It’s Bud the Spud from the Bright Red Mud

20170630_190110_062.jpgCanada’s 150th anniversary has brought out a strong sense of patriotism across the country, but long before this recent surge of patriotism, Stompin’ Tom Connors was singing proudly of Canadian history, heritage and folklore. Though never famous beyond the Canadian border, Tom’s songs featured obscure legends and tidbits of Canadiana inspired by his journeys playing in bars and music halls across the country. Amongst his most famous of works are The Hockey Song, Sudbury Saturday Night and Bud the Spud. Graeme Dymond of ToroLUG (that is to say, I the author of this blog) built this based upon my childhood love of the song, which was the beginning of a love of the rest of Stompin’ Tom’s hits, and ultimately, to a love of Canadian history and regional folklore. Although the song leaves it somewhat ambiguous whether Bud the Spud is a human trucker, child-me always interpreted the lyric to mean that Bud was a human trucker or an actual, anthropomorphic potato – which perhaps was a little dark, seeing as he was also driving a truck full of other potatoes – and so I built the model to reflect that interpretation.

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Caloric Harmony

Poutine-Canada150-NoText.jpg
The origin of the name poutine is uncertain, but one supposed origin ties it to a definition stating that a poutine is  an “unappetizing mixture of various foods, usually leftovers.” Another origin states that, when a restaurant regular asked for curds on his fries, the owner replied “ça va te faire une maudite poutine!” (that will make a damned mess!)

There are many foods that define Canada, though few are as well known and iconic as the poutine. Depicted here in a traditional format of fries, topped with cheese curds and smothered in gravy, Robert Turner of ParLUGment has done a delicious job bringing this dish to life in LEGO bricks.

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The Canada Goose

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Honk honk honk

Though not an official national symbol. the Canada Goose holds a unique place in Canadian history and identity as one of our most ubiquitous animals – and of course, it doesn’t hurt that it has the name Canada in the name. Noel Straatsma of Barrie, Ontario has managed to put together a pretty pair of life-sized models (with a nice little flag for a background) that took over 20 hours for him to design and build.

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Newfoundland’s Currency

Cod Fishing
Though now some may speak of oil, cod was so important to the economy of Newfoundland for so many centuries that it was sometime referred to as ‘Newfoundland Currency.”

For centuries the Atlantic cod provided a way of life for Canadians.  Jeff Lee of ToroLUG (dr_spock_888) has built a model of a small cod fishing trawler, which captures the essence of what sustained the people of Newfoundland, and much of Canada, for so much of its history. Even the water has a feel that calls out to Canada’s cool Atlantic coast.

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Your Milk Comes in…What!?

Dinner time
A truly iconic Canadian meal – the origins of bagged milk date back to 1967, though this site does not recommend the consumption of any 1967 ‘vintage’ bagged milk

Though not necessarily true everywhere in Canada, one iconic staple of Canadian food culture is that milk is often packaged and sold in bags. Matthew Sklar (sklar) has built a bag of milk in a milk jug, complete with some other very iconic Canadian cuisine – a box of Kraft Dinner instant macaroni and cheese, as well as a large stick of butter.

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