Try walking around someplace where you really stand out, like being the only white guy for a hundred miles, the only one with facial hair and standing a foot taller than almost everyone else. No problem with others remembering
my face. It takes some getting used to. When I first came here, back in 1992, I literally drew crowds. Some were actually considering robbing me and discussing it out loud (this discovered later when we reviewed videotape I'd been shooting).
Now, 22 years later, I am still a novelty around here. Strangers still regard me with reserve, but a smile and a "good morning" is always returned, and from then on they'll initiate the greeting themselves. At first, I only acknowledged the older folks, but I've learned that kids and teenagers love to be recognized too. And now I know enough of their language to tell if they're considering robbing me.
As for cringeworthy responses, I'm sure I commit several of them every day here but am not fluent enough to know when. Just saying "salamat po" (thank you sir/ma'm) in the wrong context is something I do all the time. At home, I say "thank you, sir" to the 7-11 clerk when I buy a coffee. He's from Pakistan and thinks it odd, but he always greets me with a grin when I walk in. In many other cultures, a formal thanks to a waiter or store clerk might actually be considered offensive due to the presumption that you're being sarcastic or disingenuous.
As for the famous politeness of Canadians, I have seen no evidence of that being entirely mythological. Quite the contrary, I have experienced friendliness - sometimes extreme friendliness (if you traveling musicians catch my drift) - all across the country from Vancouver to PEI.
Burglary, however, is apparently not considered impolite in Canada. It's where I had my car broken into. And one fellow came up to me at a gig and asked "what's that thing?", pointing to our mixer. I said "it's called a mixer", to which he replied "you want one?".