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I recently read an article by a writer from Vancouver, who feels that Torontonians
think too much of themselves (The Trouble with Torontonians Wed July 19, 1995).
I’m not a long-term resident of Toronto, so I waited for some die-hard
Torontonian to defend the dignity and honour of this great city. Since that did
not happen, I have now taken up cudgels on behalf of those, who like me, love Toronto.
So what
if I’ve only lived in Toronto for seven years? I can defend this city with all my might - maybe more so than others
because I have travelled and lived in many parts of the world before making
Toronto (knowingly) my permanent home. And
while I’m happy to visit Vancouver, I would not opt to live there. Yes, the steady drip-drip of rain
can be a pain.
To
Michael Comrie, I can only say that there is no other city in the world like
Toronto. There was a time when New York, London and Paris were called 'truly
world class' cities. Today they are
teeming with crime, overcrowded, dirty and dilapidated. In comparison Toronto is still beautiful, clean, open, green and
hopefully will remain this way, without pressure to "duplicate" New
York.
Toronto
has something that New York could never have and a trait that maybe a born
Canadian like Comrie does not appreciate. Toronto is diverse and accurately
symbolizes the meaning of it's name - Meeting Place. Where else in the world can you sit in a (clean) subway and hear ten
different languages being spoken? Where
else in the world can you walk down the street in your ethnic clothes and still
be accepted as part of the landscape? While in many other parts of Canada, I’m
still a foreigner, not so in Toronto. There
are few countries left in the world that are as positively and fiercely diverse
as Toronto.
I say
'fiercely' because diversity has become competitive. In a one mile radius of my
workplace in downtown Toronto, there are places that offer food from at least
thirty different cultures or country's. This
means that if I eat at a different place everyday, I could travel the world via
my taste buds in a month. I have to admit, that this aspect of Toronto
fascinates and impresses me. The same way that "a nude beach" or
"a legal drink or two in the morning" may be the raison
d'etre for Comrie to live in Vancouver, Toronto's International flavour is
manna from the Heavens to thousands of tasteful Torontonians.
Besides,
Toronto is tolerant. It tolerates a torrent of colourful immigrants and takes them
into its fold as they assimilate. A
study has shown that majority of Immigrants and new arrivals into Canada prefer
to come to Toronto. This is
obviously because Toronto has a reputation that is spreading all over the globe.
This reputation as a lively, multicultural city where samosas sell side
by side with spaghetti is a unique distinction. While some large cities
boast
only of "Little Italy" or "Mini Mexico", Toronto proudly
presents China, India, Greece, Italy, Ireland, and much more. Celebrations like
Caribana and Caravan are Toronto's exclusive contribution to multiculturalism in
Canada.
To
truly savor Toronto, I think you have to look at it from the eyes of those who
have adopted it as their second home. It is true that people rarely appreciate
what they have in front of them. This
is why a trip out of Toronto, to say the East Coast or to any US City makes us
really cherish this warm and wonderful city in Canada called Toronto.
At this
point,( even at the risk of 'ramming it down' some unwilling gullets), I feel a
toast to Toronto would be quite appropriate.
C'est la vie!
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