Which Toronto Chinatown is better? Uptown or Downtown? I test both.

It is rare for me to visit Toronto’s downtown Chinatown because I live in North-East Toronto, where we have the highest concentration of Mainland Chinese in Toronto. Today we went to MEC.ca (Mountain Equipment Co-op) for cycling gear, so stopped and had lunch in Chinatown at Spadina and Dundas. Having not been there for many years, it was interesting.

Firstly I was amazed at the diversity of people in the Downtown Chinatown. People of all nationalities walk around, shop and eat, just like local Chinese, because they, unsurprisingly are local Torontonians. We saw a wide variety of people visit Chinese bakeries, shop at Chinese grocery stores as well as small “Carry Everything Chinese” variety stores. Initially this was surprising to me, but then again we are in Toronto, where diversity is commonplace and we all get along.

Uptown at places like Pacific Mall (Kennedy/Steeles), and more so at local strip malls and stores, Asianness is the rule. You might see the odd Caucasian or non-Asian individual perusing merchandise, but more likely they are employed at the mall as maintenance workers. Non-Asians in malls uptown truly stand out. Upon reflection, this seems quite odd for multicultural Toronto. More so is the fact that North East Toronto also has a large contingent of Indians and Pakistanis, who are not commonly seen in Chinese stores. The corollary is also true. While I frequently visit Indian grocery stores and restaurants, there are usually no other Chinese besides myself. Though it does not cause me any discomfort nor hesitation, it is notable. People Diversity level: Downtown is better

We visited a local Chinese barbeque restaurant downtown for some roasted duck and roast pork on rice. Though it was nice, it was not over and above the quality I can find uptown. Prices are also not as cheap as in the past. I actually think we can get the same meal for less uptown, but I am a local. I am not complaining, because Chinese food quality here in Toronto is universally pretty good. Barring the occasional health inspection failures that occur both uptown and downtown, visitors to Toronto expect and receive excellent and authentic Chinese food. Restaurant Food Quality and Price: draw

We passed by numerous local grocery stores while in the Downtown Chinatown. A usual quick glance at prices of produce as well as comments from the spouse yielded the same conclusion: Prices both downtown and uptown are about the same. Each store might have their loss leaders, but overall, prices are the same. We cherry picked. Downtown may have a slight advantage in freshness, but this arguable. Uptown stores do not display produce outside and therefore may be incrementally cleaner. Grocery Produce Pricing: even

I am not a neat freak and generally expect low hygene standards in any Chinatown worldwide. Still, downtown Chinatown is noticeably dirtier than uptown. I am unsure why. There is more visible garbage in the streets and a unique rotting smell of grocery produce and Chinatownness. This smell was even noticed by my first weed. Uptown Chinatown is newer, but can also run down pretty quickly. I am sure that it is not because uptown Chinese are any cleaner. Street Cleanliness: Uptown is cleaner

Parking downtown is notoriously difficult, and today was no exception. Chinatown was, as usual, lacking in parking. Uptown there is so much space that parking is rarely an issue. Parking: Uptown is better

My friend David rides a bicycle to buy his groceries from a downtown Chinatown. It is easier to ride a bicycle downtown because streets are more crowded and therefore the speed of cars is slower. There are more Chinese grocers crowded together in higher concentrations downtown. While you can bicycle ride uptown, you risk getting run over by local drivers. Also uptown Chinese grocers tend to be larger and more like supermarkets. You ride to one and do all your shopping, which may not allow you to get the best selection. Shopping by Bicycle: Downtown is better

Yes, there is more to life than Chinatown. Apart from Chinatown, downtown has much more diversity of stores and events that uptown cannot match. Uptown you really need to search for specific stores and then plan to visit them. Downtown can be more exploratory. Other things to do: Downtown wins

The importance of speaking Chinese in a downtown store is less of an issue. At stores uptown, it is very advantageous to speak Chinese. Chinese is the default language uptown, while downtown it can be either English or Chinese. I suppose this is a secondary effect of downtown’s diversity and a real help to those who do not speak Chinese. Predominance of Chinese language: Uptown defaults to Chinese

Suffice to say that visits to either Downtown or Uptown Chinatowns will give you an authentic and interesting experience. Downtown Chinatown is walkable, while uptown Chinatown is cleaner. To judge which one is best I cannot say. Visit both and tell me what you think.

