It was a beautiful morning of April, when after I decided to have an impromptu “expedition” through random streets in Toronto, I came across an old building, whose location seemed at first quite unfortunate, considering that it is surrounded by sky scrapers and office buildings. Being intrigued by its simple and old architecture, I decided to go into the building whose name was engraved in granite on one of the side walls – Saint Lawrence Market.
The market, which looks at first glance more like a warehouse, is the home of many small and quite unique businesses. Most of the shops are specialty shops like Cheese shops, Wine Shops and Meat Shops. I was quite surprised of seeing an independent shop that sells Wine, considering that in Toronto, one can only buy alcohol from a shop called LCBO ( Liquor Control Board of Ontario).
I really like small, independent, family owned shops. And this market is full with them. One of the shops I adored is called Scheffler’s. Opened in 1955, the shop offers a big range of cheese from different countries, as well as old bottles of wine, many types of olives and Italian salami. Curiosity made me buy and try out cream cheese with olives. I must say, eating this was one of the simplest, cheap and delicious lunch I had in Canada.
Another shop that got my attention was a meat shop called Upper Cut Meats. Within this shop, one can find any type of meat. Besides, by being a retail, I believe that many restaurants are buying the meat they serve from this shop.What I like about this market is that I was able to also find things that I wouldn’t necessary expect to find. In the basement of Saint Lawrence Market, I was able to find a family owned jewelry shop that was selling semi-precious stones, a shop selling hats, a shop selling specialty food for vegans, as well as a shop claiming to sell traditional gypsy clothes and jewelry. Besides, in the basement of the market, there was a Polish shop, a Chinese shop, few bakeries as well as a couple of shops selling souvenirs. A flower shop and a fruits and vegetable shop were also there.
Another thing that I really liked about this market is that even though there are many shops selling the same type of products, each of the shops is special in its own way. As a visitor and a client, I did not get the feeling that the shops are competing with one another, but that each shop is having its own loyal clients. The only restaurant of the market was actually a Fish restaurant. There were a lot of business people having their lunch there.
When I got home and did my research about St. Lawrence Market, I found out that the building of this place served as Toronto’s first city hall from 1845 to 1899 and its Toronto’s premier market. Besides, I also found that that the actual market is split in the South Market ( which is the one I visited) and the North Market which is also called the Farmer’s Market.
In the end, I enjoyed a lot discovering such a wonderful building which is the home of more than 50 specialty vendors. I recommend to future exchange students to definitely visit the place and even have a lunch there. The market is very close to Sony Centre, as well as CN tower, which are also a must see places in Toronto.
Hey Miruna, I was reading through your post it and the market reminds me of Vancouver’s own farmers market on Granville Island as it is also enclosed rather than open air. Did it feel like a free and welcoming area for all ethnicity's to promote their niche delicacies or was it created in a very bureaucratic and ‘cold’? I know that you claim Romanian heritage as well, and did you happen to see any foods or items being sold that reminded you of Romania or your family, or when you describe seeing the shop that sold Cyntha-Roma clothing, have you had any personal experience with the Cyntha-Roma population in London or elsewhere? If so, did you find the items being sold to represent the clichéd stereotypes or did the items, in almost a surprising way, change your perception on Cyntha-Roma clothing and culture?
ReplyDeleteI know I am asking numerous questions, but besides my own personal curiosity, I was also wondering how your impression of the market related to Canada’s official multicultural policy? The government website states that the multiculturalism policy “is fundamental to our belief that all citizens are equal. Multiculturalism ensures that all citizens can keep their identities, can take pride in their ancestry and have a sense of belonging. Acceptance gives Canadians a feeling of security and self-confidence, making them more open to, and accepting of, diverse cultures.” Therefore, did you find that the market created a sense of equality, belonging, and feeling of safety in which cultures could be celebrated? I understand this is a very subjective question, but with my personal experience here in Münster’s Wochenmarkt, I did see a transition to a more multicultural market, however, it was still stereotypically German-cuisine based.
Also, your description of the market and linking it to Canada’s multicultural policy raises further questions regarding ethnic purity and if such a policy creates a multicultural society, or instead results in an eventual assimilation of ethnic groups into following Canadian norms and behaviours. Roberts and Clifton note the importance of rigid and complex cultural structures, such as those found within the Hutterites’ community, stating that “[w]ithout the organizational capacity to govern interaction...uncontrolled change becomes probable and an ethnic group’s capacity to perpetuate its cultural heritage decreases...To argue that it is possible to preserve a truly multicultural mosaic in Canada would require that other groups maintain similar standards of structural tightness.” Therefore, they go on to explain how multiculturalism results in a display of ‘symbolic ethnicity’ such as what I assume you may have encountered at the market. Symbolic ethnicity allows ethnic groups to retain their traditions in a much more fluid manner, retaining pride in their identity and specific community, but allowing them to also work and live within an industrialized society such as Canada’s. I believe that if you connected the ideas of symbolic ethnicity to the market experience it would portray Canada’s multiculturalism policy.
Sadly, I did not stumble upon Roberts and Clifford’s text prior to my own market experience in Germany as their ideas would have also been applicable. I really enjoyed your post, well all of them really, and found your Polish connections quite fascinating.
Lance W. Roberts and Rodney A. Clifton. “Exploring the Ideology of Canadian Multiculturalism.” Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de Politiques. University of Toronto Press: Toronto. (1982): 90.