Saturday, December 1, 2012

How Many Meaningful Foodie Gifts Can You Give?



Where did November go? I barely bid Adieu to Halloween Week madness and started off November with the final two ghost walks on All Saints' Day and All Souls Day. I don't know what's scarier: the spine-chilling ghost tales told along those ghost walks or the clipping pace of November!  For a brief moment we're pausing to reflect on our cherished freedom in the middle of the hosted dim sum along the Remembrance Day Second Chinatown Foodies tour, and then we're stopping by a Chinese BBQ shop to sample the items used as offerings for beloved dead ancestors.  The following Sunday, we find downtown Toronto's traffic  held up as Santa sweeps into town with the popular annual Toronto Santa Claus parade, and bringing along with him, the festive holiday spirit!

Are you in the holiday mood yet?   As a Culinary Historian I love this time of the year, as Toronto lives up to its First Nation namesake, and becomes The Meeting Place of diverse Festivals of Lights. Like our ancestors from all four corners, we hunker down when it get dark and cold out there.  Nothing unites us more than the warmth of a roaring fire or glowing candles and holiday lights  as we prepare for our first snow fall and the holiday season. 

As a local Canadian-born Chinese, born and raised in Toronto, I've noticed over the last 10 years or so, inclusiveness in celebrating the various Festivals of Lights is a growing tradition.  I have a confession: I love celebrating ALL the holidays as each involves not only lighting up, but breaking bread or more a case of sharing decadent treats! Anyway,  the holidays kicks off with Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, then it's Chanukkah, Winter Solstice, followed by Christmas, and ending with Kwanzaa. Since 2000, I would host my annual multicultural holiday home party, and my humble living quarters would glow with all the candles used for the various Festivals of Lights. Food of various cultures would be shared with guests.  How more inclusive can you get? 

Well, guests along the Kensington Foodies Roots tours started requesting for a chance to participate, and that's how Kensington Festive Foodies Roots tours came to be. Yes, the December food tours give us a chance to celebrate, embrace and share the rich cultural diversity Toronto has to offer long-time residents, newcomers and travellers.  Over the years, I've witness folks give the gift of quality time, as they treat their beloved foodies to a shared food tour experience filled with equal portions of food for thought, the palate and all the other senses.  I always feel honoured to be sharing those precious moments with folks on these food tours as we bring the year to a close. 

Have a happy and safe holiday season and don't forget to treat yourself and your friend or a family member with one of the following food tours this holiday season!  



Kensington Festive Foodies Roots Tours 


Dates:  Saturday December 1, 8, 15, 2012
Check-in Time:  9:20 am
Tour Duration:  9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Meet: Red Pole with Black Cat in front of 350 Spadina Ave/St Andrew St (1 Bl N of Dundas St W)
Fees ($CAD; includes pre-ordered holiday food & drinks):
    Adult $45.00 SR(65+)/ST (ID) $40.00 Child (3-12) $30.00
    Note: Do NOT eat breakfast prior to tour, nor book luncheon afterwards as you nosh from beginning to the end! 
Pre-register:  Call A Taste of the World (416) 923-6813



Second Chinatown Foodies Tour


Date:  Sunday December 9th, 2012
Check-in:  9:50 am
Tour Duration: 10:00 am - 1:30 pm
Meet: Lucky Moose Statue by Lucky Moose Mart, 393 Dundas St W (near Beverley St)
Fees ($CAD; includes pre-ordered holiday food & drinks): 
    Adult $45.00 SR(65+)/ST (ID) $40.00 Child (3-12) $30.00
    Note: Do NOT eat breakfast prior to tour for full enjoyment! 
Pre-register:  Call A Taste of the World (416) 923-6813


Have a fun & safe holiday!

Don't forget to treat yourself & loved ones
to meaningful foodie gifts! 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Lest We Forget... Remembrance Day in Toronto's Chinatown, Nov 11th, 2012

Day of the Dead display,
 Courage My Love window
along Haunted Kensington, Chinatown &
The Grange Walk, 2012
The days keep getting shorter and the nights are getting longer... we slow down, reflect and remember the deceased loved ones... All Hallows' Eve became Halloween, and for the vast majority, Halloween has become synonymous with sweet treats, ghoulish movies, and vampy costume parties...  as the Hispanic population grows within the Toronto area, we see more authentic Dia de los Muertos aka Day of the Dead events from October 28th through to November 2nd. Meanwhile, there is an interesting overlap as Halloween  and Day of the Dead wraps up with All Saints' Day (November 1st) and All Souls' Day (November 2nd). Halloween 2012 flashed by but we can't help but find markers or reminders that within the cycle of Life, there's a beginning, middle and an end. 

