Category Archives: Food & Restaurants

CBC Radio: The North By Northwest Cooking Club – share your favorite cookbook story

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CBC Radio: The North By Northwest Cooking Club – share your favorite cookbook story


I have just discovered the CBC Radio North by Northwest Cooking Club. 

They have a contest to share a story about your favorite cookbook.  You can win a copy of the CBC cookbook “Flavours of Vancouver: Dishes from Around the World“

Here is my story:

I was in grade 7, when I purchased the Charlie Brown Cook Book… and I loved reading the cartoons more than the recipes.



I have
a small cook book collection that takes up 1 1/2 shelves on my book
case.  There are cook books that emphasize vegetarian, seafood or
grilled foods.  I even have Sarah McLachlan's book “Plenty” and a
book by Naked Chef Jaime Oliver.



I listened to CBC radio one time, and they were interviewing chef

Wolfgang
Puck, when he was still working in Vancouver, but was out on Vancouver
Island's wild west coast with Westcoast Expeditions for a kayaking
tour.  He was talking about sea asparagus, and I had to try
it.  I even went on the West Coast expeditions kayak tour and had
incredible huge halibut steaks cooked over the fire, by owner/host
Rupert Wong.



My
all-time favorite cook book is now “Chow” by Janice Wong.  Janice
has created a new genre – the family memoir cook book.  She has
taken the recipes that her father used in his restaurant in Prince
Albert SK.



It's a
special book because Janice's great grandfather was Rev. Chan Yu Tan,
who came to Canada as a Christian Missionary.  Janices grandmother
was my great-grandmother's younger sister.  So it was especially
wonderful to hear about family stories that I didn't know even
existed.  It's hard to believe that we had never met before, even
though we both share a strong interest in family history.



It was great to read about her father Dennis, Rev. Chan Yu Tan, and

Even
grand uncle Luke who became an actor in Hollywood Movies.  One
time, Janice excitedly contacted me when she had found one of Uncle
Luke's movies on-line – one that he actually starred in – “The
Mysterious Mr. Wong.”



Janice
first contacted me asking to help invite family members to her book
launch.  I have since followed much of the media and events
surrounding Chow, even being a panelist at Janice's presentations at
the West Vancouver and Vancouver Public libraries.



My
girlfriend has really taken the book to heart, preparing some of the
recipes for me.  Chow is very special to me, because it really
symbolizes my wonderful new friendship with a formerly unkown 2nd
cousin-once-removed.



Check out Janice Wong's websites

FOR MY BOOK  http://c-h-o-w.blogspot.com

FOR ME  http://what-is-she-up-to.blogspot.com

And I'm updating the http://www.janicewongstudio.com site...new  
images coming in June!!!!!!!


Hapa Izakaya restaurant: A upscale Canadian fusion version of Japanese bistro dining

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Hapa Izakaya restaurant: A upscale Canadian fusion version of Japanese bistro dining


Hapa Izakaya, 1479 Robson Street at Nicola, 604 689-4272

There is a new kind of dining experience happening in
Vancouver….  upscale Japanese bistro dining.  While
Japanese bistros have been around for awhile, making homestyle Japanese
cooking available for the rising  numbers of Japanese English
language students – the upscale trend started a number of years ago
with  restaurants such as Raku, which was later renamed Guu.

I was first introduced to sushi on Vancouver's Robson Street in the
early 1980's – many years before it was trendy.  Today, you can
walk down Robson Street and see many of the young Japanese students
hanging out with their friends while studying in Vancouver, one of the
most popular global cities for learning English.

Vancouver's multicultural environment, and large Asian population,
makes it a natural desired destination for Asian students from around
the world.  And now many former students are returning to
Vancouver to live and work.  Many are involved in computers,
programming and are part of a new rising affluent demographic.

Vancouver also boasts a happening film industry.  Famous actors
are often seen in many of the restaurants along Robson Street like Cin
Cin.  Now… they can also be seen at Hapa Izakaya too!

