Calgary, AB, Canada

My parents came to Canada as college students.  They wanted a fresh start and more opportunity.  In order to do this, they had to assimilate into Canadian culture.  My parents don’t even have the ESL accent in their speech.  They learned to BBQ steaks and make cabbage rolls from their hosts; these are things I remember learning from my parents as a child, not realizing that it should have been hot pot and wontons.

The Chinese food history in Calgary is actually quite interesting.  “Westernized” Chinese food like ginger beef and sweet and sour pork have been rumored to have been created here.  Until recently, I was not aware that there is a difference between an “egg roll” and a “spring roll” because my parents thought egg rolls were disgusting and had never introduced me to that food item.  It was a humorous but heated debate with my husband (a Scottish Ukrainian) about these rolls until my parents revealed that my Chinese food knowledge was slightly constrained.  I finally tried an egg roll… and I’d much prefer to eat spring rolls.