EATING CULTURE AND CULINARY PRACTICE

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EATING CULTURE AND CULINARY PRACTICE

• Anne Wu
• Geography
• University of Toronto
• anne.wu_at_utoronto.ca

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Structure of the Chapter

• Authentic Ethnic Food?
• Cooking in Toronto
• Geographical Experience of Culinary Practice
• Politics of Culinary Practice
• Kitchen

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Cooking in Toronto

• Question of Authentic Flavour
• Reconstruct Taiwanese food culture at home can
  never be complete
• A places ecological system is manifested in the
  taste of daily cooking
• Unlimited Possibilities for Fusion Cuisine In
  Toronto

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Geographical Experience of Culinary Practice

• Migrant Womens Geographical Experience Is
  Closely Related to Their Grocery Shopping
  Experience

I like to explore, and I am not satisfied being
constrained in one place. I read newspapers or
commercials, and I expand my territory from the
place I have already known. I dont like to take
the same route from A to B again and again, and I
will try to find other ways to do it If I
happen to see a new place under my radar, for
example, a new plaza, I will make a stop and
explore. (Aggie)
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• A Migrant Womans First Encounter with
  Supermarket Shortly after She Arrived in Toronto

• Not Rootless Anymore Her past, her present and
  her future is immediately connected she can see
  the route she has taken
• Reduced Anxiety in the Strange Land- No
  Translation is needed No Embarrassment and No
  Misunderstanding
• Strength and Confidence Gained She is able to
  stay in the new place where she calls home now.

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• Migrant Women Learn New Ways to do Grocery
  Shopping
• Pay attention to sales cycle of goods

• There is huge difference in terms of ways to do
  grocery shopping. Huge difference. I did not
  know and do not care the price of the vegetable I
  bought in Taiwan. I just told the vendor that I
  wanted to buy this vegetable. Thats it, and I
  did not care how much did it cost per 600g, and
  how much I would pay for this. I just paid
  whatever the vendor said. But here, I read
  flyers and I would go to wherever is cheaper.
  (Denise)

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• Migrant Women Learn New Ways to do Grocery
  Shopping
• Where to Shop for What in Order to Get A Good
  Deal

• You have to buy western veggies in western
  supermarkets, and sometimes they can be very
  cheap. Its more expensive if you buy some of
  those items in Chinese supermarkets. (Cherry)

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• Migrant Women Learn New Ways to do Grocery
  Shopping
• Where to Shop for What in Order to Get Good
  Quality of Food

• I buy romaine lettuce, or other lettuces only in
  western supermarkets. We ate salad at that time,
  and I was worried about residual of pesticides.
  Consumers right in western supermarkets are well
  taken care of, so I like to go there. Besides,
  you can pick whatever you like freely, and
  sometimes you cannot pick in Chinese
  supermarkets. (Cherry)

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Geographical Distribution in Census Metropolitan
Area Toronto Migrants from China, Hong Kong and
Taiwan
Source Data compiled from Census Canada 2001
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Geographical Distribution in Metropolitan
Toronto Migrants from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
Source Data compiled from Census Canada 2001
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Historical Development of Chinese Shopping Malls
and Plazas in the GTA
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• Migrant Womens Experience on the Transformation
  the Social, Cultural and Economic Landscape over
  the Past Decade
• The Proliferation of Asian Theme Malls

• And I found that old Chinese shopping plazas are
  gradually deteriorated, and modern Chinatowns are
  prosperous. We stopped going to the old
  supermarket we used to go. For example, before
  we would go for Chinese food in the plaza at
  Sheppard and Midland, but we havent been there
  since four or five years ago. We shift our map,
  and we will go for newer and bigger ones Before
  you have to go to Chinatown to get Chinese wok or
  things you have to go Chinatown to get it.
  Nowadays, you can get it in uptown, and you
  probably can get a much better and chapter one.
  We dont go to Chinatown anymore. (Yvonne )

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• Migrant Womens Experience on the Transformation
  the Social, Cultural and Economic Landscape over
  the Past Decade
• Affordability

• When we first arrived in Canada in 1997, we
  still wanted Taiwanese or Chinese style of food.
  My father asked people where to find Chinese
  supermarkets. When we made a trip to the
  supermarket, oh my god, this item is so expensive
  and so is that one. Take water celery for
  example, my goodness, it costs 4.99 CAD per
  pound. I almost fainted when I saw the price.
  Unless we had a strong craving for it, we would
  buy something cheaper instead. There is always
  something cheaper... Now I hate to eat baby bok
  choy very much because baby bok choy is the
  cheapest veggie in the supermarket. I have had
  baby bok choy almost everyday since I came here.
  (Vivian)

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• Migrant Womens Experience on the Transformation
  the Social, Cultural and Economic Landscape over
  the Past Decade
• Affordability

• Guava cost 4.99 CAD per pound when we first
  arrived in Canada in 1996. I love to eat
  guava, but I had to let go my craving. Until
  this year, the price finally dropped to 1.99 CAD
  per pound. I was so happy that I bought one for
  each of us. (Tiffany)

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Chinese Supermarkets in the GTA
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• Migrant Womens Experience on the Transformation
  the Social, Cultural and Economic Landscape over
  the Past Decade
• Convenience of Doing Grocery Shopping

• One change closely linked to my life is that it
  is more convenient to access to Chinese
  supermarkets. Remember I mentioned to you last
  time, at Warden and Sheppard, there is a Chinese
  supermarket. I can walk to there and get Chinese
  vegetables Before there were very few different
  supermarkets that I could choose from, such as
  Big Land Farm or Bamburgh Food Market.
  Nowadays, there are more than ten. This is a big
  change. (Yvonne)

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• Migrant Womens Experience on the Transformation
  the Social, Cultural and Economic Landscape over
  the Past Decade
• The Inauguration of TT Supermarkets in 2002
• Creating a More Desirable and Positive Image of
  Recent Taiwanese/Chinese (Im)migrants

• You know TT guarantees the freshness,
  cleanliness and high hygienic standard of its
  products. Plus, it sells everything. Everyone
  knows that. Its not a secret between you and
  me it is a well-known fact. It offers high
  quality products. (May)