Mary Ward's front door archway, a nice piece of steel and glass.

Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School is a high school located in North Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, or TCDSB. These tips are primarily from a parent’s viewpoint and will cover uniform, student attitude, working with teacher adviser (TA) and a little on courses. I hope this helps new grade 9 students.

School Uniform

MW will have a uniform fitting day, where new students will be able to purchase their uniform. Uniforms are expensive, and a good fit is important. Note that not all uniform sizes will be available on the fitting day. If your kid is smaller or larger than the norm, it is much better to go to Halpern’s, the uniform store where they have all the options as well as sales folk who know what they are doing. Blouses come in xs as well as youth m and s, which were not available on uniform day. Long sleeve polo shirts can be lengthened or shortened without charge, but you’ll need to wait 2 months. Halpern’s is conveniently located on Consumer’s Road, east of Victoria Park and Sheppard, and is within 20 minutes drive of MW.

Halpern’s has an excellent guarantee policy for their clothing, though you will need to retain your receipt. If you have not worn your uniform yet you can exchange it for a different size. For worn clothing they warranty their clothing for one school year for wear and tear damages. When the serging of one polo shirt started to fray out we returned to the store for a straight exchange. There was no hassle.

MW’s physical education uniform will be given out in PE class. Students receive a “Property of Mary Ward” t-shirt and basketball shorts. The “small” t-shirt is massive. I don’t know if you get a t-shirt each year or one for 4 years.

School uniform adherence varies with the grade. Grade 9 students are monitored somewhat strictly. Some teachers will not allow you to attend class unless properly dressed, while others will give you a warning. Kilts are supposedly to be no more than 13cm from the knee, but due to height differences this reveals more for shorter students and less for taller students. Older students are not monitored as strictly. Older students may be able to get away with wearing non-monogrammed white shirts, for example. While there is no official school tie, some students do wear one, passed down from older students.

Monitoring Students and Teacher Advisor

MW is an alternative school that has no set classes. Students are given lessons and a schedule in which to complete them. It is up to the students to seek help when required. I was initially concerned about this arrangement, as it could allow a student to fail miserably. A Teacher Advisor (TA) is assigned to a group of 16 students. A TA is a regular teacher that also doubles as the overall “helper teacher” for the student’s 4 years at MW.

My fears proved to be unnecessary. Students need check in with their TA thrice a day at 8:30am, 12:45pm and at 3:00pm. There is no ability to surreptitiously skip school. In Grade 9 students are initially coached but are expected to mess up their schedules some time during the year. It is normal for a student to slack off and fall behind the schedule. The first early warning is from the TA to the student, followed by a letter home to the parents, and then a phone call from the TA to the parents. I find this system provides plenty of warning to parents. If parents are uninterested in their child’s progress then the student will fail the course. Summer school is available to those that have done at least some of the work.

There are 18 units in a course. Some units require the student to attend seminars, similar to a classroom lesson. I found it difficult to understand the importance and grading of each unit and how this affects the overall course grade. Instead I focused on ensuring that all units could be completed given the remaining time within the school year. If all units cannot be completed within the school year remedial summer school classes are required. Communication with the TA will help the parent assess if the student has the ability to complete the course within the remaining time.

If a student falls so far behind as to not be able to finish the course they may be told to attend “Student Success” classes, which are classroom taught classes that allow them to catch up. Students do less work and receive a lower mark but still pass.

I found dealing with the TA very friendly and effective. I found Mrs Holmes empathetic, reasonable and effective. She always returned my phone calls. I found it very helpful to cultivate a friendly relationship with the TA early in Grade 9 so that when an intervention is required it will be swiftly dealt with. Other teachers at MW may not return your call, as I found out.

Exams and Preparation

At the end of the year there are exams. Students have one week to prepare for exams but cannot normally start studying beforehand. This is because each unit is returned to the teacher for grading and not handed back to the student. Only a week before the exam, these units are returned. You may ask for your units early but may not receive them. A teacher may tell students to study certain units for the exam but this may not encompass all the exam’s content. There are a maximum of 2 exams per day and there is ample time given to prepare. Early exams are also available.

