The Ugly Canada Thread

[WhipperSnapper]

already been chewed

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Arby's footprint has retreated in Ontario as well. As has Burger Thing and Kentucky Dirty Bird.
On the other hand, we have A&W everywhere, and Popeyes Louisiana Chicken. And Taco Hell. Plus many pizza chains. Most of all, 587,637,139 Tim Horton's locations.
McShitties is holding steady. Wendy's too. There are fewer and fewer Harvey's locations as the years go by. I remember there were lots of Harvey's and Burger Things in Downtown Montreal, but most have since closed.

You're right about Burger King. I just checked and was shocked they only have three locations left in Ottawa. They also have one left in Gatineau.

They used to be all over the place.

[hipster duck]

^^I must've missed the post that had it then. These restaurants are all the same.

I don't know if this is just my observation, but in the US the family restaurants tend to be very unhealthy: they load things with sodium and probably MSG and most of their items are deep fried. But, to their credit, this usually means that the food at least has that glutamate "goodness" to it.

In Canada, it seems there are a lot more restaurants that try to be "healthy" by serving steamed peppers beside Uncle Ben's rice, but these taste as awful as airline food.

[MolsonExport]

other stinkers (https://badflags.wordpress.com/):


And of course:

[TorontoDrew]

The hand with Log is the best. Where is that from?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I don't know if this is just my observation, but in the US the family restaurants tend to be very unhealthy: they load things with sodium and probably MSG and most of their items are deep fried. But, to their credit, this usually means that the food at least has that glutamate "goodness" to it.

A few months ago I was on a road trip through Oregon. We stopped in a tiny town (really just a highway exit) and went to a casino buffet since the only alternative was gas station food. They had about 20 desserts out but there was just one option with identifiable vegetables. It was a sad thawed out vegetable mix.

A very large lady announced to basically the whole room that she was "coming in hot" as she made her way over to the buffet. I think that might be the most stereotypically bad American moment I have ever experienced.

The US is so heavily divided food-wise. There are (affluent) islands where you get great quality stuff and then vast wastelands of fast food and garbage with the odd slightly nicer diner type place. Of course, that's kind of how American society works in general.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

The hand with Log is the best. Where is that from?

Apparently the county of Lofa in Liberia.

Actually looking at all of the county flags in Liberia it would appear they had children come up with the flags for all of the counties, which when viewed together are kind of cute.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Awful logo for sure. Awful. Arby's pecker.

The logo also reminds me of Calgary's flag. Sorry, but I find that flag rather ugly.

badflags

Apparently it is quite widely disliked: https://badflags.wordpress.com/

Yes it's bad. It's a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 cowboy hat with a 🞵🞵🞵🞵 ring!

come to think of it, this might be worse:

wikipedia

Q-bert!

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Another sad sack family restaurant chain, this time from BC: ABC Country Restaurant.

Yes we have those here too. A small step above Smitty's. That first pic looks like diarrhea and regurgitated vegetables. I've only eaten at one once before when I was young and dumb and wasted. I don't recall what I ate but that it gave me awful heartburn and tasted like 🞵🞵🞵🞵.

[TorontoDrew]

This thing in Hamilton.

source: http://www.bedrockbistro.ca



And what is that?
Source: http://www.eathamilton.com


And no fancy family restaurant is complete with out an expansive salad bar.
Source: http://www.bedrockbistro.ca

[O-tacular]

That restaurant belongs in Drumheller. I'm shocked there are dinosaur themed restaurants elsewhere.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Another sad sack family restaurant chain, this time from BC: ABC Country Restaurant.

One of the best meals I've ever had in my life was a pork chop with potato, other veggies, gravy, Yorkshire pudding and apple sauce at a pub just outside Gatwick Airport. It was absolutely delicious.

But it didn't look anything like this (I know that's beef, but still), and I'm quite confident that this wouldn't taste anything like that did.

Some diners actually do get it mostly right, though. There are three throwback-style diners in Stratford of the type where the patrons eye you with suspicion if you're under sixty-five, and one of them actually does a decent hot beef sandwich plate with gravy and coleslaw. I mean, I wouldn't recommend it to a theatre visitor, but still, it's a decent choice for the occasional diner meal when you live here.

The other two, though, serve up putrid shite.

[kwoldtimer]

"Family restaurants" are everywhere in K-C-W. What they lack in quality, they make up for in excessive quantities!

For some reason, such restaurants seem rare in Ottawa. Lots of diners, pubs, fast food chains, etc, but pretty limited in the "family restaurant" department.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rousseau

.....

Some diners actually do get it mostly right, though. There are three throwback-style diners in Stratford of the type where the patrons eye you with suspicion if you're under sixty-five, and one of them actually does a decent hot beef sandwich plate with gravy and coleslaw. I mean, I wouldn't recommend it to a theatre visitor, but still, it's a decent choice for the occasional diner meal when you live here.

The other two, though, serve up putrid shite.

The only such place I've ever been to in Stratford (for breakfast) is Madelyn's Diner.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

The only such place I've ever been to in Stratford (for breakfast) is Madelyn's Diner.

That's the good one.

[O-tacular]

Generally I think we steer clear of posting more rural / small town uglies in this thread for some reason. After getting lost in a twilight zone hellscape of a business park between Aldersyde and High River this morning I thought that should change.

I went to go find a customer in this complex which did not show in Google maps but a co-worker was able to locate on the Yellow Pages site. There is no signage at all. You drive into this 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 of a yard and have to somehow figure out the addresses of the buildings from their bay doors with no numbers. If you follow the narrow gravel driveway around the building at the back you find the "front" which is inaccessible from the main highway and has no real parking spots just a narrow gravel area with no painted stalls. People park their cars parallel to the building in front of the entrances. To make matters worse there were no people anywhere.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@50.6341179,-...sOif6_hVXmw-Kv3T4UFyQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
This streetview is out of date. Add 🞵🞵🞵🞵 all over the yard and more buildings. Also the 4 smaller bay doors are now blocked in by bundles of wood and there's a pit of water directly below them.

Here's the view of the "front" side from the highway:
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/High+Ri...9277f42a!8m2!3d50.5843437!4d-113.8755337

I'm not sure who thought it would be a grand idea to have the buildings face a highway with their backs to the main entrance for customers and people seeking businesses with absolutely no signage or directions.

Further down the way there was this ugly 🞵🞵🞵 building. Inside wasn't much better with bare concrete floors and oak doors.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/High+Ri...9277f42a!8m2!3d50.5843437!4d-113.8755337

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rousseau

That's the good one.

Well it would be - one doesn't eat just anywhere!

[Black Star]

A&W, and Popeyes Louisiana Chicken I find the best for fast food.

Teen burger hold the Mayo...easy mustard and ketchup please. Rings on the side.

Spicy 8 piece with all the fixins please. Love the biscuits.

[itom 987]

TV dinners!






Take a look at that brownie.



Take a look at that potato 🞵🞵🞵🞵, the photo is nice and big so you can looooook at it!

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by itom 987

TV dinners!






Take a look at that brownie.

I actually liked the desserts in those. The brownie and the cobbler were the best. The rubber chicken not so much. The space food mashed potatoes were also . The green beans couldn't look any sadder.