I went to Ritz Camera today at Pyramid Mall, and chatted with the sales guys about many different cameras. They don’t sell any Olympus models because, apparently, Olympus has no interest in honoring their manufacturers warranty. News to me.

“How do our prices compare to Blacks?” asked one of them.

“I haven’t looked. Aren’t they a Canadian company?” replies me.

“Yes, they’re about the same size as us, based in Canada,” says he.

“I’m Canadian, did you know that?” I look at him suspiciously, as I had not given any indication of this.

“Um, yeah, it’s pretty obvious, HAHA,” he laughs a full-belly one.

“Oh really, how so?”

“Just the way you say things, the grammar.”

“Oh, is it better grammar then, or what?”

“Actually, it is!” he replied, if only to step off from explaining the true reason he was able to identify me.

I laughed. “Ya, we like good grammar in Canada.”

So what is it, really? I wasn’t talking aboot this and aboot that. Most times I could determine someone is American (while in Canada, of course) if there’s that southern-like twinge in the accent, for example. But I thought we Canucks could get by unnoticed in this country USA.

See, check out the story Who’s Canadian? at This American Life. Click on the Real Audio button to hear the broadcast.

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