I grew up in Saskatchewan. If you’re looking at a map of Canada, it’s the third rectangle from the left. The only province whose capital city rhymes with the word vagina.
Saskatchewan isn’t all that different than other places in North America. When I lived in Toronto, and Montreal, nobody pointed at me and said “You must be from Saskatchewan.” After all, I drove on the right side of the road; I spoke English. In fact, when I moved to Los Angeles, nobody could even tell I was Canadian.
I can’t say this didn’t disappoint me a little. I’d always wanted to be an exotic foreigner. But when you grow up watching American TV shows, listening to American music, and eating American McChicken Sandwiches with American McTrans-Fatty Acids, it isn’t that hard to pass for American.
As it turned out, I had but one single cultural quirk that set me apart. It made me different even from other Canadians; the ones who hadn’t grown up in Saskatchewan. It was this garment that I’m wearing in the picture above.
You probably call it a hooded sweatshirt, or a hoodie. I’ve even heard it called a kangaroo. But in Saskatchewan, unlike any other part of the world, it goes by a decidedly different name. One that I thought was fairly normal until I stopped to think about it.
Does anyone know what that name is?
UPDATE: One of my viewers in Saskatchewan has confirmed the name in the comments section of this post. But can anyone tell me where the name came from?