Bill Ford-SmithStop eating my bloody tomatoes!
Posted on September 13, 2019
In an earlier blog post, I reflected that it was possible to distinguish an authentic ‘wild’ Canadian from a more recent arrival by how they react to raccoons.
I think my transition to full Canadian is at least 50% complete now – this is not to do with being an actual Canadian these days (with passport and everything), but rather with tomatoes.
More specifically, our home-grown tomatoes.
More specifically still, our home-grown tomatoes that the raccoons seem to be rather keen on, and have worked out how to get at despite the protective netting!
So, my current status is balanced between wanting raccoons to visit because they make for nice photographs, and wanting to scream naughty words at the blighters for devouring things they didn’t ought to!
Ew, raccoon?
Posted on September 20, 2015
It seems that one easy way to distinguish between a real live Canadian (one of the wild ones) and a relative newcomer to the country is to look at how they react to raccoons: the newcomers tend to think that the raccoons are terribly cute and splendid, whilst the more established folk are more included to have a reaction that could be characterised as ‘yuk!’.
The main reason for the ‘yuk’ goes by the catchy name of Baylisascaris procyonis, or the raccoon roundworm; this can infect humans (it tends to be kids) who come into contact with raccoon faeces, whereupon they migrate to the brain and cause fairly serious damage.
Short version: don’t eat raccoon poo!
I still feel that raccoons are still rather splendid creatures though – I clearly haven’t been here long enough…!
Bill Ford-Smith 