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Globe: Chinatown Blues

I was surprised when I saw the Spring Rolls sign go up a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, I've never been inside one, but I assume they're kinda theme-parky Chinese food, no? Seems odd to locate one in a real Chinatown.
 
I've been once. Not particularly authentic from what I could tell. No fowl and swine bits hanging in windows- so I imagine a lot of tourists visiting the area would go for it.
 
I was surprised when I saw the Spring Rolls sign go up a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, I've never been inside one, but I assume they're kinda theme-parky Chinese food, no? Seems odd to locate one in a real Chinatown.
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Spring Rolls is good value for the money and their locations are fairly stylin'. The food is more pan-Asian (with a heavy accent on Thai dishes). I wouldn't really call any of their menu Chinese, but I'm no expert on the matter either. Still, a little odd that they are in Chinatown East.
 
If they don't serve yummy chicken feet they don't rate, as far as I'm concerned.
 
I dread having to go to a suburban Chinese supermarket with the awful Chinese women drivers!
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Haha, its funny because its so true (I take it you mean 'older').

Once the novelty of being able to have space, a lawn and a car for the first generation goes away, Chinatown will still have issues. I would bet that most second generationers will move into nice new shiny condos downtown (away from Chinatown), and if they wanted authentic food/products, that they would still make trips uptown. Downtown Chinatown gets rejected often because its deemed as dirtier (albiet smellier), an influx of vietnamese, and the food not on the same quality as uptown (as well as catering a lot more than uptown to regular canadians).
 
Maybe a better effort to clean up Chinatown, eliminating the piles of garbage on the sidewalks and doing something about some of the nasty odours (especially in the summer) would do it some good. As one of downtown's most vibrant neighbourhoods, you'd hate to see it go downhill.
 
eliminating the piles of garbage on the sidewalks
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you raise a good point, but this is common with most large downtown Chinatowns. I've never understood why restaurants in these locations feel to pile their garbage up outside the front of their premises where their patrons are waiting for a table? Toronto chinatown should look to London's Chinatown on how to do it, and very much look to Manhattan Chitown on how very not to do it.

But, again, it is a sign of the times and a lot of Chinese want more modern choices. I hear a lot of comments from older chinese folk who say a lot of the authentic chinese places in that area resemble '1960s' style HK establishments. Chinatown needs a facelift as much as it needs an overall change in its establishments.
 
My Chinese "in-laws" who visited from Hong Kong in 1998 were charmed by Chinatown East precisely because it reminded them of what HK used to be like.

One store sold flattened, desiccated fowl ( ducks? ) that looked like frisbees, but they closed a few years ago.
 
babel:

One store sold flattened, desiccated fowl ( ducks? ) that looked like frisbees, but they closed a few years ago.
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I think T&T supermarkets out in the burbs carry those - and they're still pretty easy to find elsewhere.

The Chinese term for that delicacy is "waxed duck". Enough to make me avoid it like the plague.

AoD
 
I have never seen live frogs for sale in Chinatown East, but they were at one time available there, and maybe still are. Much better tasting than the frozen.
 
A long time ago (at least 10 years back) the dim sum restaurant in my neighbourhood served tortoise (I think for a soup). There was a cage next to the restaurant's entrance where you could see the tortoises.

I'm a fan of the "waxed duck" (better known as "preserved duck"), but I'd definitely stay away from frog or tortoise dishes.
 
Anyone a fan of thousand year old eggs?

*sudden urge to watch Iron Chef*
 
wylie: Big plump frogs are delicious! You put them in the freezer to get them to start hibernating - it slows them down and makes them easier to kill. Chop off the legs and arms and strip off the flesh. My partner used to steam them on rice.
 
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