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
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.