Yesterday’s post seemed to bring a little confusion to my gentle American friends.
Cold temperatures generally leave me a wee confused so I’m not totally surprised.
But it seems a great deal of you don’t know what we Canadians put on our heads to keep our brains from freezing into ice blocks.
That would be a TOQUE people.
This is a toque:
Note the pompom on the top. Any Canuck worth their salt knows the only good toque is the toque with a fuzzy ball of yarn on the top. It’s like walking around all winter season with a Christmas ornament on our skulls.
This is a Canadian keener in a toque:
Fashion means nothing when one has to brave our arctic like winter temperatures.
Warmth is the preferred currency even if it means looking like a deranged lunatic who stole a cheerleader’s pompom to attach it to their head.
It’s not a beanie or a hat, it’s a freaking TOQUE.
Any questions?
*This public service announcement brought to you by your friendly neighbourhood Canuck hoser. Now excuse me, I need to go make some butter tarts, eat some poutine and wash it all down with some screech.*
*Bob and Doug would be so proud. Sniff.*
Chibi Jeebs
AFREAKINGMEN!
But, what the hell is screech? The only Screech I’m familiar with is the doofus from Saved by the Bell…
sabrina
@Chibi Jeebs, Screech is Newfie rum, originally from Jamaica. To take a shot of screech and kiss a puffin or a cod is how you become an honourary Newfie.
Annette
@Chibi Jeebs, homemade liquor…the kind that burns going down real bad but and gets she schnockered after one drink;)
Hockeymandad
I had a green toque as a youngster, only we took the balls off the top and beat up anyone that left theirs on. What can I say, suburban New York was hard livin’. For the confusion above it’s pronounced like the number 2. A 2-ke.
Bob Devine
Proper pronunciation for those Ukrainian block heaters is like the number 2 with a K stuck on the end ie: TWOK. Is that clear as mud?
Niki
The Canadian (Albertan)friend from whom I first learned the word pronounced it “Took.”
And Tanis, you look adorable in yours.
foradifferentkindofgirl (fadkog)
Does the fact I own the soundtrack to Bob and Doug McKenzie’s ‘Great White North’ on freakin’ vinyl do anything toward making me an honorary Canadian? I mean, combine that fact with the hard evidence that parts of my body (emphasis on hard, btw) are impacted greatly by Iowa’s cold ass temps and I’d think that would have to qualify me to be at least a quarter Canadian, eh?
Windsor
I am not sure how to say Toques. Is it like what you do when you smoke marijuana? Hmmm…We are not big puffy ball people here in Atlanta. And when it drops below 40, that is freezing to us. We use those 10 days a year to don the scarves buried in the back of the closet that we had to have.
Julie
Good gravy, it’s a damn hat. Or a beanie, or a cap. Here in Northern CA, where Tahoe is just a 3 hr car drive away, we wear those things all the time when we are out in the winter weather. Don’t matter how damn cold it is, we wear them regardless.
I’m picturing, say, a tall knitted thingamajig, say twice the size of a human head, with a rounded lump on top, from the description of things, uh, er, toque. I like that it’s pronounced “toke” like, let’s have another drag on that bong baby. Heh.
Annette
Sadly, our own CBC website even mispelled the word “toque” in their article on Lululemon and the Olympics today. Geez, Canadians should know better!
Cheers,
Lorna
I grew up in California and then moved to Arizona. I don’t like being cold and pretty much bitch and whine any time it is below 60 degrees. So of course now my family is moving to Michigan, and although I thought I had it all figured out, my husband didn’t seem to agree with my plan. I figured I could just homeschool the kids, have the groceries delivered, and not have to leave the house for anything for 3 months. Except I have no patience for trying to teach my kids to tie their shoes, let alone anything academic, so I can kind of see why he thinks this plan might not work. I’ve seriously been wondering how people function in that kind of cold, and based on how many Michigan license plates I see here in Arizona all winter long, I seriously suspect that half the state doesn’t deal with the winter weather at all. Knowing that you live somewhere even colder than Michigan and actually stay there instead of running away to somewhere warm gives me hope that I may also be able to survive and not turn into a human popsicle with the first freeze. I have two questions regarding the wearing of a toque. First, do they make any that don’t make your forehead all itchy or do you eventually just get used to it? And second, do people even bother styling their hair in the winter or is “hat head” or do you call it “toque head” just accepted?
