You've always got time...

...for Tim Horton's. Unless you're one of my American readers, in which case you may have to drive many miles, which could take many days, and really, who's got that kind of time for coffee?

But if you're a Canuck, you get it. Small, medium, large, double-double, regular, black-no-sugar, milk-instead-of-cream; regardless how you take your Tim's, I'm betting you take it - frequently. And for those people who continue to insist you don't drink coffee, Tim's invented the Ice Cap, just so you could get the jolt of caffeine without the pedestrian pursuit of plain old java in a paper cup.

Tim's has become the tea of the new world - rarely does anything happen anywhere in Canada without a quick stop at Tim's before or after. Or during. Visitors arrive at the office, the Little League game, the PTA meeting, bearing a cardboard tray or two with four large coffee and a bag of cream and sugar on the side, knowing that someone is going to drink them, and if not, well, I'll drink them all myself, eventually.

And Timbits. Though I don't know anyone over the age of ten who actually eats them, they're a Canadian public school bake sale staple now, as well as a regular at class parties and conference meetings.

The morning after the August blackout, the longest lines weren't at the grocery store or gas station, they were at the Tim Horton's drive-thru.

Which is why I'm not at all surprised, and more than a little tickled at the latest billboard campaign. Tim Horton's brown background, top half of a steaming cuppa joe in the lower right quadrant. A single line of text in the middle left: True Patriot Love.

There's an irony here. A country that can't agree on its language, its culture, its national sport (hockey or lacrosse?) or its politics, is perfectly capable of gathering 'round a serving of caffeine in a paper cup.

Sharp contrast to our Southern neighbours affection for apple pie. While the Americans embrace a food that speaks of home, comfort, kitchen-table goodness, Canadians want something that hypes you up, and that you have to go out to get. From a chain named for a drunken hockey player, no less.

They have Tim's in Michigan now, and perhaps elsewhere in the USA. I don't know. The one time I had Tim's in the States, it was horrible, though Linda assures me that's not the case with all American Tim's. It's more expensive there too.

As of Christmas morning, there are now two cans of Tim's coffee, a can of Tim's hot chocolate, and one of English Toffee cappucino in this house. And yet at 4 p.m. on Christmas Day, phone calls and conversations were flying, trying to determine where the nearest open Tim's might be. Because it's not quite the same if you make it yourself.

Comments

[Alan]

The one is South Portland Maine is good. Weird though is that they rename the coffee sizes. Our small is their extra-small and our extra-large is just large. Same sizes but the US version dimishishes the appearence of consumption.

[Christopher]

I happen to like timbits...

:)

[Angela Giles Klocke]

So when I come to visit, you'll take me for some really good stuff? Cool! Oh, did I forget to mention I plan to visit once I'm so close? ;)

[Kira]

What the heck are timbits? Add that to my unanswered "what the heck are Nanaimo bars?"

[kim]

what do you guys eat in the states????
Shelley, have you tried Tim's rasberry tea??
Its incredibly good.......and timbits (from what i remember) do go well with tea...

[Crazy Girl/Keri]

Huh. Sounds like Wisconsin (or this part of it) needs to get us one of these Tim Horton's! But tims bits just sound plain scary!

[Jenn PB]

Tim bits are donut holes. And I still like them somehow I fell less guilty eating 6 tim bits instead of one donut.

[Teamgirl]

I have one word. Starbucks.

[Linda Sherwood]

Starbucks Shmarbucks. Tim Hortons phooey. I'm stuck with getting my coffee from a gas station. Although I did find a nice little coffee place in Roscommon called The Donut Hole, it's only, what 30 some miles from my home. Yummy.