Poppies and Remembrance Day

For the past 1.5 months I've been working closely with an American. Its been very fascinating to get his opinions on politics and our colloquialisms (like eh? and right?).

The other day I was wearing a Poppy and he asked "Why?" and I asked "Do you know what a Poppy is?" (in the hopefully gingerly way that I try to ask so he doesnt think i think he's stupid--because i definitely think he's smart) and he says "Ya, they make opium from them...why are you wearing that?" and i tried to explain the whole Flanders Field and Remembrance Day thing.

Here it is explained much better, from the Veterans Affairs website for Canada:

"Poppies are worn as the flower of remembrance, a reminder of the blood-red flower which still grows on the site of battles fought in France and Belgium. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, during the terrible bloodshed of the second battle of Ypres, in the spring of 1915, wrote of these flowers which lived on among the graves of dead soldiers."

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;
and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
(John McCrae, In Flanders Fields)
Read More on How we remember

The Veterans Affairs site also details A Day of Remembrance

I hope this helps explain Rob :)