Extra Fees

The yearly school registration fee of $90 covers locker, lock, yearbook, gym uniform, school BBQ, etc. Almost all courses have extra fees. For us we were charged extra course fees of $60 at the beginning of the year. For music you are required to purchase a mouthpiece or reeds.

Gym had an extra $40 for rock and rope climbing and $20 for a CPR course. Activity day fees are up to $70, depending on the activity chosen.

Grade 9 Elective Courses

I do not have first hand knowledge of all grade 9 electives. It is best to talk to returning grade 9 students before choosing electives. Yes these are optional courses but are still learning opportunities that should not be squandered.

Instrumental Music seems to be elitist and geared to the development of the school band. Students with prior musical experience in Woodwinds and horns are given priority when selecting instruments. Other students will strings or no music experience will be given unpopular instruments that other students have rejected. It may be better to ask to switch courses rather than have a student play an instrument they detest. Instruments are assigned one month after school starts.

Vocal Music is a lot of work and practice. You will perform in the Christmas and Spring concerts as well as the annual play. For those who liked singing students found it interesting. You need to make a commitment to follow the separate schedule for the music department. The teacher can be overly critical of students.

Food & Nutrition actually does very little cooking. There is lots of information about nutrition, which is good. If your child is already somewhat familiar with your kitchen then this course will be boring. On the other hand if your child never helps you prepare a meal, then this course will be a good introduction.

Drama is a simple course where you participate in games in the classroom. This course is for those that detest work. Drama students participate in the annual play. Students really like this course as it is fun.

Visual Arts is a lot of fun. This is a course for people who enjoy art. There are field trips. There is sketching, water colour, sculpting and other aspects of art. Students plan the school art show. Students participate in an egg drop where you build a device to protect the egg as it is dropped off the top of the school.

Business is very technical with a lot of computer time. You are given all your units at once. There are presentations, excel spreadsheets, letter writing, Photoshop, etc. There were mixed reviews from students, who thought it was easy and somewhat boring.

Tech makes projects out of wood. You make a race car, cutting board and a quest project (student chosen project). Tech is very well received, as is the Mr Emer and Harrison, the teachers.

TTC to School, bicycle parking

There are three TTC bus routes to MW: 42 Cummer, 43 Kennedy, and 17C Birchmount (Short turns at Kennedy east of McNichol). 42B Cummer stops at Kennedy and returns westbound. 17C Birchmount can be unreliable and is infrequent. After school it passes the school only ONCE between 3:00 and 3:15, after which there are no other 17C buses. 43 Kennedy is extremely crowded. Leave home early if you rely on this bus.

When the weather is good you can ride your bicycle to school. There is bicycle parking at the school entrance as well as behind the community centre near the fitness centre. Not many kids ride bikes. It is reasonably safe to lock your bike to the bike rack.

Overall my experience as a parent has been positive and reassuring. Yes, there are issues that arise but they are dealt with accordingly. more importantly the feedback from students I have met has been decidedly positive, and they should know.

After an epic fail in selling food, will Canadian Tire now sell lingerie? Say it isn't so...

As a long time Canadian I consider it a tradition to shop at Canadian Tire. Unlike Walfart, Crappy Tire is, after all, Canadian. When I need a tool or something for the house I think of Canadian Tire first. This year, I am finding that the products I need are no longer advertised in the CT weekly flyer, and all the stuff I don’t need has taken its place. This has the result of me not visiting the local Crappy Tire as much as I used to, and therefore I am not spending the family’s cash in their stores. Going to the epitome of insanity, CT’s weekly food specials now gets attached to the weekly flyer. As my daughter often says, this is an EPIC FAIL.

Let’s talk strategy. We buy food like every other family, but I don’t buy food at Canadian Tire. Tools, housewares, sporting goods, motor oil, yes. Food, no. I find even the idea of selling food at Crappy Tire absurd. Who goes shopping for bread and thinks of Crappy Tire? Who would go shopping for eggs and on the same trip pick up a life jacket?

