No, my article isn’t about desserts only. It’s about my experience in Toronto’s epic and diverse food scene.
Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world, but the first thing I tried when I landed here was pizza. I was taken aback with the gigantic size of the pizza, the aroma of melted cheese floating around the house: it was heaven on earth. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of pizza in Dhaka, but this was something different. Every first in Canada was an eye opening experience for me, that first bite into a Big Mac, or the crisp taste from the first sip of ginger ale.
If you are from Bangladesh, or know any Bangladeshi people, you might be aware that we are obsessed with Chinese cuisine. Going out to eat in a Chinese restaurant calls for celebration for any middle class family in Bangladesh. So when I went out for Chinese food with family friends in Toronto, it took me a while to adjust when they ordered everything that started with the word “Manchurian” and the food on the table was various shades of bright red.
“Why is everything so red?” I asked
“I have no idea” she replied.
That was my first encounter with Hakka style Chinese food. It wasn’t a positive one, but we’ve made amends. The restaurant I was in just turned out to be shitty, that’s all.
Another thing that bugs me to this day is that there is too much salt, sugar, sauce and grease on everything. The chocolates are sweeter, everything is drenched in some kind of sauce and the amount of salt I consume, I don’t even bother going for extra. Its good in a way because it helped me pick and choose places around the city that offers some of the most glorious food. The grease also acts as a great alternative to a highlighter sometimes.
The diversity in Toronto’s food scene comes with its perks and cons. While there is a huge array of cuisine to explore, often they are not done right. It’s a watered down westernized version of the original deal. As for example, I was always fond of jerk chicken, but it wasn’t until my boss suggested i go down to Tasty’s, and oh boy was that a good suggestion. As i bit into the juicy chicken, all sorts of flavor exploded in my mouth and I just had a foodgasm right there and then. Similar experiences include having the BBQ duck at King’s Noodle, the Hainanese Chicken Rice at Bun Saigon, ice cream from Bang Bang and the buttermilk pancakes from Mildred’s. When Toronto does multicultural cuisine right, it nails it right on the spot.
I live in Canada now and probably will for the rest of my life, but I miss a lot of Bangladeshi cuisine. I miss the abundance of fresh fish, wedding food(haven’t had a proper biriyani in a long time) and even the dishes I never ate but have recently developed a taste for, like shutki(dried fish which is stinky AF) and kolija (chicken/beef liver).
I may be bashing Toronto but Dhaka is fairly guilty of murdering the food scene as well. My hometown is popping out new restaurants every now and then and I cry in horror as they melt cheddar cheese over fries and have the audacity to call it poutine. I laugh as my peers brood over their coffee on their Instagram feed. Folks, you get a lot of free time compared to here, while you go out for coffee to spend your leisure time, some of us here cannot function without it. Plus I’d pick a steaming cup of cha over that Dark Roast double double anytime. Embrace your inner Bengali while you still can.
One of my favourite places in the city is Kensington Market. It’s diverse food scene is worth a mention. Given it’s proximity to school I make sure to drop by every now and then. It feels like haven in the bustling city, a vague reminder of home with its congested stores, narrow streets and good vibes from its residents. The piping hot pies from Wanda’s Pie in the Sky, or glorious chicken waffles from Dirty Bird, or the crispy delicious fish from Fresco’s lures me back there every time.
Going to school at the heart of Toronto certainly has it’s perks. You can head in any direction and always find something interesting to eat. At the same time, because of the convenient location of my campus, I am too lazy to go out and explore as well.
Plus, where’s the rush? It’s not like I’m leaving any time soon!
