As someone who grew up in Ontario, there were definitely parts of everyday life I considered “normal” until I started travelling. I mean, it’s easy to think that the things you’re used to are universal until you’ve experienced anything else, especially when you’re young.
But even now that I’m older, it’s funny to see how leaving a place suddenly makes all of those things that were once monotonous stand out. They’re things I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately now that I’ve spent the last year living abroad. Some of them are obvious in hindsight, while others are a bit more subtle, things that didn’t feel particularly Ontarian at all. While not all of the things I’m listing below are exclusive to Ontario, they are things that I strongly associate with home now that I’ve left.
Going to pumpkin patches to take cute pics each fall
I know there are pumpkin patches elsewhere in Canada (and the world), but every fall, farms around Ontario seem to do it differently. They truly transform into elaborate autumn wonderlands with hay bales, wagons, corn mazes, apple cider and stunning piles of pumpkins.
Half the appeal is wandering around in a cozy sweater and taking pics that make October look wholesome as heck. And of course, it always felt normal because everyone around me was doing the same thing — but apparently all of this pumpkin patch frolicking isn’t quite as universal as I’d initially believed.
Constantly checking the humidex, wind chill and “feels like” temps
The actual temperature has never felt like enough information when I’m checking the weather in Ontario. Summer means checking the humidex because 30 C can apparently decide to feel like 39 C, while winter requires checking the wind chill to figure out just how hostile the outdoors is going to feel that day. Then weather apps added the wonderfully vague “feels like” temperature, which somehow became the number I care about most.
Ontario weather has such dramatic seasonal (and sometimes day-to-day) swings that you can’t really trust the basic forecast. I grew up automatically checking several different numbers before deciding what to wear, and I never realized how Ontarian that habit was until spending time elsewhere.
Also, fun fact: Did you know that the humidex is a Canadian invention? 🤓🇨🇦
Butter tarts
Butter tarts have always felt like such a standard treat to me that I never really thought of them as particularly Ontarian. They were always easy to find, especially during the fall — at bakeries, farmers’ markets, roadside stands, family gatherings, etc. Now that I’ve spent more time outside the province, I’ve realized how closely they’re tied to Ontario.
They’re not impossible to find elsewhere, but they definitely don’t have the same everyday presence. A good butter tart (with a gooey centre and flaky pastry) feels like a rare delicacy to me now that I live abroad. I guess I’ll just have to learn how to make ’em myself!
And peameal bacon
Peameal bacon is another food I assumed was much more universal than it actually is. Growing up in Toronto, peameal bacon sandwiches were completely normal, especially at markets and brunch spots. I never questioned why the bacon looked different from the strips served everywhere else. I mean, why would I?
The classic version is rolled in cornmeal, despite the name still referencing the ground yellow peas that were originally used. Toronto has especially claimed it as a local specialty, with the peameal bacon sandwich becoming one of the city’s unofficial signature foods (shout out to St. Lawrence Market).
Stopping for roadside corn every August
Late summer in Ontario still makes me think of hand-painted roadside signs advertising sweet corn. Growing up, stopping at a farm stand for a dozen ears never felt like an activity that was particularly worth mentioning — that is, until I left.
Ontario corn is ridiculously good when it’s fresh, especially during those few weeks when just about every scenic country road has somebody selling it out of a cute wooden stand. I didn’t appreciate how much I associated corn with Ontario summers until I left.
Calling electricity “hydro”
I didn’t realize calling electricity “hydro” was even remotely unusual until I started spending more time around people who didn’t grow up in Ontario. I grew up hearing people talk about the hydro bill, hydro being out, paying hydro or wondering when the hydro would come back during a storm. Nobody needed clarification. Ontario’s long history with hydroelectric power made the word part of everyday vocabulary, even though electricity now comes from several different sources. It still sounds completely natural to me, and sometimes I even slip up and say it without meaning to.
Cold-plunging during the deep, dark depths of winter
First of all, I hope you enjoyed the blurry, not-so-great photo of my very first cold-plunging experience above. I don’t know if I can exactly recommend doing it, but it was fun to try.
Now, taking a dip during winter sounds completely bananas when stated plainly, which is probably part of the appeal. Cold plunging has become much more popular in recent years, and Ontario has no shortage of freezing-cold water for the occasion. I’ve watched groups head into Lake Ontario when the shoreline is covered in snow, wearing bikinis, toques and bewildered expressions, not so dissimilar to the one I’m wearing above.
While a bunch of Nordic countries have been doing it forever, it feels particularly Canadian to embrace a brutally cold winter by voluntarily making it colder. And lakes are such a huge part of life around Ontario that even in January, simply gazing upon them isn’t enough.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.