1. Cheeze Whiz
   American cheese
2. Easy Cheese
   Colby cheese

Easy Cheese, also widely known as spray cheese or cheese in a can, might seem like an abomination to Canadians, but this classic American product first made its appearance on grocery stores shelves in 1965 under the name Snack Mate — in 1984 the product was relaunched under its current name.

1. Rocky road brownies
   Baked French toast
2. Jello salad
   Sweet potatoes with marshmallow casserole

We have a 1917 PR campaign for bagged marshmallows to thank for the invention of sweet potato and marshmallow casserole. Store-bought marshmallows were a relatively new product when the manufacturing company released a recipe book featuring the first-ever appearance of the infamous casserole.

1. CNN
   FOX News
2. Drug ads
   Year-round election coverage

If direct-to-consumer drug ads seem strange to Canadians, we're not alone — the United States, along with New Zealand, is one of only two countries in the world to allow prescription drug advertisements on TV.

1. Pop
   Orange juice
2. Kombucha
   Iced coffee

Whether you call it pop, soda or soft drinks, these fizzy beverages are, generally speaking, much cheaper in the United States than in Canada. There are many factors driving the difference in price, including taxation, subsidization and profit margins.

1. Tailgate parties
   Barbecuing
2. Truck parties
   Football parties

Barbecue, beverages and bonding over a favourite sports team? Count us in! Tailgating is the art of pre-partying in the parking lot before a big game. Tailgate parties often involve grilled meats, coolers full of cold drinks and plenty of hype and enthusiasm for the upcoming game.

1. Marshmallow salad
   Ambrosia salad
2. Coleslaw
   Caesar salad

What do you get when you combine pineapple, canned mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows and coconut? Ambrosia salad, of course! If that list of ingredients wasn't enough to get you excited about ambrosia salad, some recipes also call for mayonnaise, Dream Whip, sour cream and/or maraschino cherries.

1. Colonel Sanders
   Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
   Uncle Sam

More famous for his presence in posters on Canadian dorm room walls — the line "I Want You for U.S. Army" replaced with "I Want You To Party" — Uncle Sam is not an actual historical figure but an invention of the U.S. Federal Government (of which Uncle Sam personifies).

1. Barbecues
   Drone shows
2. Fireworks
   LED headbands

There are fireworks, and then there are American fireworks — the latter of which is exponentially more extra than any other pyrotechnic display around. Fireworks are so common in the United States that only the state of Massachusetts has banned the sale and use of all consumer fireworks.

1. Chick-Fil-A
   Pizza Hut
2. McDonald's
   A&W

Survey a room full of Americans on why Chick-Fil-A is so amazing, and the answers will inevitably include: super-friendly customer service, tasty food and a pleasant — and clean! — dining atmosphere.

1. Boxing Day
   Christmas
2. Black Friday
   Thanksgiving

If you aren't a fan of crowds, it might be a good idea for you to skip Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving and America's "busiest shopping day of the year." In the true spirit of commercialism, the following Monday is now known as Cyber Monday — where shoppers can browse sales without leaving the comfort of their home.

1. The Hulk
   Spiderman
2. Batman
   Captain America

Sure, Captain America may be the embodiment of American patriotism in the form of a butt-kicking supersoldier, but how would he fare against the virtually unknown Captain Canada? A relic of the early 1980s, Captain Canada was published in the Newfoundland Herald and later in the Atlantis series of graphic novels.

1. Small portion sizes
   Large cutlery
2. Large portion sizes
   Small glassware

Everything from appetizers to entrees come in jumbo-sized portions in American restaurants (enough to take home leftovers for your next several meals). While the reasons for large portion sizes are myriad, this cultural phenomenon took off thanks to marketing and lobbying efforts that took place in the 1950s.

1. Easter break
   Spring Break
2. Christmas break
   St. Patrick's Day break

Spring Break, whoo! MTV broadcast its first Spring Break special in 1986, although the event has been traced all the way back to 1928 when Florida's first outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pool was built in Fort Lauderdale (the pool proved an attraction to serious swimmers and serious partiers).