Let’s talk execution, or lack thereof. The weekly flyer seems to be a feeble attempt at the traditional retailer loss leader, luring in the innocent so they can purchase more expensive goods once in the store. These supposed “loss leaders”, unfortunately, are not even priced competitively enough to get customers to change their shopping habits. For example Monday to Wednesday June 7-9 2010, a 1L carton of chocolate milk will be on sale for $0.99, max 6 per customer. Hello, but this is a regular sale price done by all the large grocery stores pretty much monthly, sometimes running for a couple of weeks at a time. At least do your homework, which by the way, gets delivered to each and every household weekly? There are more examples. Glaring is CT’s failed attempt at selling 500g cheddar cheese for $5.49 when the competition is selling the same for $4.44? How can such a pricing strategy will draw customers into Crappy Tire stores? It simply cannot.

Presentation at the store is another issue. There are only a couple of shelves forlornly placed at the front of the store, abandoned and ignored like the black sheep of the family. I walked right by the displays and had to turn back to see what had gone so horribly wrong with Crappy Tire’s merchandising, only to find…food?

In summary I still ask myself “What were they thinking”? Rather than run its full course, Crappy Tire need to kill this food marketing campaign before they thoroughly tarnish their reputation as competent Canadian retailers. Canadians will forgive and forget, I’m sure. We are a tolerant and restrained bunch, and not much gets our shorts in a knot. I see that as more emphasis is put on food, the other areas of Crappy Tire are suffering. It is these traditional areas where I spend my money. This is simply wrong and must be immediately corrected.

I wish to disclose that I do not look good in a skirt. It’s not that I could never wear a skirt, or that I do not have access to a skirt. Still, because you can do something does not mean you should.

Yangrou chuanr, mutton kebobs, Chinese street meat

It takes very little for me to have flashbacks of eating street meat in places I’ve lived or visited, namely China, HK and Japan. The mere whiff of an exotic spice can easily send me off to places past, transforming me from here to where I’ve been. I literally lose track of what I am doing and will walk off to chase a scent down. Now that I live in Toronto, Canada, where multiculturalism has evolved to mind expanding lengths, I become easily impatient with our city politicians as they dither about what is acceptable street food offerings to Torontonians. Here’s a novel idea: Let anyone offer food on the street and let the general public decide what they want to eat. Make it easy to get a licenses, enforce strict health rules, and punish those that are unclean. That, however, would be too easy.

___Street meat is any snack you can purchase on the street, usually cooked hot on the spot. Local delicacies vary around the world, and I’ve had my fair share. Here in Toronto, until recently, we were restricted by law to hotdogs and sausages. Yes, they wrote hotdogs and sausages into the local bylaw. In Montreal and Quebec City I cannot even recall a single street vendor. To all the Quebecers out there, you need to get out more.

I want some yangrou chuanr. This vendor looks more upscale.

___I can still remember eating yangrou chuanr (mutton kebobs) on the street corner near Beijing University in China. The vendors were from Xinjiang, with skin that was dark and non-Chinese. Mutton was roasted on skewers, which happened to be old bicycle spokes. You could sprinkle their special seasoning and then add powdered chili. I can still identify that special seasoning now. Maybe a little suspect, maybe a little unclean, but I recall not getting sick. Their setup was pretty bare bones. They had a small portable hibachi with coals, a box of unrefrigerated mutton, and a bucket of dirty water.

Jianbing, Chinese egg crepe

___Still in China, there is jianbing, an egg-based crepe. Supposedly it originated from Tianjin. Vendors use a sanlunr or 3 wheeled bicycle cart with a large 4′ by 3′ by 4′ box on the back. This housed the small stove and skillet. Vendors would use a kerosene lantern at night. You were asked if you wanted one or two eggs, and were charged accordingly. The mixture was brewed up and spread on the skillet. The vendor would use a mini rake looking device to spread the mixture in a circle of fine liquid, while you watched it cook. In short order they’d flip one half onto the other and serve it to you on a piece of newspaper. Napkins optional. Jianbing are great food. I’ve never ever gotten sick eating jianbing.