Hapa Izakaya at 1479 Robson Street,
is a beautiful smooth lounge-type restaurant in minimalist black. 
You step in, and you know that movement flows like water.  Music
dances trance-like through the speakers.  The chefs stand behind
the counters and shout out greetings, like many other Japanese
restaurants – but something's different here.  It's the food.

The food mixes traditional Japanese homestyle dishes with inventive
cultural fusion – just like it's owner Justin Ault.  Ault is “hapa“-
the Hawaiian word for “half” which has also come to mean half
white/half Asian.  Read about Jason Ault in a 2003 Vancouver
Magazine article Diner: Beyond Sushi.

Last Wednesday night, we went to Hapa Izakaya with the Save Kogawa House
committee, as one of our members is Ellen Crowe-Swords whose nephew is
Justin Ault, the owner of Hapa Izakaya.  Justin grew up on
Vancouver Island, the descendant of Japanese Canadians who had been
interened at Slocan, during World War 2.  Justin was born in Port
Alberni, and spent some time in Tokyo where he met his wife, who is
also hapa.

Ellen ordered food for our table, and explained about the dishes. 
All were very delicious.  But I can't remember everything we
ate…  The first thing I tasted was the very delicious Japanese
pumpkin puree with a whipped cream, spread on melba toast.  Next,
I ate the spinach salad – very fresh and tasty, served with something
on the side – wish I could remember.

Tuna belly chopped with spring onions, mixed with slices of red and
yellow peppers, and spread over garlic toast.  ummmm…. I love
good tuna!  There was a tempura prawn dish…. bacon wrapped
asparagus.

I love rice… There was a crispy rice hot pot with pork, tomato sauce
and kimchi, served in a Korean hot stone bowl.  Be careful not to
touch the bowl.  It reminded me of my own mother's “Spanish Rice”
dish that her father used to make for her.  I offered my
girlfriend some of the crispy rice, from the sides of the bowl.

This was a great dining experience – perfect for hanging with friends.  The Kogawa House committee is now planning a fundraiser event at the restaurant to help raise funds to save Kogawa House.  Look for a our event before the end of April.

My friend Roland Tanglao wrote a 2003 mini-review of his visit to Hapa Izakaya for his website Van Eats, and even posted pictures of the food.  Roland wrote

“Hapa Izakaya is beautiful. Black and sleek with tables where you sit
Japanese style with your shoes off, bar seating for those who are
fascinated by the chaos of activity in a restaurant kitchen and regular
tables.

“The food at Hapa is polished, down home Japanese cooking plus
more grownup touches like martinis and cool cocktails like Cassis with
Grapefruit (my personal favourite $4.50). And sake served in tall
bamboo tumblers is also a popular choice.

“Go with a group that doesn't mind sharing and go crazy. In the
unlikely event you pick something that you ALL don't like, it won't
matter since most everything is under $10. We paid about $60 after tax
but before tip for a filling dinner for three people consisting of
three drinks and five or six sharing plates on each of our two visits.
I bet you'll like almost everything you try! Highly Recommended!”

Another friend Tim Pawsey wrote his review for the Vancouver Courier 'Hapa'-ning Tokyo-style tapas

“Can a menu be euphemistic? Sure.
Tucked into the bar at this newly opened Robson dining lounge, the
Hired Belly pondered the possibilities of Saba “lightly seared at your
table.” Saba-or rather “aburi shime saba,” as it is here-is lightly
pickled mackerel. It has a bright silver skin and looks very tempting
to a fish lover-assuming you know what to do with it…


“Billed as “Tokyo-style tapas,” Hapa takes Robson's blossoming crop of good casual Asian eateries to the next level….


“Even in a town known for its reasonable
eating, it's pretty hard to find such quality and inventiveness for
this kind of cost. My four small plates came to just over $20 before
GST (no drinks). And if this is the new look of “lower” Robson, there's
increasingly plenty to like, as the street shows signs of regaining its
once celebrated multiplicity.”