1. Chili powder
   Cajun spice blend
2. Pumpkin spice
   Steak rub

As soon as the faintest whiff of autumn hits the air, Americans love to break out the pumpkin spice — from candles to baked goods to cereal and perfume, nothing is safe from the revered seasonal blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.

1. NASCAR
   Horse racing
2. Dog racing
   Turtle racing

You might see the odd NASCAR race on Canadian TV if you're a race car enthusiast (or flipping through the channels on a Sunday afternoon) but generally speaking, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing has more cultural relevance in the United States.

1. Blue cheese
   Thousand Island
2. Italian
   Ranch

Ranch salad dressing, ranch dip and ranch chicken — in America, nothing is off-limits when it comes to the zesty flavour of ranch! First invented in the 1950s at a dude ranch named — you guessed it! — Hidden Valley, ranch has gone on to become the No. 1 selling salad dressing in the U.S.

1. Study group
   Playing on the hockey team
2. Fraternities and sororities
   Debate club

Whether you call them fraternities, sororities or Greek letter organizations, "Greek life" is a long-established tradition closely tied to the American college experience (the first American fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded in 1775).

1. They all have a similar-looking flag.
   Each country has a really long national anthem.
2. They all use the imperial system.
   These countries have a high minimum wage.

You won't find any centimetres, grams, kilometres or millimetres in these countries — unless, of course, you're a scientist. Canada officially dropped the imperial system in 1971, but its units of measurement can still be found in cookbooks where cups and ounces are still commonly used.

1. Mascots
   Muppets
2. Puppets
   Stuffed animals

While it's true Canada has its fair share of mascots, they don't even come close to the wildly acrobatic, stunt-performing mascots found all across the United States. From small businesses to national sports teams, everything is mascot-worthy in America!

1. Football
   Rugby
2. Basketball
   Hockey

To say that American football is a favourite amongst its citizens would be an understatement! A 2018 Gallup poll found that 37% of U.S. citizens preferred watching football over other sports (in comparison, basketball came in at 11% and baseball at 9%).

1. Hot dog
   Veggie dog
2. Wiener dog
   Corn dog

A perfect example of a "meal on a stick," corn dogs are usually made from hot dogs that have been coated in a cornmeal batter and deep-fried. If you're looking for the equivalent in Canada, they can be found in the frozen food section labelled as "Pogos" (and at fall fairs).

1. Dimes
   Nickels
2. Pennies
   Silver dollars

Although they are still being minted in America, pennies are no longer made from copper but rather copper-plated zinc. Canada officially stopped minting pennies on February 4, 2013, with the nickel now being the Canadian coin with the lowest monetary value.

1. Funeral potatoes
   Au gratin potatoes
2. Creepy casserole
   "Surprise" casserole

Funeral potatoes, which are also called hash brown casserole or party potatoes, were given their name by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints due to the fact that the casserole is traditionally brought as sustenance after the funeral of a loved one.

1. Hawk
   Seagull
2. Bald eagle
   Pelican

A historical symbol of power and strength for thousands of years (the use of eagle imagery can be traced back to the Roman empire), the bald eagle is an instantly recognizable symbol representing the American people, its government and its military.

1. Bat mitzvahs
   Quinceañera
2. Good Friday parties
   Gender-reveal parties

Gender-reveal parties, wherein an unborn baby's gender is revealed via a pink or blue cake, were first written about in 2008 on the parenting blog, "The Bump." Thanks to social media, these parties are now a semi-regular part of American tradition (although the idea isn't without its detractors).

1. Carrots
   Flamin' Hot Cheetos
2. Hickory Sticks
   Red Hots

Flamin' Hot Cheetos were invented by Richard Montañez, a janitor at a Frito-Lay manufacturing plant who sprinkled ground chili flakes on plain Cheetos — and then pitched his idea! Montañez's invention proved so lucrative, he's now the executive vice president of multicultural sales and community activation for PepsiCo in North America.

