because the one in london that i attended was, well let's just say i was majorly dissapointed. there were no lion or dragon dances, no parades through the city, nothing exciting happened in chinatown. there were just a few little stores and tables set up selling cakes, jewellery etc and lanterns hanging in soho. :( . considering all the hype it turned out to be a major letdown.

how well did yours go in america and canada?

Well, here in Welland, they have a little get together in a school Gym with lion dancers and songs , but, they go further in the big city of Toronto (Couldnt make it up there this year), also, they show the ceremonies live from China (on time delay) on the multicultural TV here.

Well, here in Welland, they have a little get together in a school Gym with lion dancers and songs , but, they go further in the big city of Toronto (Couldnt make it up there this year), also, they show the ceremonies live from China (on time delay) on the multicultural TV here.

that sounds cool mikey! here in london, it became something of a joke- first of all, there were no dragon or lion dances, no parades through the city, just little tables set up outside chinatown selling cakes and decorations, jewellery. some shops and restaurants were closed for no apparent reason. in fact, all the celebrations were taking place not in chinatown itself but in trafalgar sqaure- which i thought was stupid. it was practically awful :(

Thats too bad, it's an amazing culture and deserves to be displayed better (I would just love to see a real Asian-type fair, with the fish catching booths and sparklers, lanterns, etc)

You know, I'm not sure! They usually have a huge thing here in Chinatown, but because of the snowstorms we've been getting it's pretty much shut the city down. I know the local news followed people while they were shopping for the special items for the dinner, but other than that, I didn't see much.

I did go out for lunch yesterday though with a bunch of guys from the office. I was the only white in the bunch - it must have looked funny! :lol:

You know, I'm not sure! They usually have a huge thing here in Chinatown, but because of the snowstorms we've been getting it's pretty much shut the city down. I know the local news followed people while they were shopping for the special items for the dinner, but other than that, I didn't see much.

I did go out for lunch yesterday though with a bunch of guys from the office. I was the only white in the bunch - it must have looked funny! :lol:

i saw the pics people posted on flickr of the festival in toronto and i have to say i am impressed. it was reminscent of carnival with the bright colours and plus, the place looked busy. it looked like people were enjoying themselves. from what i saw, a lot of the people in trafalgar sqaure were more interested in getting cheap chinese food and gifts, rather than to get into the spirit of the traditions. therefore, i was unimpressed

新年快樂 -- I know several people who had the overeaten-overdrunk-very-smug-happy look this week! :)

新年快樂 -- I know several people who had the overeaten-overdrunk-very-smug-happy look this week! :)

:lol:

You know, I'm not sure! They usually have a huge thing here in Chinatown, but because of the snowstorms we've been getting it's pretty much shut the city down. I know the local news followed people while they were shopping for the special items for the dinner, but other than that, I didn't see much.

I did go out for lunch yesterday though with a bunch of guys from the office. I was the only white in the bunch - it must have looked funny! :lol:
I just love Chinatown at Spadina, its my fave place to visit when i'm up in TO....it's like a whole new World right at my doorstep..and a great place to get anime stuff :D Hey Cathie, maybe ill see you there some time ;)

sadly I didnt take this pic..I was always too busy shopping to bring my camera there :lol:

I KNEW I had some pics of Toronto Chinatown' Chinese NY celebrations, somewhere :)

when was the chinese new year?

The actual date was February 7th.

Those are nice pics Mikey! Funny, I didn't see anything on the news about the celebrations this year - just them following a woman around who was shopping for the big meal (they have traditional dishes like fish for health, seaweed for prosperity and rice to keep the family "stuck" together). ; )

I thought Vancouver would be big on it because of the large Asian population out there but Toronto seems to still be the big spot. Course we are for a lot of ethnic celebrations - Carabana being pretty much the biggest. I also love that one. People come up from the States and even the Islands themselves for that one.

Give Toronto the smallest excuse for a party and we'll hold it!! WOOHOO!

Yeah I didnt hear anything about it either

Yeah I didnt hear anything about it either


You should come up one year for it. There's a chain of chinese buffet restaurants called Mandarin and they hold festivals each year. Their menu isn't really authentic chinese (like you'd get in the Spadina area) but they're really good and even offer roast beef, and polish sausage believe it or not. The staff are fantastic (always Chinese) and it's one of my favourite places to go. Prices are very reasonable and you can stuff yourself. They give you those rollout calendars and have goldfish ponds at the entrances. The best one is their head office in Brampton. I held my wedding rehearsal dinner there. Oh those moon cakes are so good too!! lol

Other than that, I go to a place that translates into "Best Friend". It's authentic Chinese and is in Mississauga at a Chinese mall. Best hot & sour soup and yeung chow fried rice in the city.

O.k. - now I'm craving this stuff!

