I arrived back from Canada earlier this week. I did bring back some Canadian treats. Ketchup chips. Butter tarts. I brought in all of this food legally. I have missed Canadian treats.
In preparing for the trip, I was thinking back to the time of Canadian fat cakes. Well, not actual Canadian fat cakes because they aren't real. Smuggling them back into the United States would not have been a crime, even if they existed.
The Canadian fat cakes episode of iCarly is now 10 years old. Jennette McCurdy, who played Sam, the one obsessed with Canadian fat cakes, is now retired from acting.
That may be more about what we learned in her memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died.
McCurdy talked about weight issues she had due in part to the stress her mother put on her. Having to pretend to be obsessed about a fictional treat, even as lovely as one as Canadian fat cakes, had to be difficult. I don't know much about her acting ability, but Sam had me jonesing for Canadian fat cakes.
I loved how the writers noted the contrast that American fat cakes had "corn fat" while Canadian fat cakes had "cane fat." This was 10 years ago. There was a time where I would have brought over Canadian Twinkies, back when there was a difference. The Jos. Louis cakes, which are real, have the dreaded glucose-fructose aka high-fructose corn syrup.
Your humble narrator hasn't been able to "smuggle" food in from Canada in about 3 years. If I were driving, my trunk would overflow from all the Canadian food I would love to bring back to the United States. All of it legally.
The rules haven't changed. Live food, such as fruits, vegetables, and meat, are definitely not allowed. Foods that were never alive, such as ketchup chips, butter tarts, and the proverbial Canadian fat cakes, aren't a problem.
These rules also apply to entering other countries from the United States. Each country has their own rules for what you can bring into that country.
Australia has very strict rules on bringing anything into that country.
iCarly hits Canada in search of Canadian Fat Cakes
Temptation of the Week: Canadian fat cakes
Celebrating the Michelle Obama legacy for food and nutrition
BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage
When traveling, enjoy the food of where you are. Bring some home as a souvenir. Just remember to follow the rules of where you are going.
photos credit: iCarly
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