Winter in Downtown Toronto

We live in downtown Toronto. As I write, it is midwinter here in the city; the days are appallingly short, the air is frigid and dry. Tropical Asia seems far away. But our neighborhood is Chinatown, and just a few short blocks away are Spadina Avenue and Kensington Market. In this one small commercial area there are well over a hundred Asian groceries and restaurants. We think the market is the best of its kind in North America; at least it’s the best we’ve seen so far.

One night I walked over to the market to buy some things for dinner. It was not yet five o’clock, but it was already as dark as midnight. On the sidewalks of Spadina vendors were bundled in winter jackets, hats, and heavy gloves, calling out in Cantonese to advertise their bargain produce: ten limes for a dollar, bunches of fresh coriander two for a dollar, bags of bird chiles fifty cents each. Inside the brightly lit restaurants, there was already a bustle of activity, and the windows were suitably steamy and inviting.