8.31.2010

繾綣華埠

十多年前初來步到楓葉國﹐除了披上新移民的身份﹐也成為了異鄉的華僑。這個身份確定的過程源自踏足多倫多華埠那一天。現在多倫多華埠社區之多﹐已是鋪天蓋地﹑無畛無域﹐進出的分別已不像以前那末鮮明。多倫多最出名﹐歷史最悠久的華埠﹐位於士巴丹拿道和登打士西街交界﹐中文譯名也夠刁鑽。覺得從那些來了楓葉國半輩子的婆婆阿姨口中道出﹐聽來特別有味道。

首次到多倫多華埠經已入夜。多倫多唐人街予我第一個印象是找泊車的位子很困難。路窄人多街畔的攤檔跟以前灣仔的太原街不遑多讓。姑母在樂宮酒樓安排了飯局替我們一家接風洗塵。我想﹐每一處的唐人街都很可能有一家樂宮酒樓﹐只是再想深一層﹐唐人街裡的酒樓﹐既不會是樂土也不會是皇宮。

那一頓晚飯頗為豐富﹐也是我首次品嚐北美的龍蝦和飯後收到 fortune cookies。北美的龍蝦多數來自愛德華皇子島﹐肉質肥美﹐這邊餐館比較喜歡以薑蔥烘製。Fortune cookies 絕對是北美唐人街餐館的特色之一﹐在香港國內上館子絕無這種玩意兒。和洋人朋友共膳後﹐大家有一同拆開讖語餅﹑輪流朗讀餅中讖語的習慣。當然為了增添趣味﹐大家都要在讖語後加上 in bed  二字。以 "great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance" 為例﹐在句末加上"in bed" 二字﹐感覺就不一樣。很多玄機奧妙的讖語都變得匪夷所思。

樂宮酒樓的裝潢讓我想起七十年代的英京茶樓。唐人街像是一個時間囊﹐歲月都在門外以較快的速度流曳﹐內裡一切保持不變。離鄉別井的華僑很多時候坐地鐵轉街車遠道而來唐人街﹐目的可能為了今天的報紙、一份周末特刊、一束荔枝、一罐茶葉、一包瓜子、一只粽子、一盒月餅、冬菇髮菜蔘茸海味、或某歌手的新專輯、或租借某套香港電視劇集的錄影帶…… 數不清的情意結﹐載浮載沉於唐人街的街頭巷末。

除了多倫多的唐人街﹐楓葉國其他城市的唐人街也有各自的性格。位於溫哥華市東的唐人街﹐淵源之久規模之盛﹐絕對不亞於多倫多。雖然溫市唐人街接近比較品流複雜的地段﹐然而踏足該地﹐不出數分鐘便能感受到溫馨濃烈的僑情﹐如街邊擺賣水果時蔬的店鋪、麵包店窗櫥裡的傳統嫁女餅、或故衣店的旗袍長衫。蒙特利爾的唐人街比多市及溫市的規模小多﹐位於聖羅倫街及 René Lévesque 街的交界。蒙市的唐人街麻雀雖小但五臟俱全﹐當中還有一座自助餐店﹐走的是親民路線﹐客似雲來。其中一間XX同鄉會的牌扁還沿用著魁北克的舊譯名—古壁省—十分有趣。位於卑斯省維多利亞的唐人街置身海天中央﹐比之蒙市的唐人街更見玲瓏。很多年前我和家人同遊維市唐人街﹐十分教人懷念。  

除了楓葉國的唐人街﹐我只踏足過英美的唐人街﹐包括西岸的西雅圖三藩市洛杉機﹐東岸的紐約和波士頓。兩次旅遊倫敦﹐該地的唐人街當然是必到之地。記得去西城觀看音樂劇前﹐曾專程打了一個白鴿轉到倫敦唐人街吃了一碗車仔麵喝了一杯熱鴛鴦﹐真有他鄉遇故知的親切感。 

我們小村的唐人街佔地只有一條街兩三個block﹐有一間一目了然的九龍超市﹐揚子江及珠城兩間屹立十多年不倒的酒樓則隔街相對﹐還和不少越南餐館和麵店平分秋色。最近本村唐人街正在興建牌樓﹐據說是中國駐加大使館所捐贈云云﹐令平淡無奇的華埠添上一點特色。現在牌樓仍在施工﹐樓上將要彫鑴著些什麼粉飾昇平的言語﹐有待揭盅。

自從規模龐大的大懵華超市從西岸席捲到多市及本村﹐唐人街的小商店面對著極大的競爭。楓葉國的唐人街也許有一天亦免不了被現代化的華人商場超市所取代﹐成為明日黃花。

同題作品﹐請參 兩周一聚

11 comments:

naruto said...

酒樓我印象最深係,蝦餃好太粒,D鳳爪大到嚇死人,我同阿媽講呢邊乜都大D嘅。。。

Coffee said...

你寫的文章總是充滿各種不同的感情,很喜歡你的文字!

TT said...

我92年去多倫多, 姑媽丈帶我去唐人街間新光酒樓飲茶, 盛傳裡面個女廁"好猛"... 嘻!

