New Englander here.
I have fond memories of a little inn in Lac Megantic called Le Petit Aubergine - with a sign that is based on an eggplant (a French pun: auberge is 'inn', aubergine is 'eggplant'. They had a particularly good fricot de poulet; getting hungry just thinking about it. As a side note, fewer and fewer Quebecquois speak English; I think that's because there's been less need for them to have that to have a successful career. No worries if you're at least *trying* to communicate in French. It's very much not the same as the French spoken in France, but I've never had a problem speaking it. Understanding the response is a different issue :-). I'd contrast that with St Lucia where 'English' is is the official language, but it's drifted far enough that this native Anglophone found it easier to use French.
As a side note, it's interesting how much French heritage (and French across departments) cuisine differs around the world - and and yet the attitude around food seems to stay the same.