Archive for the ‘I Say, You Say’ Category.
October 16, 2009, 9:15 am
In Ireland, if you need to go to relieve yourself, and were in a restaurant or pub etc., you’d ask where the “toilets” are. If you were feeling the need to be posh, you might say “bathrooms”, but you’d not say “washrooms”. If you were at home, with people you know well, you might speak in terms of “the loo”.
In Canada, everyone talks about “washrooms”, that’s the common lingo at home and while out. I guess there is a preference to focus on the washing that goes on, while you are engaged in your personal business, rather than the other aspect of it. And fair enough, seems discreet, reserved, and inoffensive, and perhaps, rather Canadian.
 This certainly merited a photograph, we thought. It's taken in Portmagee, a beautiful village on the Ring of Kerry. And they have such fine public toilets, that they won an award. |
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 If you gotta go, look for this kind of sign in Canada. |
 While Portmagee, won an award for best public toilets, Bar Pinxto, a tapas bar in the Temple Bar area in Dublin, might deserve at least a notable mention, for its toilets. |
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August 7, 2009, 10:05 am
Well, actually, it’s arguably not that simple! Irish people are far more likely to say taxi than cab, but we’ve heard Canadians use the two terms interchangeably. And there is the word taxicab, though really does anyone ever say that nowadays?
For what it’s worth, the authors have noticed some differences in how taxis work in Ireland versus Canada. In Ireland the signage you’ll see atop taxis, is pretty well uniform – the word “taxi” appears. Individual taxi companies are not identified. In Canada, the taxi company is clearly identified, shown below – a Beck cab.
Also in Canada, it’s pretty unthinkable for a passenger to get in the front seat of a taxi (unless there are so many passengers that it cannot be avoided), while in Ireland that happens quite frequently, even when there is just one passenger. So what’s that all about anyway? :-)
And Irish taxi drivers tend to be chatty, often initiating a dialogue with passenger(s). In Toronto, at least, this isn’t as common. This could be good or bad depending on what you like, of course!
Taxi in Dublin.
Taxi in Toronto
July 31, 2009, 10:50 am
In Ireland if you want to buy a whipped ice-cream, you would be quite likely to request a 99. This is a soft serve cone with a Cadbury Flake to boot! Wikipedia has some interesting theories on the origin of the name.
In Canada, the Cadbury Flake is hard come by, typically only being available in specialty British candy stores. So finding a flake in your soft serve cone ain’t too likely!
A 99 is a popular treat, especially in the summer in Ireland. It's whipped ice cream with a Cadbury Flake.
July 20, 2009, 9:59 pm
In Ireland there is only one tram system. It’s the Luas (show left) which operates in Dublin. Luas is the Irish word for speed. Several Canadian cities have streetcars. Shown here (right) is one in Toronto, where the system is run by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).
The Luas, Dublin, Ireland
TTC streetcar, Toronto, Canada
