Chinatown Walkabout
A CTS Social Reveals History, Restoration and Compelling Food
By Jamie Maw
A beautiful July morning greeted us at Ai & Om Knives — chef Douglas Chang’s crisply-styled altar to Japanese precision cutting devices. They’re artfully displayed under plexiglass cases and run the gamut from nail clippers (you’ll never go back to dollar store cheapies) to one metre blades that are used for deconstructing very large fish.
The sweet spot is in the middle though, with chefs knives of different weights, handles and blades. Doug gave Chefs’ Table members a rundown on different forging and honing techniques— a condensed education in steel meeting fire, wood meeting the hands of Japanese carvers.
Doug has an interesting provenance. He has performed chefly duties at Eleven Madison Park, Splendido, West, Bambudda, Beckta and San Woo. Now he’s opened this sharp atelier, selecting fine, hand-made knives from 30 Japanese artisanal blacksmiths and is expert in their selection and maintenance.
Ai + Om Knives - 129 East Pender Street, Chinatown. Take a peek at the instructional videos, plus further background: http://www.aiandomknives.com
It was then Carol Lee’s turn. Carol is the Chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and has led the charge in restoring this historic culinary and retail nexus. She spoke passionately about the upward climb, the significant investment, the setbacks and the triumphs. She also spoke to what lies ahead, including the resurrection of some longtime Chinese dining halls.
With the second annual Taste of Chinatown coming on September 11th and 12th, Carol encouraged us to attend and to spread the word. Dozens of Chinatown restaurants and shops are participating.
We visited Foo Hung Curios (where we purchased historic menus in the form of postcards, such as the famous Ho Inn) and the extraordinary Chinatown Storytelling Centre, which packs 150 years of Chinese history —good (the food), bad (the head tax) and ugly (incessant racism) in British Columbia into beautifully curated spaces and interactive displays. And we had our picture taken in a photo parlour redolent of the times.
A quick walkabout of Chinatown ended for lunch at Chinatown BBQ where smoked duck, umami-ridden rice and curried beef brisket dispatched us deliciously back to our kitchens.
Here, in Chinatown, we had reminded ourselves that our history defines us, and that in just a five block radius lie some the best, and most reasonable, dining opportunities in the city.