Remember when we used to track inflation with the Campbell's soup index? That's basically gone now. But check out what's happening up north—their CPI data mirrors that classic soup chart almost perfectly. Here's the thing: it's not about whether official inflation numbers are "lying." The real story? Hedonic adjustments in CPI calculation paint a completely different picture from what raw price changes show us. When you factor in quality improvements and substitution effects, you're measuring something fundamentally different.