She asked if I wanted to go out for a beer.

I said no.

She gave me her number.

I went home.

Later I called.

We had a beer.

We got married (after a while).
And we owe it all to the Canadian government.

That was in Oct. 2005. Chapman and I were touring around and landed at Kansas State University where one of my PhD students was professoring.

Our first event was a wine and cheese where K-Staters could come out and poke real-live Canadians with a stick. Afterwards, this woman started chatting me up (see above).

Back then, the feds provided something approaching $20 million to U.S. institutions to edumucate them about Canada; maybe influence a future politician; who knows.

Amy the French professor included Quebecois literature in one of her courses so was part of this Canadian studies group, even though I tried to explain that Quebec wasn’t part of Canada.

So she went to that meeting to check out the Canadians.

Not sure if that Canadian studies money is still around, but the Canadian government is taking another bold initiative with neighbors even further south: the Canadian government, courtesy of taxpayers, is sending a food truck to Mexico to serve poutine.

As reported by Tina Nguyen in The Braiser via Toronto’s National Post, the truck will be serving a Mexican-ized version of poutine, using Oaxaca
cheese instead of curds. Also on the menu are Alberta beef tourtière (beef pie), and maple-glazed Albacore tuna.

If José Andrés once described culinary diplomacy as “sending hidden messages through food,” the Canadian government’s message is not so much “hidden” as it is “sad and desperate”: “What do you not like about me? I can change! Really! Is it the cheese? Do you not like the curds? I can find something else! I can dress sexier! I’ll even have a threesome with the Albacore tuna! I’ll do anything for you! PLEASE LOVE ME.”

Amy loves me.