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Thanks for sharing! This is a nice article and just confirms what many of us trumpet about the city..but its always nice when someone from outside of it is able to recognize our attributes. Its a great place and nothing wrong showing a bit of T.O pride
I'm pleased that many are starting to recognize T.O as being a 'food' city.. Even learned posters in here are recognizing this more and more upon each visit.
It's a nice article, but from a couple comments I know that the author and I share VERY different tastes in food. Tofu Village is a solid restaurant, tasty enough food, but I have been there and asked for extra spicy and it still wasn't even remotely spicy enough for me. So to hear her say that the medium was powerful enough tells me she definitely does not like flavor forward spicy food.
Otherwise, don't people get sick of the diversity porn after a while? Alot of us on this board are of the same generation I assume and we all have grown up in a world where we are exposed to so many different cultures that it has become the norm. Even in Jamaica which is 90% black, I had classmates who were Asian, Jewish, Syrian, Indian along with blacks. Then in every single other city I've lived my group of associates have been from basically everywhere. So when the author raves about seeing people "mixing" it comes across like she is not very comfortable befriending people of other backgrounds and it is a novelty to her.
Maybe if you grew up in the middle of nowhere and were not exposed to diversity this would be impressive, but for the ones who are born and raised in Toronto (or other major cities) its about time we moved past this and dont even notice when people of different races are hanging with each other.
Otherwise it was a nice read and I am a fan of some of the places she mentioned, Kensington Market is especially a place I like to eat when back in TO.
It's a nice article, but from a couple comments I know that the author and I share VERY different tastes in food. Tofu Village is a solid restaurant, tasty enough food, but I have been there and asked for extra spicy and it still wasn't even remotely spicy enough for me. So to hear her say that the medium was powerful enough tells me she definitely does not like flavor forward spicy food.
Otherwise, don't people get sick of the diversity porn after a while? Alot of us on this board are of the same generation I assume and we all have grown up in a world where we are exposed to so many different cultures that it has become the norm. Even in Jamaica which is 90% black, I had classmates who were Asian, Jewish, Syrian, Indian along with blacks. Then in every single other city I've lived my group of associates have been from basically everywhere. So when the author raves about seeing people "mixing" it comes across like she is not very comfortable befriending people of other backgrounds and it is a novelty to her.
Maybe if you grew up in the middle of nowhere and were not exposed to diversity this would be impressive, but for the ones who are born and raised in Toronto (or other major cities) its about time we moved past this and dont even notice when people of different races are hanging with each other.
Otherwise it was a nice read and I am a fan of some of the places she mentioned, Kensington Market is especially a place I like to eat when back in TO.
Well the article was written in a travel section so it has to have a promotional element. While I agree that diversity is not uncommon in the western world (US, UK, Australia and Canada) Toronto is still top tier in this regard due recent waves of immigration and a multicultural emphasis. I would expect an external person to call out the diversity of Toronto because it is still the city's more defining feature. Imagine Toronto didn't have immigrants who brought their own cultural flare to the city, what would you promote?
In any case, I was also impressed that she called out some of the best food spots in the city. Someone definitely pointed her in all the right directions. She went into the neighborhoods to find the good stuff and stayed off drags like Yonge Street, Bay Street, King Street, and Yorkville. But like yourself, I too have a different definition of spicy. Many downtown places have to cater to the masses to make rent/succeed so flavors have to be toned down.
Last edited by johnathanc; 03-03-2014 at 10:00 AM..
Well the article was written in a travel section so it has to have a promotional element. While I agree that diversity is not uncommon in the western world (US, UK, Australia and Canada) Toronto is still top tier in this regard due recent waves of immigration and a multicultural emphasis. I would expect an external person to call out the diversity of Toronto because it is still the city's more defining feature. Imagine Toronto didn't have immigrants who brought their own cultural flare to the city, what would you promote?
In any case, I was also impressed that she called out some of the best food spots in the city. Someone definitely pointed her in all the right directions. She went into the neighborhoods to find the good stuff and stayed off drags like Yonge Street, Bay Street, King Street, and Yorkville. But like yourself, I too have a different definition of spicy. Many downtown places have to cater to the masses to make rent/succeed so flavors have to be toned down.
