He has called it the “51st state” and threatened it with crippling tariffs. Now Canadians have found a new way to defend their country’s honor from Donald Trump, reports the Washington Post: renaming the Americano to the “Canadiano.” The trend was started by Kicking Horse Coffee in Kicking Horse, British Columbia, which said it had quietly been selling “Canadianos” for the last 16 years.
“We’re officially making it a thing and asking coffee shops across the country to make the switch,” the shop posted on Instagram, prompting a nationwide trend. Independent Toronto coffee shop Cafe Belém owner William Olivera told The Post, “It’s good for us to just, you know, stand up for being ourselves and reminding other people … that we’re not to be pushed around and bullied by others.”
While slightly tongue-twisting, the rebranded cop of joe has spread in a country which now regularly boos the Star Spangled Banner. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau also asked Canadians “to choose products made right here in Canada,” although coffee does not grow in the country. Switching names to reflect political changes has a long history, including a failed attempt to rename French fries “Freedom Fries” in 2003 when the French sat out the invasion of Iraq, while the entire British royal family ditched their German surnames during World War I. Read more.