Multicultural immersion in Toronto
Friday, 5th June 2009
Toronto is known to be one of the world’s most multicultural cities, which makes it a very interesting place to visit and/or live. The city itself is quite large; however, it is possible to get that small town feeling within the city by immersing yourself in a particular neighbourhood.
In addition to the North, South, East, West division, the mega-city is divided into cultural areas such as Chinatown, Greektown, little Italy, little India, Koreatown, Portugal Village, Little Poland and many others. You might be asking yourself, how does one get immersed into the culture of city that is made up of so many different cultures? It’s simple…by hopping from one cultural festival to another; street fairs and parades are also very common in Toronto because there is often something to celebrate.
I am a language learner and culture lover and I enjoy the fact that I can use my languages on a daily basis in Toronto or even learn about new languages. The Toronto International Food Festival is one of my favorite things to do in the city because one minute I’m in Portugal and the next I’m in Korean. Every neighbourhood has its own way of luring people to their respective areas and it has as much to do to with the culture as it does with the food. For instance, Kensington Market has pedestrian only Saturdays and all the restaurants set up stands on the street with tasters of different foods from around the world from Empanadas (which I must say are the best I’ve had in Toronto) to Caribbean Food to Cupcakes.
There are also a number of drumming groups that play their bongos and dance in the streets. Greektown on the Danforth is another great area because they celebrate the taste of the Danforth where pedestrians can roam the streets tasting the different foods like Spanakapita, listening to music and dancing with belly dancers.
For anyone, either in Toronto or abroad, who is hoping to learn a language and get involved in a different culture this summer, Toronto is a great place to be…not to mention a great place to eat!
More about language courses in Toronto
Tags: spanish, french, german, italian, food, culture, festival, languages, canada, language, toronto
Posted by Lara Walker under Experience Cultures, Food and Drink,
Permalink
