July 23, 2012

• Toronto Waterfront Night Market 2012 – Recap

  J and I went to the Waterfront Night Market at the T&T Supermarket lot on Saturday night.  It was jammed with people and I don’t think the organizers were as prepared as they thought.  I think this is part of the growing pains of an event that has become very popular.  There was a wide array of foods but did we really need several stinky tofu stands?  What happened to Susur Lee’s food from a couple of years ago?  What happened to the Bahn Mi Boys from last year? Parents who brought baby carriages had no idea how to maneuver them through the crowds.  Kids walking around and eating from skewers while being bumped would have made a nice but gory photo op.  Thankfully while I heard some children crying, none were injured.  There were rides for kids but I never saw anyone on them.  The folks from Reel Asian were there with a film but there weren’t a lot of chairs set up for it.  There were some grandparents there.  I have no idea how they survived.

  The parking lot across the street was big although it could have been better organized.  After a few hours, the attendants couldn’t be bothered keeping the cars lined up.  Just like last year, there were no lights in the parking lot.  But at least they had several policemen who stopped traffic so the pedestrians could cross.  There were several workers trying to keep the place clean.  They were busy cleaning out the garbage bins which were scattered throughout the area.  They still could have used a few more bins.  I just wished the workers didn’t use the supermarket carts to carry out the garbage.  Couldn’t they have at least lined it with something?  I hope the organizers cleaned those carts afterwards. There were several outdoor toilets (thank you).  The one I used didn’t have any toilet paper & the seat was soaking wet.  One of the portable sinks was clogged and there weren’t any paper towels.  A few more attendants to keep it cleaner would have helped.  I thought I would be smart and use the one inside the supermarket.  But the lineup there was longer than the one for the stinky tofu. 

  I’d probably go back again next year.  Why?  Because I can’t get enough of these things.  I hope they get rid of the rides and the small basketball court to free up some more space so that people can move around easier.   I have mixed feelings about the booths from the sponsors (Campbell and Canada Dry Ginger Ale) – they just didn’t seem to fit in.  What happened to the cars you promised?  There were a lot more last year.  Aside from the Subaru BRZ and an old Porsche – there wasn’t anything else.  But while I like cars, I think they too can be sacrificed.  I hope the organizers can just focus on a nice night market experience and not worry about trying to do too much. 

  Here are some pictures… most are self explanatory.

  Lobsters and welk.

  

  Coconuts.  I actually have a pet peeve about this.  Everyone drinks the coconut water and throws the coconut away.  There’s still some good coconut meat inside – what a waste.

  

  It’s sort of like a steamed flour with various toppings and a spicy broth.  

  

  

  I think this is sticky rice with peanuts, sugar and coconut on the outside.

  

  Grilled squids

  

  stinky tofu

  

  Oyster Omelet

  

  It’s like a very crowded Chinese restaurant… do you want to share a table?

  

  

  

  The “car show”… Subaru BRZ. 

  

  The Pinoy community was well represented.  J took an unusual interest in this booth.

  

  Pancit Palabok – I don’t think the napa cabbage should be there.  It wasn’t that warm and the shrimps were overcooked.  But the taste was still ok and there
   was some chicharon on top. 

  

  When J left my condo, I asked for a goodnight kiss.  He said I smelled like stinky tofu and advised me to take a shower.  I sniffed myself and said I didn’t smell that bad. But he wasn’t buying any of it and left without giving me a happy ending. 

  • 1:04 AM
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