A number of coffee shops in Canada are serving “Canadianos” to their customers in protest of U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks toward their country.
The Canadian-themed name change is a play on the “Americano,” or an espresso shot diluted with hot water, and the tweak has popped up on cafe menus in British Columbia and Ontario.
“We aren’t necessarily aiming to be political. But we love the idea of really just supporting Canadian pride,” said Elizabeth Watson, owner of Palisades Cafe in British Columbia, in an interview with The Washington Post.
Watson told The Post that the new name came to her after British Columbia-based Kicking Horse Coffee encouraged coffee shops to make the switch in a social media post earlier this month.
The company, which wrote that it’s “quietly” been calling the drink “Canadianos” for 16 years, shared a photo of a sign about the newly-named menu item and declared that the cafe was “officially making it a thing.”
Kicking Horse Coffee’s announcement has since been deleted, however, the company has since shared posts toutingits Canadian roots.
The “Canadianos” arrive as Trump has continued to hurl his “51st state” as well as his “governor” attacks toward Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
On Monday, the U.S. president signaled that his delayed plans to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican goods will go into effect starting next week.
Watson, who said she’d be “happy to stick” with the new name for now, said the tweak has sparked more interest in the drink.
Cafe Belém owner William Oliveira told The Post that his Toronto-based shop, which renamed Americanos to “Canadianos” on its menu, wanted to “stand up for being ourselves and reminding other people … that we’re not to be pushed around and bullied by others.”
Todd Simpson, owner of Morning Owl in Ottawa, also renamed the drink to “make light of a serious situation.”
“We don’t need any American products right now,” he told CTV News. “It seems like a really good way to say we’re Canadian.”
Other Canadian establishments have used their food and drink offerings to protest Trump’s moves, as well.
Earlier this month, Montreal’s Fairmount Bagel introduced red-and-white “Canadian bagels,” Montreal-based newspaper The Gazette noted.
Rhonda Shlafman, the shop’s co-owner, told The Gazette’s Bill Brownstein that the store “had to take a stand like so many others in the food trade.”
“Our bagels, like our country, can’t be taken over by U.S. interests,” she said.
“Just ask all the American tourists who’ve been coming here for years, so in love with our bagels. Our bagels are Canada strong, the best anywhere.”
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Carol Ann McDevitt, owner of the Roaring ’20s B&B in the province of New Brunswick, told The Canadian Press that it would be serving local apple cider to guests at its bed and breakfast instead of glasses of orange juice.
“It just seemed very unfair. It was unprovoked, and we should do what we can to support our local communities,” said McDevitt, who pointed to most oranges stemming from Florida and some guests praising the new drink.