I have no issues recognizing Toronto as a very diverse city, I believe I have even referred to it as Hyper-Diverse at times on this forum. The issue I have is the gawking at people hanging out with different cultures. Are we really that backward that this is still something to be impressed with?
I had a chance to meet up with some friends this past weekend for dinner (Side note to jonathan: Alden & Harlow in Harvard Sq, go there! incredible meal) Our table consisted of myself (Jamaican), my wife (Trinidadian), 2 Female friends (1 Persian, 1 Bajan), 3 male friends (1 Cape Verdean, 1 Korean, 1 Cambodian) and our little 3 year old daughter who is born in Boston . I had no idea we were in the midst of some social experiment that proved that people from different places can actually share a meal together. I just thought we were eating, drinking and enjoying each others company as individuals.
After living in Guadalajara for years (and some other places around the world), returning to Toronto to roost, I have to assert that Toronto is 100 times more interesting than Guadalajara. It's a happening city, vibrant, and maybe it's charms are not so much physical, but it does have them. There's so much to do here, so much variety. It's very Canadian in that it doesn't flaunt its wares, you have to know where to find them.
That said, I believe it is an incredibly badly run city. Past and present politicians seem to have done their best to destroy or avoid building features and infrastructure that could have made the city outstanding in every way. The Star recently had an article on the best ideas that almost made it but never saw the light of day, ranging from a central plaza called Vimy to ahead-of-its-time transportation. We have nearly always had mediocre and stingy captains at the helm and it shows.
I have no issues recognizing Toronto as a very diverse city, I believe I have even referred to it as Hyper-Diverse at times on this forum. The issue I have is the gawking at people hanging out with different cultures. Are we really that backward that this is still something to be impressed with?
I had a chance to meet up with some friends this past weekend for dinner (Side note to jonathan: Alden & Harlow in Harvard Sq, go there! incredible meal) Our table consisted of myself (Jamaican), my wife (Trinidadian), 2 Female friends (1 Persian, 1 Bajan), 3 male friends (1 Cape Verdean, 1 Korean, 1 Cambodian) and our little 3 year old daughter who is born in Boston . I had no idea we were in the midst of some social experiment that proved that people from different places can actually share a meal together. I just thought we were eating, drinking and enjoying each others company as individuals.
I hear you. I think comments like this sound a bit sheltered myself. Guess it all depends on one's life experiences. Come to think of it, I went out for dinner last weekend too and never really thought about how eclectic my table was until now. There was Me (1/2 white 1/2 Filipino from Toronto), my date (1/2 Portuguese, 1/2 Italian from New Jersey), a friend from grad school (Chinese but born in Trinidad and raised in Miami), one of his friends (white girl from Pittsburgh who went to school in Scotland), a co-worker (Spanish decent but raised in Paris) and her husband (Turkish I think but also from Paris). Like yourself, I'm used to having an international social circle no matter where I've lived.
BTW: Thanks for the Alden & Harlow tip in Harvard Sq. The reviews are outstanding but I trust your opinion.
Last edited by johnathanc; 03-03-2014 at 03:38 PM..
It's a nice article, but from a couple comments I know that the author and I share VERY different tastes in food. Tofu Village is a solid restaurant, tasty enough food, but I have been there and asked for extra spicy and it still wasn't even remotely spicy enough for me. So to hear her say that the medium was powerful enough tells me she definitely does not like flavor forward spicy food.
Otherwise, don't people get sick of the diversity porn after a while? Alot of us on this board are of the same generation I assume and we all have grown up in a world where we are exposed to so many different cultures that it has become the norm. Even in Jamaica which is 90% black, I had classmates who were Asian, Jewish, Syrian, Indian along with blacks. Then in every single other city I've lived my group of associates have been from basically everywhere. So when the author raves about seeing people "mixing" it comes across like she is not very comfortable befriending people of other backgrounds and it is a novelty to her.
Maybe if you grew up in the middle of nowhere and were not exposed to diversity this would be impressive, but for the ones who are born and raised in Toronto (or other major cities) its about time we moved past this and dont even notice when people of different races are hanging with each other.
Otherwise it was a nice read and I am a fan of some of the places she mentioned, Kensington Market is especially a place I like to eat when back in TO.