Check out these other reviews from web

www.arthurhungry.com

www.frommers.com

www.dinehere.ca

CBC Radio: Janice Wong & CHOW on “Freestyle” Radio 1 – 1:30pm

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CBC Radio:  Janice Wong & CHOW on “Freestyle” Radio 1 –
 
2:30pm EST Toronto – Friday February 10th
 

in BC – listen on the web at 3:30pm PST on the web

For Vancouverites who don't get the second half of the program via  
radio, The CBC people tell me that it is possible to listen online.

If you go to this link and then choose "Victoria", at 2.30 you can  
catch the interview.

http://www.cbc.ca/listen/index.html#


Janice Wong is hitting the CBC radio national airwaves again. 
Jance has just returned from Toronto for promotions for CHOW where I
set up a dinner for her to meet her father's cousins's family and
descendants.
She writes:


I'll
be dishing from my book “Chow” again, this time on CBC's afternoon show
called “Freestyle”, CBC Radio 1 at around 1.30 Toronto time….a
10-minute interview.

Also
coming up is a 1/2-hour interview on “Fine Print” on Rogers TV in
Toronto…I'll let you know the date and time when I receive the
schedule.

Thanks for tuning in.

Best wishes, Janice

Click here to see other articles on Janice Wong and her book CHOW
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog?cmd=search&keywords=janice+wong+chow

CHOW author Janice Wong meets Rev. Chan Clan relatives in Toronto – a blind date with family.

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CHOW author Janice Wong meets Rev. Chan Clan relatives  in Toronto – a blind date with family.

 Janice Wong has successful book launch at Sylvia Hotel

Janice Wong author of CHOW: Memories of Food and Family went to Toronto last week to talk food and family history to media including: CITY TV’s Breakfast TV, Rogers’ Fine Print, and CBC Radio.

I helped set up a dinner so that Janice could meet up with distant relative elders who all remembered their cousin Dennis Wong – her father, as well as to meet the latest celebrity in the Rev. Chan clan.  The families were just as excited to meet Janice as she was to meet them – all for the very first time.

Janice was able to meet her father’s cousins Edith, Esther, and Ruth – who all grew up in Vancouver BC, and knew their cousin Dennis Wong – the son of their Rose (Chan) Wong, younger sister to their mother Kate (Chan) Lee.   I have always loved meeting the many relatives and learning the many stories of our Chinese Canadian pioneer family.  Great kudos to my 2nd cousin-once removed, for writing down these stories and inventing a new type of
genre – the cooking/historical memoir.

janice wrote:

Hi Todd!

 

Yes,  I am home…back from the Big Toe, where it was raining densely, just
like Vancouver.  I was hoping for a bit of blue sky. There was
one day of crispy, cheek-tingling wintry weather, (but not really!).

 

My first “appearance”, on Breakfast TV was ok. (6.30 Toronto time, 3.30
a.m. my time!). It was a rapid 4 minute segment of jabbering on about
CNY, pitching the book and describing how to marinate a fish (while
demo-ing said marinade).  They shoot in a studio on street level, so
there are streecars going by, people on their way to work. The studio
is a big room in an old building and they have a range-y set, portable
stove, coffee bar, bleachers. That day’s segment featured beachwear for
winter holidays, something about two big beds, Barbara Coloroso talking
about how to talk to your kids, the Home Depot tool guy, the dumping
out of millions of email contest entries, weather, traffic and me and
my fish.

 

I had a longer and more meaningful 20 minute interview (for a 1/2 hour TV
program) with Carolyn Weaver, whose show is called “Fine Print” (
books and authors), and runs on Roger’s TV.  We taped it in her
kitchen, in her home in Cabbagetown. She asked some very good,
interesting questions. I’ll let you (and our many Toronto relatives!!)
know when the air time is…probably in a couple of weeks.

