I was in the office for my writing job today. For those of you who are new around here, one of my jobs is as a scientific writer for a company that tests anti-cancer therapeutics. There are a couple of people in the office of whom I’m particularly fond. Our receptionist is a young Canadian woman who has actually been deported from Australia at least once and spent some time in detention for overstaying her visa once. She’s now married and legal and it’s nice to have a North American accent among all the Aussie twang in the office. My office mate is an Australian woman a few years younger than I am with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humor. I really hate sharing office space, but I got lucky in the office mate sweeps with this one. I don’t know if it was intentional, but the management has paired the two most irreverent, cynical employees in the same room. Makes the day go by a little faster.
At any rate, one of the byproducts of the research that my company does is a lot of dead mice. I was writing up a particularly deadly study and was talking to my office mate about animal rights wackos. During my time in Oxford I worked across the street from where the university was putting up a new animal house. There were constantly animal rights protesters in front of our building. I mentioned to my Office Mate (OM) that you don’t see a lot of that Down Under.
OM: It’s not really a big deal down here. I mean, we’re the only country that actually eats our national animal.
AFM: True.
(Pause)
AFM: What about the Canadians?
OM: What’s the Canadian national animal? A moose?
AFM: [Receptionist], tell [Office Mate] what the Canadian national animal is.
R: (With pride) A beaver!
OM/R: (In unison) You’re a pervert.
————————–
Jason Collett is a Toronto based singer-songwriter and some time member of Broken Social Scene. I found this live version of ‘Love Song for Canada’ at B(oot)log. Collett’s latest studio album “Here’s To Being Here” is available from Amazon
Image credits:
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by JChevais
26 Feb 2009 at 21:04
Bwa ha ha!
That’s why I did a Beaver comic a couple of years ago. I figured, I’m Canadian and I’m a woman so if anyone owns “the beaver”, I do.
And here I shall shamelessly promote my dusty little comic.
Start at the bottom and work your way up:
http://noplacelikeit.blogspot.com/search/label/nablopomo%2007?max-results=100
by SSG
26 Feb 2009 at 22:28
you love yourself dude
very funny
thats why i miss sharing a lab with you, that and all the abuse and pain-withstanding contests
by headbang8
26 Feb 2009 at 22:39
So, like seriously, do Canadians eat beaver? I mean, if the Chinese can eat cats…
by arizaphale
26 Feb 2009 at 23:41
oh headbang…you are so….I dunno….gay????????????
(uh..he is folks and don’t worry..I know him)
Me? I never understood why it was called a beaver and not a squirrel or a possum……but then…why is it called a ’snatch’ or a ‘hooha’? In fact, does female genitalia have as many euphemistic names as male genitalia? Or is this just another area of discrimination. Or maybe we women aren’t as emotionally attached to our beavers as men are to their ‘bell ends’? Maybe all the euphemisms for female genitalia have been created by men?
Maybe I should just go have another glass of wine……..
arizaphales last blog post..Blue Roses For A Blue Lady
by sarala
27 Feb 2009 at 01:00
I’ve heard of people eating beaver tail. It is supposed to be tremendously fatty. I have no intention of ever trying it, or eagle either.
Regarding euphemisms for body parts–men rule that one. It is definitely a guy thing. But then, guys like armpit farts and other body function jokes.
I know, I live with 3 of ‘em. Sigh.
saralas last blog post..Huge Cubes
by Gypsy
27 Feb 2009 at 01:54
You said beaver. Hehehehe.
Gypsys last blog post..Facebook Fabulous
by SouthernInsanity
27 Feb 2009 at 03:53
So what does the national animal of Australia taste like? Please don’t say it tastes like chicken.
I’m going to stay out of the enter “beaver” discussion.
by we_be_toys
27 Feb 2009 at 04:27
Oh come on – who could resist going there, given the chance? (the joke, mind you)
That was beauty, eh!
by courtney
27 Feb 2009 at 05:19
Beaver! Hee. I’m glad someone else has the sense of humor of an 11-year-old boy.
by mongoliangirl
27 Feb 2009 at 06:26
There is a wonderful recovery event in Arkansas called ‘Beaver Roundup’ that I’ve never been able to bring myself to attend. Why? I simply…can’t.
mongoliangirls last blog post..That Crisco Tide Maxi Pad Thing
by Ginny
27 Feb 2009 at 07:31
You want to hear another fact about Canada?
Whenever someone else mentions Canada, we go a little gooey inside. Always looking for outside validation. “Oh my god, they’ve heard of us!”
Thanks for my daily dose of gooey-ness.
by Joe
27 Feb 2009 at 07:51
Completely off topic of the rest of the comments here… what happens with all the dead mice? Do you incinerate them?
Joes last blog post..The Somnambulistic Son
by admin
27 Feb 2009 at 08:19
JChev – I love your comic! Great stuff.
SSG – I know. I work at home a lot and it’s not as much fun. You don’t get the office banter!
Headbang – I can’t let it go, and I’m fairly sure you set me up with a softball – so…
Are you saying that the Chinese eat pussy as well?
Ariza – Are you getting all feminist on me? I don’t know about the origin of ‘beaver’ either. Let’s see what we can find…
Here you go, from Dictionary.com: Gynecological sense (”female genitals, especially with a display of pubic hair”) is 1927 British slang, transferred from earlier meaning “a bearded man” (1910), from the appearance of split beaver pelts.
Sarala – Yeah, the euphemism for genitalia is boys for sure. I bet that we have more for the ladies than for ourselves though.
Gypsy – I read that as it would have been said by Beavis and Butthead. I hope that’s your intent
SIS – Kangaroo is actually really good. It has to be cooked rare and then it’s more like beef than venison. Good stuff.
We Be Toys – Exactly!
Courtney – That’s me.
Mongola – I can’t imagine why not.
Ginny – Glad to be of service, ma’am.
Joe – I actually don’t know the answer to that question. I never go to the animal house because I’m a bit squeamish.
by Erin
27 Feb 2009 at 08:23
Oh my god crack me up! I was expecting this to be a high-brained post about scientific research or something, but it wasn’t at all! Great laugh for first thing in the morning!
by Andrea
28 Feb 2009 at 02:16
Not only did you say Beaver, but you also said Saskatchewan (and spelled correctly too)!
by Chris in Saskatoon
04 Mar 2009 at 04:33
When you chose Thunder Bay and Saskatchewan I was expecting something extremely bleak and depressing (like the view out the window right now).
by Amelia
16 May 2009 at 12:21
ok, to whoever said that we eat beavertail, i gotts correct you… it is a dessert, it is not a real beaver tail… eew, it is like pastry,,, ugh, heres a link to it…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_tail_(pastry)
o, and uh… GO CANADA