到96/97年認識了一班"唐人街frd", 當年暑假差唔多日日落去 (但我住Richmond Hill), 主要因為係有腳打牌, 哈! 而朋友屋企經營當年既 "三漁"餐館(舊年返過去,冇留意仲響唔響度), 所以都成日響果度打躉!

而唐人街俾我最大既"得益", 莫過於係龍城商場裡面既"新華書局", 佢亦都有經營影視服務, 我就係喺呢度搵返好多80年代既港姐帶喇....

呢條唐人街真係帶俾我好多回憶! 多謝best actor分享!

Fun said...

vince,
讀你這篇文章真的有點仿如隔世之感,!89年是我初到加境之年,下機後第一個到的地方也是spadina&dundas的唐人街!時光匆匆,晃眼廿年,大驚!

這個唐人街帶給我的回憶真是用8GB USB也載不下.. 91年12月在零下近廿度的氣溫下從密西沙加市撲去華語圖書,目的是為了SL的一束野花!

還有我曾經在那裡理髮、排隊看午夜場、在汕頭吃一碗雲吞麵、spadina的新光酒樓

上一趟回加只有時間蜻蜓點水式在唐人街兜了一圈.. >_<

btw, broadview那邊的唐人街應才是多市的第一個華埠?

shangri_la said...

> Fortune cookies 絕對是北美唐人街餐館> 的特色之一﹐在香港國內上館子絕無這種玩意兒

Actually I watched a documentary on PBS a few years ago that said after almost a century fortune cookies finally crossed the Pacific Ocean and landed in Hong Kong. I bet only in some "fusion" Chinese restaurants that cater to expatriates in HK. The program also said originally fortune cookies were meant to be an appetizers (that come before the main dishes rather than after) to keep the patrons occupied while waiting for their food.

galaxy said...

哎呀, 醒起原來我有去過蒙特利爾及密西沙加市的唐人街 ! 正如你所講「現在多倫多華埠社區之多﹐已是鋪天蓋地.......進出的分別已不像以前那末鮮明。」, 所以去了也不為意。

best actor said...

naruto﹕

除左蝦餃鳳爪﹐山竹牛肉同粽都好巨型。同埋呢邊飲茶唔算貴。當然食物好唔好食就見仁見智﹐我唔係食家所以無咩資格點評。

Coffee n Tea﹕

多謝鼓勵﹗.

TT﹕

我記得龍城同新光﹗女廁"好猛"﹖唔通係如花﹖由richmond hill 日日踩落舊唐人街﹖好o野。 "三漁"無去過﹐舊時同frd打牌都係屋企。我去華語比較多﹐好耐好耐以前都會去寶發得租帶。果時無呢o的租帶鋪頭﹐好多人都會悶死。

多謝你一齊分享﹗

Fun﹕

係呀﹐o甘就二十年突然過去了。我係o係market village o既華語從都市二買起直到林憶蓮's。當年劉備三顧草廬同我地蓮迷踩上華語問新碟o既誠意﹐簡直無得比啦。因為我住o係北邊﹐舊唐人街叫做去得少。據wikipedia broadview o既唐人街唔係第一個華埠o番。當然wikipedia 唔一定可信。http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Toronto

shangri_la﹕ said...

well, it has been a long while since I last had dim sum or went to any Chinese restaurant in HK. I think it would be interesting to see fortune cookies there! Fortune cookies are more like snacks to us :o)

galaxy:

密西沙加o既九龍壁好鬼假﹐哈哈。而家士嘉堡又有邊一忽唔係唐人天下﹖ :o)

Matt said...

Ha! Nobody ever told me to add "in bed" to the fortune cookies slips! That sounds very queer but fun! A book called The Fortune Cookies Chronicle revealed that these cookies originated in the temples in Japan. Why am I not surprised?

Dim sums in Chinatown aren't my cup of tea. They cannot charge too much for the dim sums. My impression is that they care for quantity more than quality. *sigh*

best actor said...

Matt:

haha try adding in bed next time when you receive direction from a fortune cookie and it will bestow you with a whole new perspective of things. :o) Fortune cookies were from Japan? interesting.

I don't care much about having dim sum in Chinatown either. Tho my mom loves dim sum, hence, it is an outing for her more than anything.

Haricot 微豆 said...

Vince:

* When I go to Chinatown in T.O. or Montreal, I always enjoy their bigger selections of Chinese movies and music at a cheaper price than those in Ottawa stores.

* Yang Shing used to be the favourite restaurant for many Hong Kongers living in Ottawa. Then Fuliwah and Yangtze restaurants opened up and the crowd liked the "higher class" 排場 standard. But then Fuliwah went out of business and Chu Shing moved from where the Korean Bulgogi Garden is now to the present location across Yangtze.

* Nothing against TNT, but I want to give the smaller business in our little Chinatown 唐人街 a fighting chance.

best actor said...

Haricot:

Due to the economy of scale and Ottawa's geographical location, our Chinatown offers a slimmer selection of anything Chinese and the prices are relatively higher than those in TO and Montreal. C'est la vie.

I was still at school during the days of Fuliwah. Of all the Chinese restaurants in town I used to like 天潤 the most, now it has become 皇朝, it's still good but not the same.

TNT is soooo close to where I live, it is hard to resist. :o)

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