 

Earlier that day, I had a celebrity sighting! I was having breakfast in the hotel
when in walked Ed Broadbent (I’ve been a fan forever).
I was thrilled. We smiled and waved at each other. After I finished my
Eggs Benny, I stopped at their table, and thanked him for all of his
great work and shook his hand. It was pretty cool.

 

Because CBC Toronto had taped a 20 minute interview with me for a morning
program that aired the weekend before I arrived, the other CBC program
that had agreed to an interview decided to cancel so they weren’t
overlapping, so that made the trip more relaxing. I just had more time
to meander.  I love Toronto streetscapes. So many shops and
restaurants in old buildings and houses, all mixed up, old edwardian
and victorian brick houses, funny little 1920’s, 30’s 40’s buildings.

 

It was really wonderful to meet all of the “cousins”.  Todd, thank you so
much for setting that in motion. David picked me up at the hotel and we
gathered for dinner. I think there were about 20 people who attended. I
had a nice connection with everyone and couldn’t believe it when the
various “Aunties” told me the ages of their oldest kids. For example,
Esther, who has a 75-year-old daughter, to which I replied that it
couldn’t be possible since SHE looked like she was 75. (The same thing
happened when I met your G__ last year…I was so surprised
to hear that her eldest daughter was in her 70’s)…good longevity
genes in your family…none of the “Aunties” have any wrinkles, they
all look 20 years younger or more…and they’re just delightful.

The fifth generation were also delightful…I was convinced that they were
all teenagers, and surprised to learn that they were in their mid to
late twenties! Must be that Chinese “youth” gene. Anyways, it was
really a special treat to be on a “blind date” with these folks and to
know that they had come from all far-flung parts of Toronto to see me
because they had such fond childhood memories of my dad. Thank you
again for creating yet another special night!

 

Anyways, that was Toronto in a nutshell. I enjoy that city! Maybe we can all go
for a Gung Haggis next year…or something in the summer when the
weather is fine…let’s make up a Chinese festival!


Click here to see other articles on Janice Wong and her book CHOW
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog?cmd=search&keywords=janice+wong+chow

What to do with leftover haggis? Superbowl Scottish paté!

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What to do with leftover haggis?  Superbowl Scottish paté!

Just what does one do with leftover haggis? 

Usually I always encourage people to serve it up as a “Scottish paté” for Super Bowl parties…
The
haggis from Peter Black & Sons, is always like a nice paté already,
especially with the nice liver and spice mixutre.  At the January
15th Cric? Crac! put on by the Vancouver Storytellers Society,
organizer Mary Gavan had made up a nice haggis paté that people were
all trying.

I always have some one pounders of  haggis left
over from the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  They freeze very
well.  If you buy them at the store they usually come frozen and
can be readily defrosted.

Haggis lends itself very well to
fusion cooking.  In 2004, I helped to lead a Gung Haggis Fat Chili
team of Vancouver Public Library employees in the City of Vancouver
annual United Way Chili Cook-off.  People couldn't believe we
actually made a chili with haggis, that tasted very…. uh….
haggis-sy.  I LOVED our chili, and took the remainders home and
ate lots and lots of it.  My girlfriend even admitted it was a
good chili – for one made with haggis.

Adam Protter founder of the Whistler home edition of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, amd presiding chef of Big Smoke restaurant in Mt. Currie, has pioneered another  haggis fusion culinary dish.

Adam writes

I felt moved to pass on my latest discovery.

This morning I fried up my last slices of hoarded haggis with some eggs and tomato slices.
I
then topped the haggis & eggs with Lingham's & Sons Chili Sauce
from Malaysia. I had tasted combo this once before using Thai Kitchen
Sweet Chili sauce and was intrigued but not excited.