You should come up one year for it. There's a chain of chinese buffet restaurants called Mandarin and they hold festivals each year. Their menu isn't really authentic chinese (like you'd get in the Spadina area) but they're really good and even offer roast beef, and polish sausage believe it or not. The staff are fantastic (always Chinese) and it's one of my favourite places to go. Prices are very reasonable and you can stuff yourself. They give you those rollout calendars and have goldfish ponds at the entrances. The best one is their head office in Brampton. I held my wedding rehearsal dinner there. Oh those moon cakes are so good too!! lol

Other than that, I go to a place that translates into "Best Friend". It's authentic Chinese and is in Mississauga at a Chinese mall. Best hot & sour soup and yeung chow fried rice in the city.

O.k. - now I'm craving this stuff!

that sounds cool. in london, whenever i buy chinese food i always get it at chinatown, although i avoid the buffets because i am not a huge fan of the food that they serve there when i can order a proper meal of rice or noodles with meat and vegetables instead

that sounds cool. in london, whenever i buy chinese food i always get it at chinatown, although i avoid the buffets because i am not a huge fan of the food that they serve there when i can order a proper meal of rice or noodles with meat and vegetables instead

Yeah I know what you mean - I'm usually that way too, but this place is the exception. They're constantly attending the buffet and there's approximately 400 items on it. The stuff is always fresh and hot (and thankfully there's sneezeguards everywhere! lol) They have different stations of cold salads, then a long one of the hot entrees - and meat and fish you like (especially during their lobster festivals - wow!) And the desserts.....it's the last place I can find grape icecream.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.mandarinbuffet.com/ if you're interested.

Yeah I know what you mean - I'm usually that way too, but this place is the exception. They're constantly attending the buffet and there's approximately 400 items on it. The stuff is always fresh and hot (and thankfully there's sneezeguards everywhere! lol) They have different stations of cold salads, then a long one of the hot entrees - and meat and fish you like (especially during their lobster festivals - wow!) And the desserts.....it's the last place I can find grape icecream.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.mandarinbuffet.com/ if you're interested.

grape ice cream?! wow! although to be honest, people tend to associate eastern food such as chinese, japanese, korean, thai etc with its savory dishes, as opposed to desserts. but of course, the west is the best in that department :)

grape ice cream?! wow! although to be honest, people tend to associate eastern food such as chinese, japanese, korean, thai etc with its savory dishes, as opposed to desserts. but of course, the west is the best in that department :)


Oh I know - believe me, this place is hugely "westernized" to draw everyone, but it's kinda nice finishing a big savory Chinese dinner with some sorbet or ice cream and they've got it all. (You'll see on their website they have everything else, but I still just love ice cream and fortune cookies the most).

When we eat at the other authentic Best Friend place, there's no dessert.

Grape ice cream? Now I HAVE to try that! thx Cathie, make me crave something i cant get here in Welland! :lol: ;)

Btw....to make it clear, i said Ive never taken my camera to TO , and yet, i did take some pics in Chinatown, well, I wasnt confused, I've never taken my professional camera (35mm with interchangeable lenses) to TO, but, that day, i happened to have my mom's "point and shoot" with me (Cause it fits nicely in my backpack), and that's how i got the lion dance pics, in the big Chinese Mall on Spadina (Hey Cathie, whats the name of it? I forget)

Btw....to make it clear, i said Ive never taken my camera to TO , and yet, i did take some pics in Chinatown, well, I wasnt confused, I've never taken my professional camera (35mm with interchangeable lenses) to TO, but, that day, i happened to have my mom's "point and shoot" with me (Cause it fits nicely in my backpack), and that's how i got the lion dance pics, in the big Chinese Mall on Spadina (Hey Cathie, whats the name of it? I forget)
LOL - haven't a clue - we just refer to it as the Chinese Mall on Spadina! No kidding! I know the one exactly. I probably shouldn't admit this now (cuz I'm against them now) but I took the day off from work for my birthday in 1988 and went down to make a day of it. First, we attended a taping of Cityline (when Dini Petty was the host - I love her, not so big on Marilyn Dennis other than on the radio) on Queen. Then we picked up a fur coat I bought (you know how Spadina was/is the furrier and clothing district too). Then we hit the mall and I bought a few outfits there also. I also ran into a couple of the sales reps from my company at the time and they were supposed to be working! lol

Grape ice cream? Now I HAVE to try that! thx Cathie, make me crave something i cant get here in Welland! :lol: ;)

I know it sounds odd, but I don't know why you don't see it more - it's incredible! I first tasted it at a variety store in my old neighbourhood that sold ice cream cones. It's the only other place I've ever seen it but both tasted identical and are great. My favourite is having an ice cream cone with chocolate on the bottom, then a scoop of grape and believe it or not, a scoop of peach on top! That's in the days when I could pull that off and not gain weight doing it! :)


As you can see - ice cream is my favourite thing on earth! If I were headed for the gas chamber, Baskin Robbins would be my last stop before then! (don't worry - I'd share with the priest!)

Sorry - off topic there but it got me going......:lol:

:lol: I'm not sure I'd like that taste combination :rofl:

:lol: I'm not sure I'd like that taste combination :rofl:


:lol: And I wasn't pregnant or high either!!! ;)

:lol: