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that without a lot of snow, a winter is not really a winter no matter how cold it is? I call it wrong. Yes, opinions can be wrong too. There is no scientific basis to claim snow is indispensable to winter. Ulaanbaatar averages -26/-16 in Jan, if that's not winter, I don't know what is.
Where did I say that it's not winter? I said " mild winter ". Average temps don't tell the real story. Many days in January are over 10 C in Vancouver, and the ground is never frozen etc. It is MILD, compared to the rest of Canada and that is what this thread is about.
Many people around the world, and not just Americans, have this " frozen north " image of Canada. One thing that many ( just read the questions on travel sites ) people don't realize that in the dead of winter there are places in Canada, SW B.C. that aren't frozen and no parkas needed, that palm trees grow, and the harbour doesn't freeze over. The harbour question I've personally been ask by some Australians.
So when someone from the US asks about Canadian winters, one thing they may not know, is what a SW BC winter is like.
It IS mild by Canadian/NE US standard, but it is still cold and it is still winter. I actually went to Vancouver in Oct twice, not even in the middle of winter, both felt pretty cold (in the sense your hands and ears are cold after being exposed outside for an extended period of time).
In relative terms, more than half of the US or China have winters warmer than Vancouver/Lower BC's. A big part of Europe has warmer winter than Vancouver too. I know as a Canadian one is easy to romanticize how warm Vancouver's winters are, but by world standard, it is still 100% real winter.
When I was in Los Angeles, my friends from Taiwan called LA winter cold when it was above 10 degrees. When I was in Nice, some girl complained she was freezing when it is about 6/7 degrees at night. I am not sure Vancouver is that mild. I call Nice, Barcelona or Lisbon mild. San Diego is mild. Vancouver's winter is mild only by Canadian standard. Well, by Canadians standard, even Windsor is considered mild.
As to impression to Americans, just tell them Vancouver is slightly colder than Seattle. I don't think many Americans think Seattle has particularly warm or pleasant winter. Most call it dreadful.
It IS mild by Canadian/NE US standard, but it is still cold and it is still winter. I actually went to Vancouver in Oct twice, not even in the middle of winter, both felt pretty cold (in the sense your hands and ears are cold after being exposed outside for an extended period of time).
In relative terms, more than half of the US or China have winters warmer than Vancouver/Lower BC's. A big part of Europe has warmer winter than Vancouver too. I know as a Canadian one is easy to romanticize how warm Vancouver's winters are, but by world standard, it is still 100% real winter.
When I was in Los Angeles, my friends from Taiwan called LA winter cold when it was above 10 degrees. When I was in Nice, some girl complained she was freezing when it is about 6/7 degrees at night. I am not sure Vancouver is that mild. I call Nice, Barcelona or Lisbon mild. San Diego is mild. Vancouver's winter is mild only by Canadian standard. Well, by Canadians standard, even Windsor is considered mild.
As to impression to Americans, just tell them Vancouver is slightly colder than Seattle. I don't think many Americans think Seattle has particularly warm or pleasant winter. Most call it dreadful.
Let's face it, Canadians know everything there is to know about the United States and the States basically knows nothing about Canada. Americans think little to absolutely nothing about Canada (some don't even know or care it exists) and others just know stereotypes and nothing else.
Does this ever bother Canadians?
Yes it does bother me. Americans I have met and read including my American cousins(until they visited us) think our land is frozen all year, we use dog sleds instead of cars, we are Arctic residents that live in igloos, and we are generally hicks. These are things I have actually heard with my own ears.
Canada is not acknowledged as the savior of the hostages in the Hollywood movie Argo. Any Hollywood movie made that states it is based on the truth is misleading. I generally no longer watch American TV
even though our channel selection at home is much the same as theirs except they do not get Canadian TV.
Yes it does bother me. Americans I have met and read including my American cousins(until they visited us) think our land is frozen all year, we use dog sleds instead of cars, we are Arctic residents that live in igloos, and we are generally hicks. These are things I have actually heard with my own ears.
Canada is not acknowledged as the savior of the hostages in the Hollywood movie Argo. Any Hollywood movie made that states it is based on the truth is misleading. I generally no longer watch American TV
even though our channel selection at home is much the same as theirs except they do not get Canadian TV.
One comment I got several times when in the US when I told people I am from Canada "Oh you guys eat a lot of fish up there right?" Has anyone else gotten this reaction?
One comment I got several times when in the US when I told people I am from Canada "Oh you guys eat a lot of fish up there right?" Has anyone else gotten this reaction?
No, but a friend was told when visiting that his hosts were going to surprise him with a meal that he wouldn't get in Canada. It was steak.
They weren't joking. They thought like the people you met, fish, possibly whale blubber for all I know. Now to be fair, this was years ago.
I was told though " you have a lot of blondes in Canada ".
that without a lot of snow, a winter is not really a winter no matter how cold it is? I call it wrong. Yes, opinions can be wrong too. There is no scientific basis to claim snow is indispensable to winter. Ulaanbaatar averages -26/-16 in Jan, if that's not winter, I don't know what is.
Actually you started with your opinion on Vancouver having a real winter. I simply said it doesn't. My opinion isn't wrong. I never said it didn't have "a winter" I said "a real winter" which is subjective.
Ill-informed, misguided, non-factual, unsupportable...need I go on?
How so? Just because you don't agree with me on what a "real winter" looks like? Sorry but when I think of winter, I always think of big white snow.
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