CANADA MADE IN AMERICA

A doughnut scattered with cheese curds and potato wedges, bathed in gravy – all in the name of patriotism. Yes, a limitededition poutine doughnut is available exclusively at U.S. Tim Hortons locations for just one day – July 1.

But why isn’t this honey-dipped deepfried delicacy available in Canada, you may ask. Or as one Timmy’s fan so eloquently put it on Facebook: “Only available in the States to celebrate Canada’s 150th ????? WTF ???? ”

Canada does have its own special menu for July 1, consisting of the somewhat less thrilling white and red velvet muffin, Nanaimo bar doughnut, Dutchie doughnut and maple Timbits. But you’d be hard-pressed to think of another Canadian food that has inspired as many variations as poutine. It has been stretched, contorted, adapted and riffed on. There’s the poutine po’boy, butter chicken poutine, poutine pizza, and YouTubers Epic Meal Time’s candycoated version.

Perhaps Tim Hortons suspects Canadians are growing weary of our food culture being dumbed down and fed back to us by restaurant chains, and that’s why the poutine pastry isn’t available to us. Unleashing a culinary stereotype on Americans is simply adding to the pile of easily digestible Canadianisms: like hockey, toques and the Prime Minister’s socks. Or maybe, through market research, they’ve gotten to know us better than we know ourselves. They understand that our collective hunger for rolling up the rim is greater than our appetite for poutine doughnuts. For us, they’re offering a seasonal switcheroo in the name of the sesquicentennial. “RRRoll Up the Rim to Win” is usually only a wintertime campaign, but Tim Hortons launched a July edition of the contest in Canada this week.

Does the chance of winning “one of more than 16 million new and exciting prizes including 10 ultimate vacations valued at $10,000” ease the pain of being denied a poutine doughnut? If not, consider heading south of the border where you can wash down the concoction with a maple-bacon Iced Capp chaser. After all, it’s Canada 150. Isn’t that what Canadian food means to you? Smother it with maple, crown it with poutine and call it a Canada day.