2 Canadians' favorite things: Italian food and online casinos

Have you ever wondered why Italian restaurants are the most successful ethnic eateries in Canada?

The answer is simple. The Italians have always loved to eat, drink, and be merry. They came to Canada with a large appetite for food that was both familiar and exotic yet at the same time totally not-like-anything-that exists back in the old country.

So Italian restaurants were an instant hit, because these places limited the anxiety of not-knowing what one should eat. But this was only the beginning.

Italian food (although still misunderstood) doesn't have to be served exclusively in North American-style Italian restaurants. You can go to any ethnic restaurant and order some spaghetti and meatballs and get the same result: comfort food.

Everyone loves spaghetti and meatballs. Even Italians, who eat it at home all the time, love to get out of their homes and enjoy leftovers in a restaurant setting! It's tasty and comforting, what's not to like?

Italian food is also extremely versatile and offers a lot of variety, despite what most people think. Think about it: you can make lasagna with whatever ingredients you want - as long as they're Italian! You can prepare a seafood risotto or a steak alla fiorentina and the result will still be pretty good.

In fact, if you have some spaghetti and meatballs with a nice glass of Italian wine, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who won't enjoy this meal.

Italian food also takes advantage of the most basic techniques in cooking, which require no expensive appliances or special equipment. You can put together an entire Italian meal with just one pot! This is why many people are very fond of cooking "easy" Italian food.

Italian food is also very versatile in terms of pairing it with other types of cuisine: you can eat a classic spaghetti and meatballs in an Italian restaurant or order some chicken parmesan with fettuccine in any fine dining place.

In northern Italy, they make their own pasta;in central Italy - the birthplace of all Italian cuisine - they make their own bread;in southern Italy they make their own tomato sauce.

In short, the Italians have been making complex food preparations for generations and this is one reason why the country's cuisine has such a rich variety of dishes.

How did Italians prepare food before refrigerators were even invented?

They made use of ingredients that can be preserved for long periods. You can make tomato sauce out of fresh tomatoes, but you can also preserve tomatoes for a cold winter by turning them into tomato paste.

The best thing about Italian food is that it's extremely rich in flavor. Italians are all about taste, which comes from using only the freshest ingredients and knowing how to cook them using age-old techniques.

For many, Italian food is the best type of cuisine in the world because it simply makes people happy. It's a great comfort food that not only tastes good but is also healthy for you - it's full of vegetables and flavorful spices - tomatoes, basil, oregano. A wholesome dish of spaghetti and meatballs (with a glass of Italian wine) can make anyone's day better.

Additionally, Italian food is very easy to make even if you're not an advanced cook.

The trick is to keep your pasta water at a good boil. Just don't overcook the spaghetti; nobody likes mushy noodles.

The Most Popular Canadian online casino

The online casino industry has been growing at a tremendous rate for years now. With the advent of popular internet technologies such as Flash and Java, creating an online casino has never been easier.

The most successful of the Canadian online casinos is undoubtedly the PlayNow.com, which has been in existence since 1998 and was completely redesigned in 2008 for the launch of PlayNow.com. The site offers various games by Playtech and other providers, including slots, table games, and video poker 

The casino has never advertised to date. Despite this, they were able to establish themselves in Canada during the past few years as the leading online casino. PlayNow.com is supported by many prominent Canadian media such as CBC, CTV, Canoeand others.

In terms of numbers, there are about 220,000 members who have a total bankroll in the millions. The games at PlayNow.com can be played with Canadian dollars and other currencies. Casino visitors from Canada include players from Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Visitors from the US come particularly from Colorado Springs, Detroit and Indianapolis, while visitors from other countries come above all from the UK.

Canadian players have great faith in PlayNow.com . About 90% of users play online slots , which is also the most popular casino game. Other games include roulette, black jack and video poker . In addition to paid games, there are also free games , which can be played without registration or download.

The payment methods at PlayNow.com are varied and include credit card, eWalletXpress , bank transfer and cheque . As the casino doesn't accept US players, all currencies that are used in Canada are accepted. Other than English, French is also available as a language.

PlayNow.com is also available as a mobile casino and can be played on smartphones with Android, BlackBerry OS and iOS , as well as on tablets utilizing the same operating systems.

Canada has become an important market for online casinos and this is why there are many great Canadian online casinos that provide the games to players.