1. American jobs
   American flags
2. National secrets
   National treasures

Passport, please! Any Canadian attempting passage into the United States at an official port of entry has been asked at least once whether they plan on "stealing" jobs from hard-working Americans (when all we really want to do is take a vacation in Hawaii).

1. Schools
   Casinos
2. Malls
   State fairs

State fairs have their roots in the agriculture business, having been used as a means to show off livestock beginning in the 19th century. Today's state fairs still have an agricultural angle — only now it's also served with a side of deep-fried foods, rides and live music.

1. Free pop refills
   Buffets
2. Paper plates
   Crayons and colouring books for everyone

Americans have the low, low cost of fountain pop to thank for the common restaurant practice of offering free refills, particularly for restaurants where pop isn't the main source of income (with some profit margin estimates being as high as 80% to 82%.)

1. Your name
   The date
2. The dollar amount
   The file name

Americans are virtually alone when it comes to the way they write out the date — mm/dd/yyyy instead of dd/mm/yyyy. While almost every other country in the world uses the latter when writing out the date in shorthand, the American style is based on how the date is said out loud (for example, May 1, 2020).

1. Orchestras
   Symphonies
2. Marching bands
   Jazz quartets

American marching bands are bigger and more bombastic than marching bands found in Canada. Canadian marching bands are fewer in numbers and are primarily based in the military. High school and university marching bands in the United States perform competitively as well as before sporting events.

1. Gold bars
   Quarters
2. Bingo chips
   Paper currency

Because Canadians are used to colourful banknotes, it can be momentarily confusing when trying to pay for something using American currency. At the end of 2011, the Canadian Mint began to release new banknotes made of polymer, a thin type of plastic which allowed for durability and extra security features.

1. Saying the date in English and French
   Taking the bus to school
2. Singing the national anthem
   Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance

Every morning, children across the U. S recite the following, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Talk about a patriotic mouthful!

1. An ice cream truck
   A 24-hour diner
2. A 5-star restaurant
   A barbecue joint

Where can you get a milkshake with a side of meatloaf in the middle of the night? At a 24-hour diner, of course! While these establishments exist in Canada — especially in more urban areas — they're a much more common sight in America.

1. Extra large chickens
   Massive donuts
2. Giant turkey legs
   Basketball-sized scoops of ice cream

Fried or smoked turkey legs, also referred to as "caveman pops" by food bloggers, make chicken drumsticks look absolutely quaint by comparison! Turkey legs aren't found only at state fairs — Medieval Times, Renaissance fairs and Disney World are just some of the venues selling this portable snack.

1. Polka dots
   Plaid
2. The American flag
   Liberty print

Americans love their flag — and they aren't afraid to show it to the world! In a country with so much divide among its citizens, the American flag symbolizes unity and togetherness (especially when it's on a beach towel or waving in someone's front yard).

1. Miss Arab World
   Miss Europe
2. Miss Asia Pacific International
   Child beauty pageants

In the U.S., child beauty pageants begin in the age group of 0-11 months and go all the way to 16-18 (after which contestants enter beauty pageants for adults). The first official child beauty pageant began in Miami, Florida, in the 1960s and has gone on to become a multi-billion dollar industry.

1. Religious billboards
   Jesus statues
2. Billboards with judges' faces on them
   Churches

Evangelical Christian billboards are big business in the United States — between 2010 and 2015, the Christian Aid Ministry's billboard spending grew by over 400%. But you won't find these billboards in Hawaii, Vermont, Alaska and Maine, where they're banned by law.

1. Deep frying
   Steaming
2. Stir frying
   Parboiling

You're not convinced deep frying is the official cooking method of the United States? Check out these real-life examples of deep-fried foods across the country: fried bubblegum (from Texas), fried ice cream cheeseburger (from Florida) and fried Kool-Aid (from California.)

1. A
   F
2. G
   Z

Even though the rest of the English-speaking world pronounces the letter Z as "zed," if you're reciting the alphabet in the United States, you should be pronouncing it "zee" (because the alphabet song is from the U.S., it rhymes with the rest of of the verse.)