by Lan Daval
CANDID SHOTS – The leadership must strengthen our democratic institutions – the executive, legislative and judiciary. It should likewise include the fourth estate, police and military structure. The pork barrel system must go and corruption should be totally eliminated. Our free press ought to be really independent to become the watchdog of society and we must ensure the integrity of our electoral processes.
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH – If the city of Toronto’s renowned busiest commercial areas Spadina and Dundas turned into a food-pot operation, it would only have been running true to form. The reason is plain and simple because plenty of restaurants and other food joints owned and operated by Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese business entrepreneurs dotting the busy thoroughfares are famous for their culinary expertise.
Our Filipino friends who have already acquired citizenship status told us that a stretch of Spadina and Dundas business districts where Chinatown is also located had become a culinary phenomenon. For the first half of our ride through the areas’ commercial sprawl, we noticed rows of restaurants famed for their Asian cuisine. One can explore the famous and traditional Asian gastronomy – specifically Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese.
The drive around Spadina and Dundas took almost an hour. We made a brief stop to try a sumptuous meal at a popular restaurant and entered a narrow path leading to the dining hall where one can see wooden structures painted with colorful Chinese symbols. The place was teeming with customers – Asian, Americans, Europeans, and of course the locals. Served to us were varieties of familiar food. Right then and there one could smell the aroma of black pepper, fish and soy sauce, and herbs -the foundation of fine Asian cooking.
On our way back home I reflected on the experience, imagining there were such an endless varieties of food. On another sunny day we visited a Korean restaurant and then in another occasion we dropped by a Vietnamese food joint also to indulge in their traditional fare where the prices are very affordable compared to other fine restaurants in the city.
The remarkable success of the Asian-inspired restaurant business may well hold a clue for being imitated by small businesses in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada which are said to be also thriving well. Until a few years ago that description certainly fit the bustling commercial districts’ distinction as a food haven.
Not surprisingly, immigrants, notably Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese entrepreneurs are pumping money into the restaurant business and low-cost consumer-based products. Other small entrepreneurs are also investing heavily, though, they usually engage in other business lines that are unattractive to the locals but possibly profitable. However, the good thing is that many of them want a piece of Toronto’s restaurant business.
Well, the success of the restaurant business can be attributed largely in part to people known for their insatiable appetite and craving dishes such as Asian fusion. Many food lovers who at the same time are also thrift-smarts can appreciate medium-sized restaurants where the food is good and, most important, the prices are reasonable. By such a trend, can the real success of the restaurant business be measured?
Nevertheless, restaurant owners and operators eventually benefit from the food business boom, which makes their trade more profitable. In the long run the food business venture is likely to see a sustainable growth. Sustainability has been at the core of the Asian-inspired restaurant business, not only in Canada but throughout the world.