Well, as the truly
remarkable Hobbit Samwise Hamfast once remarked “Quality is as
quality
does!”.  Lingham's, with it's old fashioned quality, simple ingredients,
all natural, no tomatoes, no preservatives was the kicker. It's hotter,
sweeter and cleaner tasting than all the rest and it makes haggis sing!

Yet another example of how East meets West and ends up tasty!

Janice Wong featured on Fanny Kiefer Show Friday on Shaw TV Cable

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Janice Wong featured on Fanny Kiefer Show Friday on Shaw TV Cable

Studio
4 broadcasts in the Lower Mainland (except Delta) on Shaw TV Cable 4
Live at 9:00am weekdays repeating at 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 9:00 pm, 2:00 am


In Victoria on Shaw TV Cable 11 4:00pm weekdays (with a one-day delay) 

In the Cowichan Valley on Shaw TV Cable 4 4:00pm Weekdays

Studio 4 with Fanny Kiefer is only available on Shaw TV 

Interviews, Kogawa House, Gung Haggis Fat Choy taste testing, Bryan Adams

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Wednesday prior to Gung Haggis Fat Choy

Busy busy days leading up to Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event
now.  CBC Radio Freestyle called in the morning to find out more
about the dinner and to set up an interview for Friday morning to be
broadcast on Friday afternoon, January 20th.

The Courier newspaper phoned me, asking me questions about the status
of Kogawa House, and how the fund raising was going.  Still slow
on the major fronts, but The Land Conservancy is setting up some
displays in major book stores throughout Vancouver.  The Gung
Haggis Fat Choy dinner is donating partial proceeds to Kogawa House,
because “it is so dear to my heart,” and I have now set up Joy Kogawa
to be keynote speaker at the “Order of Canada/Maple Leaf” luncheon for
the Canadian Club.

I attended a meeting with new Vancouver City Councilor Kim Capri,
regarding status of Kogawa House.  She gave us some great contacts
and idea, as well as a donation.  While at City Hall, Ann-Marie
Metten and I bumped into Councillors Raymond Louie and David Cadman,
who had both voted to support Kogawa House back on Nov. 3. 
Raymond is coming to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, so we gave him
his tickets, as well as dropping off tickets for Councillor Elizabeth
Ball, Suzanne Anton, BC Lee, Heather Deal, George Chow and Mayor Sam
Sullivan.

Chuck Lew, the organizer of the Chinatown Lions Club, phoned me back to
tell me that their annual “Haggis Night dinner” is on Thursday January
26th.  It's at the Floata I think.

We had taste-testing at the Floata Restaurant for the Gung Haggis Fat
Choy dinner tonight.  Attending was Roland Tanglao of
www.vaneats.com, chef Stephen Wong, dragon boat team members Dave
Samis, Daming and Deb Martin.  CBC radio reporter Margaret
Gallagher also dropped in to pick up some haggis won ton to use in an
on-air segment of “What's going on” and to give away 2 tickets for Gung
Haggis Fat Choy on 690 to Go!  More on our taste testing
tomorrow.

While at the Floata Restaurant, Mayor Sam Sullivan phoned me to check
on his part in the dinner.  Sam loves Chinese culture, and he
informs me that he has selected a short Tang dynasty poem to read in
Cantonese.  We have a short chat about how when he was in Grade 9
at Vancouver Technical Highschool, I was there in grade 8.  I tell
him we have a table of '77 and '78 Van Tech grades attending.  Sam
also gives me the lowdown on what is required to get him and his
wheelchair onstage at the Floata Restaurant.  We will need a
ramp.  Vancouver Mayors get invited many times a month to attend
events at Floata, especially as Chinese New Year approaches.  We
need a ramp.

