Ann Hui explores her personal history and Canada's Chinese restaurants in Chop Suey Nation - most authentic dishes in chinese restaurant

Xu Anhua drove across Canada in 2016 to find out why there is a Chinese restaurant in every small town and to learn about the families who run these restaurants.
But first, she needs to get out of B. C.
The Toronto writer flew to Victoria with her husband on March 2016 to start the road trip.
In the early days of the journey, between Vancouver and Calgary, they met a brutal snowstorm in Coquihalla, which they drove in the winter
Car rental tireless.
"I think April, why is there a problem?
She said in a telephone interview at her home in Toronto.
"In hindsight, I fully realized how stupid it was.
But we are so stupid.
"Thankfully, they succeeded, passing through Canada from there within 18 days, stopping to visit restaurants in small towns such as the rocky plains of Alta. , Lachute, Que. and Fogo, Nfld. along the way.
Initially, it was a task for the Global Mail, where Hui served as the newspaper's national food journalist. After the two-
After some of the stories were published, Hui found out that her parents had run a restaurant before she was born.
This is the origin of the Chop Suey Nation, and a book published in February not only records her journey through Canada, but also records the history of how her own family came to Canada and how it crossed with national history.
"For myself, for many children of relatively new immigrants, we don't often think that our story is part of the Canadian story or Canadian history," Hui said . ".
"When we learn about the history of Canada in primary school textbooks, if the Chinese
This is how the Canadian story is told. it is usually done as a sidebar.
I think that's what we expect.
For the first time, I finally understood how my family story tells the history of Canada --
Change for me in terms of identity, belonging and mission.
"Xu's father works in the kitchen of the Legion cafe, while her mother is standing in the background holding her sister's three-color chess.
Out of courtesy, the Hui family reads this book as part of a travel magazine and part of a memoir of the Hui family's in-depth knowledge of their own family story.
Her father was diagnosed in 2015 as "a cancer that will basically not go away ".
"I know we have limited time with him," Hui said . ".
"I have been in Vancouver with him for a long time and during these visits I have tried to pull out some stories and more information about his history from him.
It was then that she finally knew that her family had brought her debris.
Chinese restaurants across the country offer gourmet names that feature dishes invented by Chinese immigrants in North America --
At a restaurant in B. Abbotsford called Legion cafeC.
This is not the only revelation she found from Hui's past when she wrote the book, and she does not want to spoil the book.
Hui is not sure why her parents keep their history secret, but she finds that she is not the only one whose parents are unwilling to talk about their past.
"When I talk to my friends, especially those from similar backgrounds, a lot of us have this in common," she said . ".
"Our parents, our grandparents, etc, are often reluctant to talk about what they have gone through.
These stories often bring about great trauma.
I don't know if part of this has anything to do with untreated trauma or not wanting to talk about sacrifice or what they have gone through.
"I have also suggested to me that for some of our parents or grandparents, they may also consider this a burden," she continued . ".
"They don't necessarily want us to know about these trauma or what they're going through because it's a burden.
It is also a responsibility.
What will you do once you know?
"Silver Dragon restaurant originated from the classic dish of ginger beef.
Author Xu 'an tried it at a stop in Calgary.
Aryn Toombs/Calgary heralds family history throughout the book, telling the family story of running a restaurant in a small town she visited throughout Canada.
This book includes an interview with The Calgary silver store owner, Guangchang, who tells how his brotherin-
Law George Huang invented ginger beef in the middle’70s.
This restaurant is very popular, it is difficult to keep the chef, they will learn how to make the dishes and then leave to open their own restaurant.
For Hui, it is a new experience to try ginger beef on the journey.
"In the first 20 years of my life, when I lived in Vancouver, I spent most of my time eating authentic things," she said . ".
"I never really had a chance to try it before traveling on the road.
I think it's delicious. I know why people like it.
For Hui, her family made traditional Chinese dishes at home as she grew up, and only later did she try a lot of the staples of the chop suey Chinese restaurant she visited for the book.
"When I told a lot of people that I got the opposite reaction as a Chinese --
"Canadians, dishes like ginger beef or sweet and sour chicken balls or ribs are exotic to me," Hui said . ".
"I have the same confusion.
It offers a view on how a term such as "exotic" or "foreign" is truly relative.
"While ginger beef may be a new experience for Hui people, it and other miscellaneous staples are a typical dish for many Canadians, many of whom may not be aware of it
"People think it's very close to their Chinese restaurants.
Even if you don't grow up together to raise all your time in the restaurant, even if you are not Chinese
Most people often visit some kind of Chinese restaurant when they grow up in Canada . "
"People are loyal to that restaurant to the same extent as I think they are loyal to sports teams.
I asked a lot of people to come to me and talk about what their Chinese restaurants are like and what their favorite menu is like.
A lot of people say, 'I often want to know about this family that runs a restaurant, and they are either afraid to ask or do not want to ask.
It's cool to see how common the idea is.
"On Monday, WordFest introduced Julie Van Rosendahl to Anhui at the new central library.
Wordfest offers tickets for $15 to $20. com. twitter.
Com/thejonroe jroe @ postmedia.