The word "Canada" means "desolate" in Portuguese. Others say it means "hut" in Hindi. Legend has it that the French explorer Cartier came here and asked the local Iroquois tribal chief, "What's the name of this place?" At this time, the chief replied, "Canada." Cartier mistakenly thought that his answer meant the whole country. In fact, what the chief told him was a nearby village made up of shacks. However, this incident came true, and "Canada" was misrepresented as the country name.
Second, geographical location.
Canada is located in the northern half of North America. It faces Greenland across Baffin Bay in the northeast, Alaska in the northwest, the United States in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Arctic Ocean in the north.
Third, the main overview
Canada has a national area of 997.06 1% million square kilometers. The population is 25.963 million (1987). British residents account for 43%, French residents account for 26%, Italian, German and Ukrainian descendants account for 28%, and indigenous people account for 3%.
Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 2 regions. Ottawa, the capital. The currency is the Canadian dollar. The official language is English, and French is also widely used.
Fourth, social customs.
The general characteristics of Canadian social customs can be summarized in the following sentences:
Canadians are friendly, frank and original;
Approachable, humorous and playful;
Maple leaf is highly respected and regarded as friendship and national treasure;
Snow is not favored, and life never leaves;
Bai Baihe is a funeral, and "13th" and "Friday" are troublesome.
There are the following characteristics in the details of life:
The living habits of Canadians include the comprehensive characteristics of Britain, France and the United States. They are reserved by the British, known to the French and not restricted by the Americans. They are hospitable and sincere. They like modern art and love sports, especially ice and snow sports in winter. Canada is a famous "Maple Leaf Country" in the world. Maple leaves are dotted with Canadian territory, and the Canadian people have very deep feelings for maple leaves. They regard the maple leaf as a national treasure and the pride of the motherland; He also compared the maple leaf to a symbol of friendship. They also like snow. They think snow is a symbol of good luck. Snow walls and snowmen are often used to add fun. They think it can prevent the invasion of evil spirits. They especially like guests to praise their beautiful country and hardworking and intelligent people.
Inuit people in Canada are optimistic, generous, friendly and like to make jokes. They are extremely hospitable and are called "people who never get angry" in the world.
Five, etiquette etiquette
Canadians usually shake hands when meeting guests in social situations. Although kissing and hugging are also Canadian etiquette, they only apply to acquaintances, relatives and lovers.
Canada maintains close ties with Britain, other European countries and its southern neighbor, the United States. Most of its residents speak French. There are two little-known facts: Canada is the second largest country in the world; It is America's largest trading partner.
General etiquette: remember that Canada is made up of many different nationalities; Although their customs are roughly the same all over the country, there are still some differences. According to nature, the best way is to help the guests. Compared with American citizens, Canada is more conservative.
Appellation and greetings: It is advisable to shake hands when meeting and leaving.
Dating and punctuality: Punctuality is required in most parts of Canada.
Hospitality and gifts: Most receptions are held in hotels or nightclubs. If you are entertained in a private home. It is polite to bring flowers or flowers to the hostess. Don't send Bai Baihe, they are associated with the funeral.
Conversation: Don't favor separatism in conversation-divide Canada into two countries that speak French and English. Canadians are proud of their country and oppose exaggerating the comparison with the United States. Talking about examples of positive achievements and praising the Canadian people and their country are very welcome.
Sixth, the taboo of faith.
Most Canadians believe in Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, while a few believe in Judaism and Orthodox Christianity. They taboo "13" and "Friday" and think that "13" is an unlucky number and "Friday" is a symbol of disaster. They are afraid of Bai Baihe. Because it will bring people an atmosphere of death, people are used to using it to forget the dead. They don't like foreigners to compare their country with the United States, especially the superiority of the United States, which is even more unacceptable. Canadian women have the habit of beauty and makeup, so waiters are not welcome to send towels. In diet, we should avoid eating foods with strange taste and fishy smell, such as shrimp sauce, fish sauce, fermented bean curd and stinky tofu. Avoid eating animal viscera and melons; I don't like spicy food either.
Seven, eating habits
Due to historical reasons and ethnic factors, life customs and eating habits are similar to those of Britain, France, the United States and Britain. It is unique in that they have developed the habit of eating baked goods. This is mainly due to the influence of geographical environment. They are generally used to using knives and forks when using tableware. They like the roast steak with hometown flavor very much, especially the tender steak. They are used to drinking coffee and eating fruit after meals.
Canadian eating habits have the following characteristics:
① Pay attention to the nutrition and quality of dishes, and pay attention to the freshness of dishes.
Generally, the taste doesn't like to be too salty, preferring sweetness.