___In Japan I used to frequent the summer matsuris or festivals. Being so hot at night and not having air conditioning, we’d walk around in our cotton yukatas trying to stay cool. All matsuris served food. You could get squid on a stick, curried squid, deep fried squid, fried fish, and many other unidentifiable items, which, unfortunately, I was asked to eat. I did. And did not get sick.

___In Hong Kong street food is elevated to an art form. There are so many options that it boggled my mind. Once in a while you’d see vendors running off as police would try to catch them, only for them to return 10 minutes after. One unfortunate vendor would get caught, the sacrificial lamb, so to speak, who would then loudly alert all the others. Hong Kong offers noodles, dimsum, deep fried stuff, stews on rice, the list goes on and on. I recall wanting to go back to a specific shopping area because of one vendor’s tasty street meat, only to find he was not working that night. Oh, the bitter disappointments of my past. These are fond memories. Though I’ve been to Hong Kong many times and have eaten a LOT of street food while there, I did not once get sick.

___A recent blog entry from Xinjiang introduced me to samsa. Mmmm, Uighur food sounds great.

___Just to dispel the myth that I have a cast iron stomach I will tell you that I once ate shrimp in Guilin while in a regular resteraunt, and for the next 12 hours threw up on a regular basis. I vowed not to eat shrimp or shellfish from any place I did not know. But this shrimp was not street meat.

___Back to Toronto, it has taken over 2 years to start a pilot project that will introduce fellow Torontonians to street meat other than hotdogs and sausages. Can you believe that there is a City of Toronto bylaw that outlaws all other foods served on the street with the exception of hotdogs and sausages? These people really need to travel more. These people also need to walk in any direction here in Toronto and sample the local multicultural cuisine.

___After all this dithering, a food competition amongst many other requirements was required by all vendors, the city eventually licensed 7 new vendors. I was actually a little ashamed, no a lot ashamed. With over 3.5M people and a virtual “Tower of Babel” number of languages, Toronto has way more than 7 ethnic neighborhoods to its name. One vendor will have the monopoly for a large geographic swath of Toronto. City of Toronto politicians should be working on more important work than strictly regulating street vendors. Please stop nannying us, Toronto!

___I could go for a yangrou chuanr or a jianbing now, followed by breaded squid. Toronto, we have come so far, but we still have far to go.

___Yes, the ingredient is called cochineal, carmine (carminic acid), or E120. Because beetles are insects it is not considered kosher, halal, or vegetarian. Some people can have allergic reactions to it, as was televised by “60 Minutes”. Yes, this kid almost died of anaphylactic shock. I’m always amazed at what is put into our food that we don’t know about. As usual, Canadian labeling laws do not give you any indication of its origins. While I do not have an aversion to eating bugs (they make a great supplemental protein source), I know most other people do. Cochineal can also be used as organic ant repellent.

___It is interesting that “60 Minutes” omitted to tell us of the long history of this dye and its stellar safety record. There was much sensationalism in the story, as if this was a new additive used by evil food manufacturers to poison us all. So much for unbiased reporting.

Female cochineal are flat, wingless, 5mm long, oval shaped scale insects. Dried and crushed they make an all natural, deep red dye for food and cosmetics

Apparently this is not a Female cochineal beetle, 5mm long, ground up is used as a red dye in food and cosmetics, but a scarab beetle. Cochineal are scale insects. For those entomologists that wrote nasty emails to me condemning me, may you have a lifelong case of phthirus pubis.

Cochineal red was used by the Spanish in the 1500s

___This dye and food colouring has a colourful history, and sure is old school:

Cochineal and its close cousin carmine (also known as carminic acid) are derived from the crushed carcasses of a particular South and Central American beetle. These popular colorants, which today are used to impart a deep red shade to fruit juices, gelatins, candies, shampoos, and more, come from the female Dactylopius coccus, a beetle that inhabits a type of cactus known as Opuntia.

Dactylopius coccus was the source of a red dye used by Aztecs and Mexican Indians for centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards. Those indigenous peoples would collect cochineal insects, briefly immerse them in hot water to kill the beasties and dissolve the females’ waxy coating, and then dry them in the sun. The dessicated insects would then be ground to a fine powder.