Then we headed over to the Vancouver Public library, for a reading by Janice Wong, author of Chow from China to Canada: Tales of Food and Family.  Janice does a great presentation using a lap top
computer to do a slide show of family pictures, describing family
history and her father's restaurants in Prince Albert, SK.
Chef /food columnist Stephen Wong, Historian Larry Wong and myself join
Janice for a panel discussion about food, Chinatown restaurants,
Chinese Canadian history, and family.  I tell the story about how
I invented haggis won ton for a CBC Radio reception welcoming Shelagh
Rogers and Sounds Like Canada to Vancouver.  Stephen talks about
the origins of Chinese dumplings.  Larry talks about apple tarts
from the old Chinese restaurants.  Roland Tanglao of www.vaneats.com  posted Stephen Wong's Chinese restaurant picks

Then at 9pm, I am off to the Bryan Adams
concert.  Great concert.  Almost everybody is singing along
to every song.  The energy is high.  There is an octogenarian
couple sitting on the aisle seats on our row.  They are mouthing
the words to “Cuts Like a Knife” – hmmm I wonder if they are Bryan's
parents or relatives.  Adams finishes his first encore, then comes
back for a second encore with only an accoustic guitar.  He plays
about 5 songs unplugged.  What a great way to conclude a
concert.  Everybody is singing along to Heaven, Best of Me. All
for One, Room Service, Straight From the Heart.

CHOW + Wong X 4 = Chef Stephen wong joins panel discussion on CHOW at VPL

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CHOW + Wong X 4 = Chef Stephen wong joins panel discussion on CHOW at VPL

Wong,
Wong, Wong and Wong: Not a secret Hong Kong Triad but a Vancouver food
and history Quartet (we sound very dangerous, don't you think?)

Chef
Stephen Wong has now been added to the panel discussion on Chinese
food, life and restaurants for Janice Wong's presentation of CHOW From
China to Canada: Memories of Food and Family.

7:30pm
January 18th, 2006
Vancouver Public Library
Alice Mackay Room
Free
Janice
will make a slide show presentation about her 4 generation family
history, and her father's restaurant in Saskatchewan.  I am
Janice's 2nd cousin – once removed, so I am 5th generation.  Maybe
I will bring the Rev. Chan Legacy photo display, so we can see the 6th
and 7th generations too!

Janice
found an image of a very secretive, dangerous Bela Lugosi…(love the
cauldron and the extremely long chopsticks).  This is a
publicity poster from one of Great-Uncle Luke's films that Janice is
including in her presentation so she can read the little bit about the
preacher's son who made his way to Hollywood acting in films such as
The Good Earth, and starring in “The Mysterious Mr. Wong.”


Stephen Wong
is a Hong Kong-born chef, restaurant consultant, writer and food
ambassador. He contributes to the Vancouver Sun as well as national and
international food periodicals and books. Since 1978 Stephen's
groundbreaking ideas and creative influence have enhanced the
reputations of many B.C. restaurants. He is in demand as a guest chef
in the U.S., Japan, China and across Canada.


Larry Wong is the president of
the Chinese Canadian Historical Society, and the executive director of
the Chinese Canadian Military Museum.  He is also a childhood
friend of author Wayson Choy, and Larry was on the inaugural One Book
One Vancouver committee. Larry was born in Vancouver's Chinatown where
he spent his first 25 years. He is a retired federal civil servant and
has always had a keen interest in Chinese Canadian history. He has been
published in the Vancouver Sun, The Beaver magazine, the British
Columbia History magazine and is presently working on a series of
stories about growing up in Chinatown.


Todd Wong is perhaps best known
as the media mogul behind Gung Haggis Fat Choy. The yearly CNY/Robbie
Burns Day dinner is Todd's creation.  Todd loves Chinese Canadian
history and culture, and when he was invited to present a welcome gift
to Shelagh Rogers and the Sounds Like Canada CBC Radio program crew….
Todd invented haggis won ton!

