Canadutch
Last night Xander and I were in the car on the way home from the pet shop. We had just turned a corner when I saw a car coming towards us and I instantly screamed out…
… then quickly smacked the roof of the car.
To me, this was an instant reaction, a reflex, something I do without thought… but to him it was completely foreign and unheard of. He looked at me like I had two heads and asked me wtf I was on about.
That was one of those small moments where I missed my back home friends who just always get things and rarely ever need explanations.
After all these years I figured that we’d learned most of the differences between our cultures and had all the little laughs we are going to have regarding the odd little tidbits about our home countries.
I guess the fact that we never had a car until recently prevented us from having the Padiddle discussion.
In Canada, at least where I come from… if you are in a car with friends and you see a car coming towards you with only one headlight, you scream PADIDDLE!!! and then hit the roof of the car. You get a point for each time you are the first one to do it.
There’s no real point to the game. Sometimes you can use it on road trips like ‘Loser buys dinner tonight’, the loser being the one with the least points. Overall though it’s just something to break up the boredom.
This apparently has never hit the Netherlands, or at least the circles my husband has ran in over here.
Did you know what a padiddle was before I explained it? Do they do it where you are from?
I will bring Padiddle into the Netherlands… It’s always good to have goals.
Growing up in Ontario, if we saw a station wagon with that wood-panelling stuff on the side (when did they stop making those???), we would yell “Beaverwood”, and punch the person next to us. I don’t think there were points, we just liked the yelling and hitting…..
Yes, that’s it – punch buggie is when you see a volks beetle car, ya punch someone in the arm.
padiddle is a car with one headlight, but we just say it and don’t hit anything :P
I grew up in the maritimes and the hubby is from the golden horseshoe in ontario. I’ve lost track of the number of games of padiddle we’ve played in the past 11 years. And yes, we slap the roof too ;)
We play for who’s doing chores, who’s cooking dinner, etc.
And we set a number (like 25) to reach for a winner to be declared. On long trips, this sometimes means we can play 3-4 games before we reach the destination.
I have never heard fo Padiddle. It must be because my parents are Dutch.
Now my husband and I have done the Slug-a-Bug game. Some people call it a Punch Buggie. We went to Canada one time and saw a girl hit a boy when they saw our Beatle, so they must have it in Canada too!
We have padiddle here, but we just say padiddle, we don’t smack the roof of the car.
Your friends are kinder then most.
Anytime I seen it done the person hit the person next to them in the arm. April has nailed Dave and I several times, the devilchild. >:)
Ha! We used to say “wood” and drum on something wooden whenever anyone farted. This makes absolutely no sense, I know.
An Aussie here … can’t say I’ve ever heard of Padiddle. The best I can do for breaking the boredom on long trips is “I spy”. Mind you, padiddle sounds like fun, especially when you get to scare the beejeezus out of hubby by slapping the roof of the car. :)
That never reached down in the south.
hmmm..never heard of Padiddle!
And I live in Canada (Ontario right now, and lived the other half of my life on the east coast…lol)
But cool! almost like the “Punch Buggy” theory :P only we would hit the person in the shoulder! haha
Um… ok… it seems like summin’ we could really do with over here… I guess…
Yeah we had it in California but it wasn’t called padiddle. We woud just hit the person sitting next to us in the car on the shoulder with our fist hahah. I don’t remember it we ever said anything, I am thinking it was something like jink, but not sure.
I’ve never heard of Padiddle.. so I guess it didn’t reach the UK either. Though I say, or do, things sometimes and hubby wonders the the heck I’m on about. He’ll get there bless him..
Mandy x
Yes, I remember padiddle! has been forever since I played though. My fiance’ is Dutch .. I might just have to *learn* him on this one .. I think this topic has not been covered by us yet, haha ;)
I know what ya mean. I still have a few little things I do that some of my old friends use to do and the wife just doesnt get. Like reciting certain movie lines and they would finish it. My compulsion with putting any and all stuffed animals in the ‘doggie style’ position in toy stores. She doesnt get it but I still think its funny.