The Spaniards immediately grasped the potential of the pigment, so these dried insects became one of the first products to be exported from the New World to the Old. Europeans took to the beautiful, bright scarlet colour immediately both for its vibrant hue and for its extraordinary colorfast properties, ensuring that boatloads of cochineal insects would make the trans-Atlantic trek.

Cochineal beetles exude a sticky white substance. Female beetles suck juice out of cactus

___Of course manufacturers are not going to alert you with “beetle guts” in their ingredients list, so there are many other names for it. Is this unethical or are we just not educated enough?

Most consumers are unaware that the phrases “cochineal extract”, “carmine”, “crimson lake”, “natural red 4″, “C.I. 75470″, “E120″, or even “natural colouring” refer to a dye that is derived from an insect. One reason for its popularity is that, unlike many commercial synthetic red dyes, it is not toxic or carcinogenic…

Carmine is one of the very few pigments considered safe enough for use in eye cosmetics. A significant proportion of the insoluble carmine pigment produced is used in the cosmetics industry for hair- and skin-care products, lipsticks, face powders, rouges, and blushes. A bright red dye and the stain carmine used in microbiology is often made from the carmine extract, too. The pharmaceutical industry uses cochineal to colour pills and ointments.

___You learn something new everyday. Science is so cool. I appreciate how organic compounds can be used in our food. This proves that bugs can be safely eaten. When I see bugs being eaten in Thailand it intrigues me. It is comforting to know that we all eat bugs on a daily basis and just did not know it.

Milk Calendar Feb 2009, Dairy Farmers of Canada

___Other than water, there are few items we need more basic than healthy food. Food that makes you sick is simply not worth eating. My daughter has a milk allergy, which somewhat narrows the foods she can eat. While it directly affects her, as a family we have markedly changed our diet as well, and for the better.

___Here in Canada we have lax food labeling laws that allow milk in products that are not labeled as containing milk. One would think this would be important enough to protect those who have a milk allergy. Milk, like peanuts and other allergens, can severely harm or kill people. The condition called anaphylaxis, is life threatening and should be taken seriously by all. After a couple of scary incidents with seemingly innocuous food such as hot dogs and margarine, we knew something had to be done.

___In fact for decades milk has been heavily promoted in print and other media as healthy for all Canadians. The Dairy Farmers of Canada have run a fantastic campaign for decades. I got the distinct impression when I was young that drinking milk was as important as breathing fresh air. You’ll see billboards of beautiful people dressed in black spotted cow costumes, or having milk splashed over their well muscled bodies. We get a free milk calendar in the newspaper each and every year. One cannot fault the milk producers from putting on a great campaign. Milk is a healthy drink, just not for everyone.

Jewish Kathruth Council of Canada "COR" certification

___So you might be wondering what a milk allergy has to do with kashruth laws? I was talking to Kiam, a Jewish friend. His father is a Rabbi that did factory inspections for foods to certify that certain foods adhered to Kashruth laws. As I explained my daughter’s milk allergy to Kiam he recommended I look for Jewish “parve”, or “non-dairy” certification on products we buy. You mean you certify that products are milk free? With great patience and understanding he said yes, and much better than most governments. He told me that Jewish laws are very strict, much stricter than Canadian food laws. Milk and other foods cannot be mixed unless properly labeled as such. If milk was used in a production line, the whole line needed to be washed and scrubbed down before any other non-milk food could be certified as “parve”. Jewish foods need a certification so that Jewish families are able to lead a strict kosher existence. This is one of the reasons why Jewish food is more expensive than your regular run of the mill foods.

___I ran home to check out what Kiam had told be, somewhat in disbelief. Sure enough, there were Kashruth symbols on many of our food products, like the “U” and “COR” certifications. The “COR” is the certification stamp for the Kashruth Council of Canada, and the “U” in the circle is the stamp from the The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations. Where you see “Parve”, as in the bottom photo, this means there is absolutely no milk used in this product. Of course not everything needs the Parve label. For example, canned tomatoes with nothing added need not state Parve. This is because it is obviously 100% vegetable.

AAAIf you are Jewish this certification will be old news, but for us it was an epiphany. It has made our family life a little easier and we live a little better.

___To our Jewish friends, to the Kashruth Council of Canada and The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations I send out a heartfelt “Shalom”.