Hmmm I dunno - like it or not Toronto's hyper diversity as you call it is one of its biggest selling points and not just food diversity but also size and diversity of our ethnic nabe's. I think it just draws on the biggest strength of our city that actually may not be well known to the target audience. You and Jonathanc are very familiar with Toronto - many are not so if the article helps to point people in the right direction away from Yonge street and the CN Tower and more into the heart and soul of our nabe's, I think it serves a good purpose. It also helps to underscore a point that you yourself mentioned - and that is the food scene is emerging.
Hopefully there will be a time when this is just an understood part of the city - but when you have someone like Anthony Bourdain saying that T.O is an ugly city, even though he only skimmed the surface of the place and only was looking at the most obvious I think shows that many foreigners - even Americans are not too familiar with Toronto.
After living in Guadalajara for years (and some other places around the world), returning to Toronto to roost, I have to assert that Toronto is 100 times more interesting than Guadalajara. It's a happening city, vibrant, and maybe it's charms are not so much physical, but it does have them. There's so much to do here, so much variety. It's very Canadian in that it doesn't flaunt its wares, you have to know where to find them.
That said, I believe it is an incredibly badly run city. Past and present politicians seem to have done their best to destroy or avoid building features and infrastructure that could have made the city outstanding in every way. The Star recently had an article on the best ideas that almost made it but never saw the light of day, ranging from a central plaza called Vimy to ahead-of-its-time transportation. We have nearly always had mediocre and stingy captains at the helm and it shows.
Nice post - I haven't been to Guadalajara but I really want to go! Politicians on so many levels in our country are uninspired bozo's with limited vision and short range thinking. The general population doesn't help as we do little to nothing to hold our elected officials accountable, we are indifferent to most things as long as it doesn't involve raising taxes. We like to hear our politicians tell us what we want to hear instead of supporting those that will make tough choices for the long term good.
Toronto should have a subway system with much better coverage than it does (what we have is great its just not extensive enough). We may have more ridership than Chicago, D.C and Boston for instance, but imagine if our system was as extensive as those cities - it would be truly world class in terms of ridership and coverage. Instead we have North American's 1st and 3rd largest highways and Rob Ford.
Did I just have a Botticelli moment minus his love for Rob Ford. Or maybe its just the endless coooold here and talk of Guadalajara...
Toronto should have a subway system with much better coverage than it does (what we have is great its just not extensive enough). We may have more ridership than Chicago, D.C and Boston for instance, but imagine if our system was as extensive as those cities - it would be truly world class in terms of ridership and coverage.
What we currently have is definitely NOT great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fusion2
Did I just have a Botticelli moment minus his love for Rob Ford. Or maybe its just the endless coooold here and talk of Guadalajara...
I only said that Ford's drug/alcohol problem shouldn't be a reason we dismiss him as a mayor. I don't care about a person's personal behavior after work whatsoever (consumption of drugs, violence, lying, whatever. Having a good character has nothing to do with one's capability of running a city IMO). Although mocking Ford seems to be a fad nowadays, I just refuse to be part of it.
Overall I don't support him and I certainly won't vote for him especially now that Tory announced his candidacy (but I will vote for him if it is just between him and Chow). His insistency on a scarborough subway is stupid. Actually I think a subway anywhere in Scarborough is stupid. We need to build more in the inner city instead of extending to low density areas such as Vaughan and Richmond Hill.
I only said that Ford's drug/alcohol problem shouldn't be a reason we dismiss him as a mayor. I don't care about a person's personal behavior after work whatsoever (consumption of drugs, violence, lying, whatever. Having a good character has nothing to do with one's capability of running a city IMO). Although mocking Ford seems to be a fad nowadays, I just refuse to be part of it.
Overall I don't support him and I certainly won't vote for him especially now that Tory announced his candidacy (but I will vote for him if it is just between him and Chow). His insistency on a scarborough subway is stupid. Actually I think a subway anywhere in Scarborough is stupid. We need to build more in the inner city instead of extending to low density areas such as Vaughan and Richmond Hill.
I like John Tory....he'd be a good mayor.
Did anyone catch Rob Ford on Kimmel last night? He looks like he's lost a bit weight
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. I had no idea we were in the midst of some social experiment that proved that people from different places can actually share a meal together. I just thought we were eating, drinking and enjoying each others company as individuals.