Janice Wong is an award winning
Vancouver visual artist.Her most recent exhibition was held in Split,
Croatia in September, 2005.  Her long fascination with her rich
multigenerational Canadian family history inspired her to write
CHOW.  Since its publication, Janice has been a much in demand
author for local and national radio and tv media including CBC's Sounds
Like Canada, North by Northwest and Pacific Palate, City TV's City
Cooks, Toronto's Breakfast TV, Shaw Studio 4, and print media including
The Richmond Review, The Georgia Strait, New Brunswick Reader, Rice
Paper Magazine

Janice Wong's Book CHOW at Vancouver Public Library January 18th + Panel Discussion

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Janice Wong's Book CHOW at Vancouver Public Library January 18th + Panel Discussion

Wednesday January 18
7:30 pm
Free
Event
Peter Kaye Room, Lower Level
Central Library
350 West Georgia Street

Janice Wong presents her book, Chow from China to Canada: Tales of Food and Family.
A collection of over 50 traditional Chinese village dishes, it contains
early photographs, immigration documents, 1940s restaurant menus and
handwritten recipes from some of Canada's first ethnic restaurants.

Janice
Wong, a Vancouver-based artist and daughter of a Chinese restaurateur,
has assembled her father's recipes and her family's history in this
unique cookbook;

Panel Discussion on Chinese food and Chinese Restaurants:
Janice is joined by by: 

Larry
Wong of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society
Todd Wong of the creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy
Stephen Wong, celebrity chef

Here is the inside story on the event

Janice is my 2nd cousin-once-removed.
We are descendants of Rev. Chan Yu Tan, who arrived in Canada in 1891.
  And I only met her earlier this year when she announced that her
book was coming out.  We immediately bonded, and I have enjoyed
helping her promote her book.  We did a panel discussion together
with Larry Wong at the West Vancouver Library and had so much fun, we
decided to do it for Vancouver.

Chinese style bbq turkeys for Christmas…. yum yum!

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Chinese style bbq turkeys for Christmas…. yum yum!

Jenny Uechi of Ricepaper Magazine wrote this very interesting foodie
article about turkey dinner served Chinese style for the Georgia Straight.  I LOVE Chinese
style bbq duck, and was intrigued with this idea….  I mentioned
it to my mother, and she told me that she sometimes would take a turkey
to a Chinatown butcher/meat store, and they would BBQ it on a price per
pound basis.

Jim Wong-Chu is a long-time friend and Asian Canadian Arts
mentor.  We came up with the idea of haggis won ton, as he has
helped advise me on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners over the
years…  Jim loves Chinese food too!


Put a little extra red in your dinner with a Chinese-style BBQ turkey

By jenny uechi

Publish Date: 15-Dec-2005

Traditionalists
will tell you that Christmas dinner just doesn’t feel complete without
a roasted whole turkey as its centrepiece. The more daring, however,
may want to try a new spin on this holiday favourite: Chinese-style
barbecue turkey. With its reddish skin and sweet-savoury flavour, it’s
a dish that not only tastes (and looks) spectacular but also reflects
Vancouver’s multiethnic history.

Jim Wong-Chu, Ricepaper
publisher and local Asian-food guru, takes time to meet with the
Straight to recount the origins of the Chinese-style turkey. “From what
people tell me,” he says, “this tradition started way back in the olden
days, when none of the Chinese had ovens in their homes. So on special
occasions, they asked the local barbecue houses to roast the turkey for
them.” Prepared much like a traditional roasted duck, the turkey had
crisply seared skin, marinade sauce, and better-preserved juices than
the oven-roasting birds. “Even now, when most people have their own
ovens, people crave that barbecue taste,” he says.

As proof of
this, many barbecue houses in Chinatown still cater to that tradition.
At Kwong Hing Co. Ltd (228 East Pender Street, 604-681-1939) and Dollar
Meat Store (266 East Pender Street, 604-681-0536), turkey is sold at
$4.99 a pound and can be ordered in advance. As with most stores in
Chinatown, Cantonese is the lingua franca among staff: Wong-Chu advises
that non–Cantonese speakers may want to order through a translator to
avoid miscommunication.

For more of the story click here