| Canadian Chinese Cuisine |
Article Index for Canadian |
Website Links For Canadian |
Information AboutCanadian Chinese Cuisine |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CANADIAN CHINESE CUISINE | |
| canadian cuisine | |
| chinese cuisine | |
|
Canadian Chinese cuisine or '''Can/Chinese''' is a popular style of cooking exclusive to take-out and dine-in eateries found across Canada . It was the first form of commercially-available Chinese food available in Canada. This cooking style was invented by early Cantonese immigrants who adapted traditional Chinese Recipes to Western tastes. This usually required altering cooking times, ingredients, and preparation methods so that the dishes were more agreeable to the Canadian palate. This cuisine developed alongside a similar version in the United States . HISTORY Chinese immigrants and Sojourners were employed in the 1800 s by the Canadian Government and the Canadian Pacific Railway to build the Transcontinental Railway , linking Montréal with Vancouver . Those workers who stayed once the railway was completed were prevented from obtaining many jobs, and many resorted to opening small inexpensive restaurants. They prepared variations on traditional Cantonese food that were well-received by local patrons. This occurred despite the fact that few if any of the labourers were trained chefs. Even today in many towns and hamlets across the Prairie Provinces , there can usually be found a Chinese café regardless of the community's size, serving "Canadian and Chinese cuisine" or, once more common, "Chinese and Western Food". In Vancouver and Victoria, the more authentic Chinese restaurants were largely found in those cities' Chinatowns, but Chinese food became a staple of city life and part of the local culture. Certain Chinese-Canadian recipes became current in non-Chinese households by the mid-20th Century (e.g. chow mein, sweet and sour pork, chop suey). Further Cantonese immigration to Canada began anew in the 1960s, and was ignited in the second half of the 20th Century in anticipation of China's Administrative Take-over of Hong Kong . This resulted in many Hong Kong families relocating to Australia , The United States , The United Kingdom , and above-all Canada . This preference for Canada was due to its lenient Immigration policy, a high-standard of living, geographical proximity, established Chinese community, and its membership in the Commonwealth . Today Canadian Chinese citizens are the largest visible minority group in Canada, and Chinatowns are in every major Canadian city, with those in Vancouver , Calgary , Toronto and Montréal being the largest. Toronto's Chinatown , actually six separate Chinatowns, claims to be the biggest in North America. "AUTHENTIC" AND "INAUTHENTIC" Although traditionally a favourite comfort food among Canadians, Can/Chinese cuisine has in recent years experienced something of a backlash. This has been partly due to the perception that it is unhealthy, owing to its preference for Deep Frying and Oils , Saturated Fats , and MSG . Also, detractors hold that Canadian-Chinese cuisine is not "real" Chinese food, and ought to be avoided in favour of more traditional Chinese cuisines. There is a difference between Canadian-Chinese cuisine and the traditional Cantonese Cuisine from which it has evolved, just as there are differences between the Regional Cuisines of China itself. STAPLES Canadian Chinese restaurants are usually small "mom & pop" businesses. Consequently the menus are highly variable, although the following dishes are generally universal:
CULTURE Josephine Smart, a professor from the University Of Calgary , has written on the evolution of Canadian Chinese cuisine. Her papers have examined the dynamics of localization and "authenticization" of Chinese food in Canada, and its implications for ethnic relations and the culture of Consumption . Chinese restaurants generally use the Wade-Giles system of romanizing Chinese sounds on the menus, rather than the common Pinyin system. This has the effect, intended or not, of lending a sense of exotic nostalgia to the dining experience. CANADIAN CHINESE RESTAURANTS Even very small towns in most of Canada have at least one Canadian Chinese restaurant, and many can have two or more proprietors seeking out business, often right next to each other on the main street. Many towns that cannot support a single Franchise restaurant still have a thriving Chinese food restaurant. However, many independent restaurants in larger cities have found their business shrinking as delivery chains and buffets squeeze out traditional sit-down restaurants. Larger cities like Toronto , Montreal and Vancouver have thriving Chinatown s full of such restaurants, although now they are most likely mixed with those featuring more traditional cuisines. However, such restaurants are not limited to these areas and can often be found even at the farthest outskirts of the metropolitan area. Toronto's oldest Chinatown , not too far from its City Hall, resisted attempts to re-develop it and has now spread westward. Although many traditional restaurants now can be found in the area, older establishments can be found with a Canadian Chinese menu. Its newer Chinatowns tend to cater to newer immigrants and feature more "authentic" fare. In British Columbia, a form of buffet known as the Chinese smorgasbord developed from the pre-railway Gastown when Scandinavian loggers and millworkers encouraged their Chinese cooks to turn a sideboard into a steamtable instead of bringing plates of single dishes to the dining table. SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS
Chain restaurants
|
|
|