Have you noticed lately as you watch the news on TV, that the anchors are wearing their red poppies? Stroll along the streets of Toronto and you'll start to  see them pinned on coats, blazers or hats (yes, yours truly has done that in the past and will do it again this year). Remembrance Day is coming. Lest we forget...

Usually if I am within the vicinity of the University of Toronto, I will drop by for the Remembrance Day service by Solders' Memorial Tower.  Growing up in Toronto, it was a tradition since public school years to recite on Remembrance Day 
In Flanders Fields poem written by John McCrae, an Alumni of Victoria College at University of Toronto. Those of you, who attended my Haunted Yorkville, U of T & Queen's Parks Walks, would have seen his haunting poem carved on a special wall close by Solders' Memorial Tower. If you've had wedding photographs taken near the Soldiers' Memorial Tower, you might have stood right by it and didn't see it as it is fading due to time and elements.



In Flanders Fields 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row.
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly


Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the Dead.  Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie, 
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. 
                        - John McCrae (November 30, 1872- January 28, 1918)


This year, I'll be hosting my Second Chinatown Foodies Tour on Sunday November 11th, 2012. We will meet under the auspicious Lucky Moose Statue (393 Dundas St W) to start at 10:00 am sharp.  Plans are to pause at 11:00 AM during the hosted the Dim Sum experience, so all attending can contemplate, reflect and pay thanks to all Canadian soldiers for the freedom we all enjoy. Were there Chinese-Canadian soldiers? Find out along the tour... Those attending will come away with new eyes and a better appreciation of the Chinese BBQ and bakery shops, as Culinary Historian, Shirley Lum makes the connections with remembering dead loved ones with food offerings within the Chinese culture. You're going to find that Toronto, the Meeting Place lives up to its unique name, as we end up with a plethora of ways to remember loved ones lost...  Pre-register at (416) 923-6813 or info@TorontoWalksBikes.com and join us for this unique Remembrance Day experience...

Lest we forget....



Friday, October 19, 2012

How do Foodies & Ghostologists Celebrate October in Toronto?




It's getting darker sooner each day...  As the temperature dips with each glorious Toronto sunsets, the crisp autumn air returns, and the vivid green leaves morph into breath-taking kaleidescope of colours... Yes, the clock is ticking away, but don't wait to celebrate and embrace all that the Fall season has to offer in the remainder of October, whether you're passionate Foodies hankering for comfort food or Ghostologists seeking bone-chilling local legends along eerie Toronto neighbourhood ghost walks! If you swing back and forth between being comforted and spooked, well you are in for a wicked treat or two with us!  That's right... Come on, take a bite of that juicy Ontario apple it's good for you  (unless your name is Snow White, and we all know what happened to her) and read on before it's too late!  




A Taste of the World's 
Multicultural Fall Bounty Experiences:

The Foodie in me always rejoice in Toronto's local, seasonal bounty. As a matter of fact, Toronto, the Meeting Place lives up to its name as it become increasingly multicultural in its Fall harvest. This time of the year, I'm always excited to be able to share the diverse Fall bounty in the form of multi-ethnic comfort food on food tours within the Kensington Market and Toronto's Second Chinatown neighbourhoods. As you stroll through either areas with a culinary historian like myself, you come away with a deeper appreciation of the layers of food history while all your senses are awakened...  




Event: KENSINGTON FOODIES ROOTS WALK
 Fresh dates!

Celebrate Fall bounty connected with 200 years of immigration waves within multicultural Kensington Market/ residential quarters past and present with culinary historian Shirley Lum! We will pay homage to the founding family with a cheese from that area (as well as artisanal cheeses to give you a true cross-Canada tasting). There will be equal portions of food for thought and the palate! NOTE: Do NOT eat breakfast prior to the tour for the fullest enjoyment of this food tour!  NOTE II:  I'll be winding down in the month of November but stay tuned for the holiday food tours in December.... Yes, the ever popular Kensington Festive Foodies Roots Walk returns on December 1, 8, 15, 2012 and we will celebrate ALL the Festival of Lights holidays - Diwali, Winter Solstice, Channukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Stay tuned! 

