The Quirky Canadian Customs and Habits That Outsiders Find Baffling (2 of 5)

Ketchup chips

If you travel around the world, you will come across all sorts of unexpected potato chip flavors. Crab. Lemon tea. Hot and sour fish flavor. The weird potato chip flavor of choice in Canada is ketchup. Sprinkled in tomato-vinegar dust, it’s unnerving just how much they taste exactly as the name suggests. For those visiting, the question isn’t whether Canadians can invent such a flavor, but whether they should.

A simple plate of french fries won’t suffice; they have to be smothered in gravy and cheese curds

French fries and a condiment such as ketchup are usually enough to satisfy a craving. But in Canada, if it isn’t smothered in gravy and cheese curds, what’s even the point? Poutine, which is what they call this questionable culinary concoction, was originally birthed in Quebec but has since spread out to all corners of the country, and is served everywhere from fast food joints to 5-star restaurants that offer gourmet takes on what has become the unofficial national dish.