PrintToronto Seeks New Rules on Street Food
Speaking of street food, the city of Toronto, whose cart-vendor fare is limited by Ontario provincial law to hot dogs and sausages, is seeking a change in those rules.
Guy Rubino, the executive chef at Rain, an Asian-inspired restaurant on Mercer Street in the Entertainment District, addressed the board of health and said that other cities around the world put Toronto's street meat to shame, offering noodle dishes, fresh fruit, and, in Singapore, a delicacy known as frog's legs porridge.
"It's not that the ingredients aren't here," Mr. Rubino said. ". . . it's embarrassing. This city is trying so hard to be world class, but on this topic it is so ghetto."
Photograph from iStockPhoto.com
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5 Comments:
I live in South -Western Ontario(3 hours from TO). And it seems as though there is alot on controversy about the city. Not limited to just this. There was apparently a documentry made called "let's all hate Toronto". It a fantastic city, but it does need to improve on a few things, this topic on street food being on of them!
Lilartist at 9:16AM on 04/17/07
Lil: I wasn't trying to hate on Toronto. Just thought it was interesting that the board of health was trying to change the laws to allow more food diversity on the street. I can't see how expanding cart-based menu options would be a bad thing. Maybe I should have selected a less inflammatory quote to excerpt here, but it was the most colorful one in the story. In the future, I'll try to be more conscientious. ;)
Adam Kuban at 9:19AM on 04/17/07
This city is trying so hard to be world class, but on this topic it is so ghetto.
In my 'Fessering, I generally scold students for denigrating things as "ghetto,"* but Mr. Rubino seems to be using it not in its usual sense of "not state of the art" but in a gramatically idiosyncratic, but etymologically apt sense of "creating physical divisions based on race."
IE: "Your laptop runs Windows 2000? That's so ghetto."
The Gurgling Cod at 10:56AM on 04/17/07
I didn't realize that the reason you can only get the vile "street meat" in Toronto was due to the laws around food on the street! I agree with Guy Rubino that there are so many great possibilities that Ontario should open up to, particularly given Toronto's great multicultural population. That said, if you step off of the street, I think Toronto is a great place to eat!
psychsarah at 11:44AM on 04/17/07
Adam- I just realized that came off wrong! I was just amused becuase there is alot of attention of various aspects of TO. I agree with you. It's all hot dogs, and TO can definately do better then that for street food! The Let's all hate To comment was about a documnetary that is out in the media right at the moment. I haven't seen it, but I can see how it would go along the same lines. It's bad when London, Ontario does better the To.
Lilartist at 11:55AM on 04/17/07