He didn’t actually give up. It was the numbers that are easier for him in French. So, he just did the part with numbers in French. And then returned to English.
I used to live in Ontario. These places are called "Sugar Shacks", and usually you can buy pancakes and waffles there too. I have great memories of eating pancakes with fresh maple syrup. We also will heat the syrup, and pour it in a line on packed snow. You take a stick and twirl the cooling syrup on it, getting a maple candy treat. It's stereotypically as Canadian as you're thinking.