The last meal I shared with Jim Wong Chu was in 2016 at the Arisu Korean Restaurant at Bloor and Bathurst in Toronto’s Markham Village. He loved Asian cuisine and made a study of it throughout his life. On that day, he was looking for kalbi, Korean short ribs marinated in a thick aromatic sauce. Continue reading
by Terry Watada Editor’s note: While Terry is on his summer hiatus, we decided to look back on his nearly thirty years of writing about and for the Japanese Canadian community and by extension the Asian Canadian community. We will be reprinting some his columns until his return. I don’t mean to get off on...Continue reading
by Terry Watada Editor’s note: While Terry is on his summer hiatus, we decided to look back on his nearly thirty years of writing about and for the Japanese Canadian community and by extension the Asian Canadian community. We will be reprinting some his columns until his return. Ah, the ironies of life. I’m not...Continue reading
By Terry Watada 2017 is the 75th anniversary of the Japanese North American internment. Much has been said about the experience in those years. The first utterances came out after 1970, more than 25 years after the fact. Shizue Takashima’s A Child in Prison Camp was published in 1971; Ken Adachi’s Enemy that Never Was...
By Terry Watada Japan is full of odd and interesting restaurants serving outlandish and delicious food. During my recent trip, I managed to seek out and partake of some fascinating establishments only found in a country that prides itself on service and perfection. From the amazing variety of Ramen Stadium to the fruit extravaganza of...Continue reading
By Terry Watada Last November/December, I found myself in Japan, enjoying the history, culture and, most of all, food. One day, I picked up a copy of the Asahi Mainichi at the local 7/11, primarily because it was in English. Inside was the international edition of the New York Times. On the front page was...Continue reading
By Terry Watada Friends and family have recently noted that my columns seem to despair of the present. And who has a better right? I don’t like the changes happening in society. Geez, HMV is closing its doors in April! Every time I see a Millennial walking down the street, talking to himself, I wonder...Continue reading
By Terry Watada Linda and Walter Ohama, sister and brother, were born and raised on a potato farm in Rainier, Alberta. Linda is an award-winning filmmaker, visual artist, educator and activist. Walt is an award-winning independent musician. The Miya family is also a family of artists: Roy, a jazz pianist extraordinaire; Sam, musician and painter;...Continue reading
By Terry Watada The Toronto summer of 2005 was the so-called “Summer of the Gun”. 52 were shot dead. By June 2016, the number of shooting deaths in the city rose to 21. Appalling figures with many, many tragic consequences not only for the victims but for family and friends. Perpetrators too ruined their lives....