It's what's inside that counts...

I noticed that the Edmonton Oilers have forced a game 6 in the Stanley Cup finals – so for my Canadian fellow-blogger: go Oilers! :) Something else reminded me of Canada yesterday, as I was working my way through one of my boxes of chocolates. You know how when you have a box of assorted chocolates, you can never really tell what’s what? And this particular box didn’t come with a description of any kind, so every piece I’ve eaten has been a surprise (which is kind of fun, to be honest). So yesterday I chose a random piece from the box and bit into it – the center consisted of sugary maple candy. It was chocolate-covered maple candy. A beautiful little sugar-rush square. I can’t believe there was only one, because that little square was GOOD…

The last time I can remember buying maple candy was my sophomore year of high school, when I was in my school’s touring choir and we went to Toronto for a competition. On one of our off days, we were set loose in the city (seriously, I’m having trouble remembering where the chaperones were… did we even HAVE chaperones?) and a group of us settled on shopping for souvenirs at Eaton Center. (Or is it Centre? Wait, yep – it’s Centre… had to look it up to be sure I was spelling it correctly.) Okay, a group of us settled on shopping for souvenirs at Eaton CENTRE, which is a pretty decent-sized mall. But I can only remember buying two things while I was there – one was a box of maple candy. In the box, a cluster of small, sugary maple leaves surrounded one, big, giant, sugary maple leaf. Who knew foliage could look so appetizing?

The other thing I bought was a book, and I think perhaps I bought it mainly because I really wanted to pay the “Canada” price that’s always listed on the back of a book. (You know, like, “U.S. $this price; Canada $that price.”) I mean, if you work out exchange rates and everything, it’s probably about the same price, but I had a pocketful of loonies and I wanted to use them. Loonies, of course, being the Canadian dollar coins with the loon embossed upon them. (And loons, of course, are birds. Lest anyone assume “loons” merely refers to crazy people. Although how funny would THAT be, if loonies had pictures of crazy people on them? Nah, probably too controversial… better to stick with the birds…) Personally, I love loonies. I just love the idea of having a fun nickname for my money. We don’t really have that here in the U.S. – for the most part, it seems to be simply pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars.

And does anyone think it’s unfair that Lincoln was stuck with the practically useless penny? He was this great president… Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address… and the poor guy was assassinated at some play that his wife probably forced him to go to… and what do we give him? The penny. One cent. Whereas Benjamin Franklin – a guy who wasn’t even president – gets the hundred dollar bill. Yeah, Benjamin Franklin stupidly runs outside in a lightning storm with his kite, and we give him the hundred dollar bill. Or perhaps people never realized how dumb that was until AFTER he did it? So thank you, Benjamin Franklin, for showing us how stupid it is to fly kites in thunderstorms. We shall remember you always on our hundred dollar bill. (And thank YOU, Abraham Lincoln, for freeing the slaves. Here’s a penny…) Although maybe there was a certain logic to that -- after all, most people probably have dozens, if not hundreds, of pennies floating around their homes. But hundred dollar bills? I don't even have ONE of those right now...

Um, what was I talking about before I got sidetracked? Oh yes – maple candy. Good stuff. And, I discovered yesterday, even better when it’s covered with chocolate... :)