Who wants a Caesar? It's 10 o'clock in the morning.
Well, we're at the cottage! Come on, it's noon somewhere, right babe? - That's so funny.
-I'll have one.
I will take one of those.
Oh yeah.
Are you? Oh? We're at the cottage.
Oh, come on! We're at the cottage! Come on.
Oh, okay, we'll have a Caesar.
We'll have a Caesar! Right on.
Attagirls.
It's women.
Oh.
Just-just let it slide.
If you watched the initial episode of the Baroness von Sketch Show, the dialogue above is not what you heard. IFC, which is carrying the show in the United States, insisted that the script be changed so that Caesar would be replaced by Bloody Mary.
"So far, IFC's only note has been about changing a reference to a Canadian cocktail called a Caesar (it involves clam juice) to the more American-friendly Bloody Mary."
The New York Times reported on July 28 that IFC gave a note to the show about the change. We didn't know until the episode aired that the show had made the change.
The sketch is about doing things at the cottage that you normally don't do at home. Cottage country is a thing, especially for those in Toronto to escape the big city.
If you are at the cottage, you aren't drinking a Bloody Mary. You are having a Caesar. They are not the same drink.
America. Get to know this drink!!! https://t.co/oqaTsx547p
— Aurora Browne (@aurorabrowne) August 3, 2017
Caesar recipe: vodka, two dashes of worchester, dash of tobacco, Clamato juice, salt and pepper. @BaronessIFC @aurorabrowne @carolyntaylord
— Jennifer whalen (@JenniferWhalen) August 3, 2017
A Caesar is similar to a Bloody Mary but you add Clamato juice (a combination of clam juice and tomato juice with other ingredients) instead of tomato juice. The garnishes are often more generous than you will find on a Bloody Mary. You can almost make a meal out of the garnishes on a well-made Caesar.
If you can't find Clamato, you can make a Caesar with clam juice and tomato juice. There are lots of different recipes: this is one of the better examples.
There is a umami difference between the two drinks. IFC could learn that difference if only the staff drank Caesars for themselves. Once they had a Caesar for themselves, they would know the difference in the drinks.
We are in fact drinking Caesars. America you need more clam juice @BaronessIFC @aurorabrowne @carolyntaylord
— Jennifer whalen (@JenniferWhalen) August 3, 2017
A more realistic portrayal of cottage country by a Canadian show that aired in the United States was seen on Orphan Black in Episode 203 Mingling Its Own Nature with It.
Sarah is on the run with her brother Felix and her daughter Kira. They take refuge at a secluded house. Turns out the cabin belongs to her ex-boyfriend Cal. The showrunners didn't think to change any element of the setting to not confuse other countries.
If you were doing a show in Montana, would you call them Rocky Mountain oysters (prairie oysters in Canada) or would you insist on calling them bull testicles since people might not know what Rocky Mountain oysters are. That change would lose the flavour of the origin of the dish.
Senses Working Overtime is a very cool song from XTC that came out in 1982.
The song lyrics refer to the world being "football-shaped" and later "biscuit-shaped." XTC is a British group. The words don't mean the same in the United States. When American singer Mandy Moore covered the song in 2003, Moore didn't change the words to reflect an American version. She sang the same words even though Americans take those words differently.
In the United States and Canada, the world is not football-shaped since the North American football has a different shape. English football is soccer, and a soccer ball, an English football, is the shape of the world. Biscuits and cookies are both round, but XTC is singing about cookies, as they are known in North America.
You don't have to change the lyrics or the script. Let Americans Google their way to figure out what a Caesar is. Let Americans wonder about why Canadians drink Caesars instead of Bloody Marys. We've seen that Americans are willing to understand why shrimp are on a barbie or why the banker never wears a mac in the pouring rain.
Give Americans a chance to understand what Canadians do differently. We say that Americans don't know much about Canada. When given a chance to learn something about Canadians, IFC went the route to protect Americans from knowing what a Caesar is. That is not an understanding and learning position. The cable channel undersells the capability of Americans. We don't need to be protected from unusual drinks. Americans are willing to learn from Canadians if only given a chance.
photos credit: IFC via CBC; Clamato; this link
Twitter grabs: @aurorebrowne; @jenniferwhalen
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