On the other hand, I’m also significantly younger than the average age of the Canadian you likely serve. The age thing may be important; not many Canadians I know in the older than forty age bracket will touch less than well done meat, regardless of the fully rational assurances you give them. It’s Craaaaaaazy. My Dad is especially bad about it.. I’m embarrassed to go to steak houses with him, honestly.

I’m oh so sorry that they’re allowed across the border to annoy you. Truly sorry. Unfortunately, Canadian law prevents us from introducing mass re-education camps.

It is my understanding that certain states allow 18-20 year-olds to consume alcohol within their parent’s presence, but most chains refuse to participate in this practice because of how complicated things can become if a parent leaves the table to use the bathroom, etc… As a result, servers simply tell their tables that they legally can’t provide an 18 year-old with alcohol and leave it at that. It is sort of the same situation.

It is also perfectly legal to sell a used infant car seat in Canada, but most consignment/thrift stores are told by their insurance company that they will lose coverage if they do so. As a result, the store owners simply tell customers that it is illegal.

In all three cases “liability” becomes the operative word here. In a liability-driven society “law” and “covering our ass” are hard to separate.

p.s. I tried ordering a medium-rare burger in Florida once, to try it, and was told it was illegal for them to serve it to me. I guess it’s not just Canadians who use this convenient excuse.

The main difference between American beef and Canadian beef comes from the actual grading of the beef. Prime graded beef (BTW this is what we serve at my work, ground) are identical in Canada and the U.S. but Canada does not allow any dark colored meat, yellow fat, older animals, or off-quality characteristics, unlike the U.S. The U.S allows these but decreases the grade of beef depending on individual circumstances. This means meat in the U.S. is downgraded to a lower level of prime but still remains prime. In Canada if any of these factors exist then the beef is automatically downgraded to a B instead of an A – making it no longer prime. This difference automatically makes more beef in Canada graded lower. Restaurants therefore cook it to a higher temperature. It does not mean that the meat has a higher probability of containing bacteria.

In fact, it should be noted that you can’t even tell if the meat you are consuming contains bacteria just by looking at it. For instance, a burger that is brown throughout can still kill you. The inside color of a hamburger doesn’t guarantee that it is fully cooked. Previously frozen beef turns brown long before it reaches an internal temperature high enough to kill E Coli. To remove any possibility of consuming harmful bacteria you should always check meat with a thermometer prior to serving it. What are the odds that the restaurants you are eating at are actually doing this? Just a thought.