offensive synonym for the F-bomb.

Allow me to provide examples.

• He/She is a good root.
• They were rooting.
• Do you want to root?
• You’re rooted.

Substitute the F-bomb for any of those and you get the point.

Now, imagine the thoughts that cross my mind when my now wife, then to-be-girlfriend, walked through the security gates at the airport the first time we met in person, with “Roots” in big bold letters across her ample bosom.

Further, imagine the thoughts crossing the minds of the average Australians upon sighting the Canadian Olympic contingent back during the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when they all proudly marched out for the opening ceremony with Roots logos on all of their uniforms.

• “Well, we wondered how they all got so fit…”
• “That explains how they keep warm in those Canadian winters…” 
• “Is that they’re mission statement?”
• “Oh dear Lord, the luge team…”

Ah, the logo… that doesn’t help. The logo for Roots, this pride of the Canadian clothing industry?

 

A beaver, with what can be construed to be lengths of wood.

I love my home country… I love my adopted country… but DAMN if it doesn’t make it hard to walk through the mall and not burst out laughing at complete strangers…

Anyway, Happy Australia Day to all the displaced Aussies, like myself, who find ourselves out in the world spreading our love of vegemite and good beers.  Good on yer, mates.