Kimi B
@Lorna, we call those Michiganders that take off to Arizona & Florida Snowbirds. Oh, that and our state is bankrupt. get work where ya can!
Lorna
@Kimi B, Yeah, we call them snowbirds here too. Our local economy is based on their arrival every winter, but they really screw up traffic and generally annoy all the year round residents.
Beth
@Lorna, LOL-When I retire I guess I won’t snowbird to Arizona. BTW-winter in Michigan?? Pretty much mid October to mid April. And this year we didn’t get a summer. Sorry about that.
sherpamama
@Lorna, the beauty of the toque is that it frees you up from having to wash your hair in the winter, because it’s too cold to let it dry. or is that just me?
Steve
Here in Michigan, we do occasionally see some cool weather, but I`ve never had to wear my toque INDOORS!
Lorna
@Steve, What do you mean occasionally? The highs there have been in the 30′s for weeks. That’s cold in my book. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the warmest it gets there all day is still colder than our nightly lows. Do they call them toques in Michigan? I need to know these things.
Steve
As we live just up the road from The Great White Norths southern-most point, our temps. are damn near tropical, compared to what those hardy souls enjoy! Not too many toques around here, mostly just hats, and winter hats. Lots of folks have already taken on that “Michelin Man” look. Despite all that you’ve heard about MichIgan, for the most part, it’s a pretty nice place. Enjoy your stay!@Lorna,
Kimi B
we yoopers have no trouble understandin’ canucks – it’s the more southern folk that get confused.
Kelly
I have a question.. can I come and visit you? I live in florida and they said that there is a cold front coming but it is still in the high 70′s (F)
Mad Woman
I made sure to bring all my toques with me to NZ…and got funny looks. They can all kiss my ass. I’m wearing my toque with pride when winter rolls around again. And yes…it has a pom on top!
(Also? Love me some Bob and Doug!)
Jenn in Tenn
Lol, too funny. We Tennesseeans call that a toboggan, and my hubby (from California) calls it a beanie…and they wear them when they “go to the snow”.
And yes, you are too hotttt in that toque!
Aimee @ Ain't Yo Mama's Blog
Adorable! I didn’t know what a Toque was but now that I do, I want one. However, it’s 75 degrees where I live. Guess I’ll use it when I visit places with actual seasons.
GrandeMocha
I love Bob and Doug! I haven’t heard their Christmas song in years.
My toque doesn’t have ear flaps.
I live in Michigan and didn’t take my toque last time I went to Disney World. Who would have anticipated snow in the Magic Kingdom? The ladies in the gift shops didn’t know what a toque was. We ended up joker hats made out of fleece. Not nearly as warm.
trishk
I love Screech!! Can you send me some??
Suzanne
So if I’m lookin to knit one of them there hats, do I need to find a pattern that says “toque” on it or will this “ugly but functional winter hat” pattern do? Does it become a toque when I add the pompom?
CJ
Thanks for clearing that up…off to figure out how to make a toque. Just because.
kyooty
@CJ, I bought mine in Maine and it’s EXACTLY like the one pictured and then lined with fleece on the ear flaps. SOOOO cozy, but I couldn’t find that one today.
kyooty
Sooooo got that car plugged in yet? I just Tres F#)$ing Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred myself all the way to the grocerystore here in -27C with the windchill. I totally went grabbed the first Toque I could find, why yes it had some hockey logo on it? and we don’t DO hockey here nor did it match my butt covering Jacket.