B.C.'s first dumpling festival bridges cultures through food
There will be mandus, wontons, baos, patties and raviolis, a sample of what’s to be expected at the inaugural B.C. Dumpling Festival.
On the surface, it’s a food festival but its purpose is to fight racism by bridging cultures through dumplings.
“We're really promoting so many different cultures. And with dumplings, it's so multicultural, right? Every single country really has a dumpling … I think that's how we all connect with each other,” explained organizer Gina Chong.
Chong is not a festival organizer by trade; she’s a small business owner and realtor.
She became involved in anti-racism work after facing an ugly encounter during the pandemic.
In April 2021, she and a friend were walking around Town Centre Park when a stranger asked them to help take her picture.
Chong said they declined because they didn’t have hand sanitizer with them and were concerned about COVID-19, that triggered the woman to go into a racist tirade.
“She said, ‘COVID came from you. It came from your country. Go back to China.' And that was quite shocking for us to hear,” Chong said.
Since that incident, she founded the Asian Arts and Culture Society, which is putting on the dumpling festival.
Burnaby’s On On Wonton House is one of the vendors at the event.
Mona Chan said elderly relatives experienced racial violence, in which one of them suffered a broken cheekbone, and they both are feeling pain months later.
It was a traumatizing event that has especially impacted her teenage daughter.
She said the dumpling festival has helped give them a voice and sense of empowerment.
“We're answering the call because of the fact that my daughter wants to make it known that we want to stand up for anti-racism and racial harmony,” Chan said.
Her daughter made a cheeky bao called the “kick butt bun” to fight back against racism.
She said at one of the festival’s smaller events, she saw the positive impact of the festival on the family.
“Yesterday night was the first time that I saw this face behind me,” she said pointing at her daughter, “glow and smile and be proud of our ancestry … The B.C. Dumpling Festival is like Christmas in July for us.”
Elimin8hate, a non-profit which strives for racial equity for Asian Canadians, said events like the B.C. Dumpling Festival can play a part in combating prejudice.
“We really feel that representation and quality and diverse representation is a great way to reduce systemic racism,” said executive director Audrey Wong. “Repeated and ongoing exposure to Asian Canadians and Asian Canadian cultural norms in a non-threatening situation can normalize and familiarize people with Asian Canadians.”
Chong said she wants to make the B.C. Dumpling Festival an annual event, with smaller dumpling-making workshops throughout the year.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the non-profit pay for security, tents, fences and other logistics.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in father's drowning, told police he was baptizing him
A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his father's head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.