③ The staple food is generally rice.
(4) non-staple food, such as beef, chicken, eggs, sardines and game. And tomatoes, onions, vegetables, potatoes, cucumbers and other new vegetables; Seasonings such as ketchup, salt and butter.
⑤ Cooking methods prefer dishes made by frying, roasting and frying.
Chinese food likes Jiangsu cuisine, Shanghai cuisine and Shandong cuisine in China.
⑦ The menu appreciates sweet and sour pork, shredded apple, fried potato chips, sweet and sour fish, crispy chicken, onion potato chips, fried pheasant slices, soft fried chicken, shredded chicken with silver buds and roasted chicken. (A) French food customs
French is the largest tourist destination in the world, and it is also one of the main source countries of China. French cuisine has a long history. Now let's learn about French food customs.
French people like and enjoy delicious food. French cuisine enjoys a high reputation in the world and is second to none in western food. The French are very particular about diet, and regard "gourmet" as art, and think that personal diet should conform to their own education and social status.
Among the three meals, the French don't pay much attention to breakfast. Breakfast is often simple, and the appetite is not big. A cup of milk, coffee or black tea, a small piece of bread with jam or butter, croissants or eggs is enough. Lunch is usually eaten in the company canteen or "cafeteria" and bar. There are salads, pigs, steak with mashed potatoes (strips) and fruits, and of course bread. In addition, stewed chicken and beef.
French cuisine has exquisite materials and various colors. It is characterized by strong fragrance and fresh taste, paying attention to color, fragrance, taste and shape, but paying more attention to nutritional collocation. Most of the chefs in the first-class hotels in Europe are French. French people use heavy cooking wine and don't like spicy food. They like to eat all kinds of vegetables, but they should be fresh; Meat dishes are not too hot, and some are only two or four mature, at most seven or eight mature; Ingredients for garlic, cloves, celery, carrots and onions.
French favorite dishes are snails, bullfrog legs and foie gras. Snails are fed with milk until they are too fat to get into the shell and then processed, so they are fat and tender. Giant bullfrog has a pair of strong legs, which is a rare delicacy after careful cooking; Specially raised geese, whose livers weigh more than 65,438+0 kg, are used to make foie gras, which is a rare dish in France. The French will be very happy if there are the above three dishes at the banquet. In addition, the French also like to eat oysters and snacks raw. Fruit is an essential food for dinner. They don't like fish without scales.
The French, the world champion of drinking, regard wine as their life. Men drink water, and women like to drink it. There are many famous wines in France, such as wine from Bordeaux, brandy from cognac and sparkling wine (champagne) from champagne. Especially red wine is the favorite of the French. French people pay great attention to the collocation of dishes and wine when eating, such as aperitif before meals, red wine with meat and fish in meals. White wine should be chilled before drinking. When eating staple food, you can also drink hard liquor and after-dinner wine. When French guests toast each other, even if they can't drink, they should touch their glasses on their lips to show their respect. However, the French have no habit of persuading wine, let alone drinking. French people drink all the wine at home during the Spring Festival. They think that if they don't drink all the wine at home, they will have bad luck next year. French people also drink a lot of wine on other festivals. Besides wine, milk, black tea, coffee, clear soup, fruit juice, mineral water and other drinks will be placed on the table.
French people cannot eat without cheese. There are more than 400 kinds of cheese in France, which ranks first in the world in sales volume and is known as the "cheese kingdom".
The French attach great importance to catering services. Among all kinds of western food service methods, French service is the highest grade service. French service, also known as dining car service, processes food raw materials into semi-finished products, and then the semi-finished products are pushed to the guest's table by the waiter's dining car, and then the semi-finished products are processed into finished products in front of the guests, and then the waiter delivers them to the guests for in-meal service with silver tableware. This service is of a performance nature. Many waiters are needed, but this kind of service requires a lot of space and a long time, and the cost is very high. It is more suitable for those who have both time and money to savor and laugh.
French people have a lot of dining etiquette, such as people who go to eat should sit on the left side of the seat, the host and hostess should sit in the middle of a long table, the hostess should sit on the right side of the host, and the male guests should sit on the right side of the hostess, and the sitting posture should be correct; After the host put the napkin on his leg; When cutting food with a knife and fork, cut from the lower right corner to the upper left corner. After eating a dish, put the knife and fork together on the plate. If you haven't finished eating, put the knife and fork in a figure of eight, but the edge can't go out. The French respect their eating habits very much, so if we treat them with Chinese food, we should put knives and forks at the same time as the Chinese tableware. When eating, always pay attention to the principle of "ladies first", such as serving food.