Dates & Time: Sat. OCT 20, NOV. 3, 2012  9:30 AM-1:00 PM
Fees ($CAD: incl pre-ordered food & drinks): Adult $45 SR/ST $40 Child $30
Meet: Red Pole with Black Cat, 350 Spadina Ave/St Andrew St (1 bl N of Dundas St W)
Pre-register:  (416) 923-6813 or info@TorontoWalksBikes.com


Event: SECOND CHINATOWN FOOD TOURS
Dessert - a feast for
the eyes & palate!

Celebrate and savour the Fall harvest! Go behind-the-scenes with culinary historian Shirley Lum! Sit back and enjoy hosted dim sum, complete with Chinese Horoscope Book plus review of chopsticks and tea pouring etiquettes. After this treat for all the senses, we head off to an Asian grocery store for a tour  complete with a bi-lingual shopping list we provide to our guests. Ever wondered where's Toronto's 1st Chinatown? Find out at the finale in one of the oldest Chinese bakery as we sip hot tea and delicious traditional and contemporary pastries.

Dates & Time: Sun. OCT 21, 28, NOV 4, 2012 10:00AM-1:30PM
Fees ($CAD; incl pre-ordered food & drinks): Adult $45 SR/ST $40 Child $30
Meet: Lucky Moose Statue, 393 Dundas St W/Beverley St
Pre-register:  (416) 923-6813 or info@TorontoWalksBikes.com



A Taste of the World's 12th annual 
Toronto Hallween Experiences:


Time flies by when you're having fun scaring the daylight out of big and little kids! The Ghostologist in me loves donning the period costumes to lead the eerie and spine-chilling Toronto Halloween Week experiences! It's hard to believe that 12 years ago, Spring 2000, I launched three unique neighbourhood ghost walks: Ghosts, Greasepaint & Gallows Walk; the Haunted Kensington, Chinatown & The Grange Walk; and Haunted Yorkville, U of T & Queen's Park Walk! Pretty soon folks went on all three of them, and there was increasing requests for another Toronto neighbourhood ghost walk. During Halloween Week 2003, I obliged  by launching Phantoms, Players & Pundits Walk as an "Invitation Only" to repeat guests who experienced paranormal activities on all three previous tours with us.  We were not disappointed that evening.  Each year our Halloween Week ghost walk experiences gets better since then. Why?  The already eerie tales from inaugural tours get spookier over time with the cumulative accounts of past guests' paranormal experiences over the years... So look out for the Grey Lady or perhaps that's your tour guide transformed by her period costume... We dare you to find out if Toronto is the Meeting Place for the Living... or... the Dead? Our ghost walks are not for the faint of heart... but definitely for those who loves a mystery or two... 


Event:  HAUNTED KENSINGTON, CHINATOWN & THE GRANGE WALK

 Ghost, vampire & zombie stories with multicultural twists told along this eerie ghost walk tour, with loads of indoors and outdoors make this tour ideal for adults and kids!  Not for the faint of heart if you can't handle discovering which cafes, shops and eateries have lively spirits to boast. This ghost walk has been used as part of Ryerson University's Anthropology of Death course in the past, so need we say more... Join us if you dare!
 Limit: 13 spots each night

Dates & Time: THURS OCT 25, NOV 1, 2012
                          SAT OCT 20, 27, 2012  6:30-9:00 PM
Fees ($CAD: incl snacks): Adult $25 SR/ST $18 CHILD $15
Meet:  Red Pole with Black Cat, 350 Spadina Ave/St Andrew St (1 bl N of Dundas St W)
Pre-register:  (416) 923-6813 or info@TorontoWalksBikes.com


Event: GHOSTS, GREASEPAINT & GALLOWS WALK
Ghost tour with eerie tales and vibes connected with a lost public hanging square, jails and  vaudeville theatres in the St. Lawrence Market, Old Theatre District & Financial District. Bram Stoker fans will delight in his connections with a very haunted lost theatre! We will share our own accounts of hair-raising paranormal sightings over the 12 years at the famous FIrst Mayor's home-turned-museum. Eaton's Centre is the spine-chilling Finale! NOTE: Young Children must be accompanied by an adult due to strong paranormal activities at the lost public hanging square.  Limit 13 spots each night.

Dates & Time: FRI. OCT 19, 26, NOV 2, 2012  6:30 - 9:00 PM
Fees ($CAD: incl pre-ordered snacks): Adult $25 SR/ST $18 CHILD $15
Meet: St Lawrence Market's middle door, 93 Front St E.
Pre-register:  (416) 923-6813 or info@TorontoWalksBikes.com



Event: HAUNTED YORKVILLE, U of T & QUEEN'S PARK WALK


This popular ghost tour starts at the ROM, and by the time we back there, we'll have you wondering who is dead or living on the tour!  Yorkville Village is famous for its equal number of hair salon, art galleries, and some expensive haunted sites.  Planning on entering politics or attending university some day? You might think twice chance after this attending this ghost walk. Warning: time permitting, we go into one famous university building after sharing the legend, we'll give you a chance to try "paranormal CSI". Ideal for adults and kids! 
Limit 13 spots each night.

Dates & Time: TUES. OCT 23, 30, 2012   6:30-9:00 PM
Fees ($CAD: incl snacks): Adult $25 SR/ST $18 CHILD $15
Meet: ROM, steps between the  2 Marble Lions, 100 Queen's Park Circle
Pre-register:  (416) 923-6813 or info@TorontoWalksBikes.com



Event: PHANTOMS, PLAYERS & PUNDITS WALK

As dusk approaches, the buildings get empty, or are they? We launched this tour during Halloween 2003, and right away guests experienced paranormal contacts... Can you handle more scary ghost stories of forgotten jails, public hanging square and vaudeville theatre in the Entertainment & Financial Districts?If you work downtown, we dare you to come along and discovery which one of these buildings are highly spirited: Old & New City Halls, Osgoode Hall, Campbell House, Malabar, and Royal Alexandra Theatre. 
Limit 13 spots each night

Dates & Time: WED OCT 24, 31 + MON. OCT 29, 2012  6:30-9:00 PM
Fees ($CAD: incl pre-ordered snacks): Adult $25 SR/ST $18 CHILD $15
Meet: Old City Hall, front steps, 60 Queen St W/Bay St.
Pre-register:  (416) 923-6813 or info@TorontoWalksBikes.com


Ignorance can be bliss... 
You'll never look at Toronto again the same way 
after a spooky ghost walk or a foodie tour .... 
So join fellow foodies &/or ghostologists!


Stay tuned  as we wrap-up  in December 2012 
and then gear up for our
20th anniversary celebrations in 2013! 




Thursday, September 13, 2012

How many ways to celebrate Fall in Toronto? Part I



Shhhh! Don't tell anyone ... Toronto, lives up to its First Nation name, the Meeting Place in the Fall season!  I don't know about you, but there's something soothing about that crisp autumn breeze after the intensely HOT, HOT, HOT summer... meanwhile the days get darker sooner everyday... I always find the months of September and October come hand-in-hand with rich full sensory experiences thanks to multicultural Fall Bounty celebrated all over town -  Farm Harvest Tables, farmers' markets, the kaleidoscope of Fall foliage, and the various festivals and holidays. 

So how many ways can we celebrate the Fall season in Toronto? Well... I am kicking off with something totally new for me...  it's different from what I normally do while conducting one of my cool  Foodies, Literary Detective or Ghost Walks as I'm kinda staying in one spot... Hint it takes place at a hot Pan Asian food event hosted by Harbourfront Centre! 

Fortune Cooking Festival: Street Food Demo 
Sunday September 16th Noon - 1:00pm

 Join yours truly - Culinary Historian, Shirley Lum of A Taste of the World, at her unique Street Food Demonstration at Harbourfront Centre's Fortune Cooking Festival .  Explore Pan Asian street food and Toronto's multicultural bounty! Always wondered what to do with Bean Curd skin? If you're looking for healthy, yet tasty and easy snack and lunch ideas then come on down to Harbourfront Centre for this FREE demonstration! 

If you've been along one of the Second Chinatown Foodies Walks, you've been shown the dried ruffle-edged Cloud Ear Fungus at the Chinese herbal shop. At the grocery store, you might have had a chance to handle the the stringy Chinese Long Beans and the Silk Squash which comes in many names: Chinese Okra or Angled Luffa or Silk Squash or Taiwanese Okra. 
Cloud Ear Fungus

Now you have the golden opportunity to watch me pull together these ingredients at a live cooking demonstration, and of course, the best part is sampling Shirley's delicious cooking! You're bound to love this delicious but healthy dish so much, that you can't wait to get home to try the recipe handout. By the way, I heard the weather forecast is going to be fantastic, so it will be a great way to get another shot of vitamin D by the lake before it's flu season!  Anyway, drop by Harbourfront Centre and come by to say, "Hello"! 

If you're wondering about the other ways to celebrate Fall Season in Toronto for the rest of September and the month of October...  stay tuned on Monday for the multicultural Fall Bounty Food Walks, the Fall Colours Literary Detective Walks and Ghost Walks. Can't wait?  Like us on our Facebook page to get updates!