Hong Kong is one of my faovrite cities in the world — Toronto is another. Since my adolescence, there's been a massive influx of Hong Kong people to Toronto, which has established entire neighborhoods that might have been lifted from HK and dropped into the city. It's fantastic.
Shops in the Pacific Mall carry big glass jars filled with salty sour prunes, garlic-flavored brown beans, spicy shredded squid, and chocolates the shape of firecrackers. Green teas are brewed with every fruit under the sun. House accessory stores exhibit an enormous array of porcelain vases and Buddha and dragon statuettes, and there is a feng shui consultant on the second floor to advise how to distribute the imported wares in just the right way to assure good luck, health and prosperity.
Young people are attracted to the plush karaoke booths, a noisy video game arcade with games featuring martial arts and Chinese pop music, and the chance to practice their native tongue.
"Chinese malls provide the identity that many Canadian Chinese want," said Lilian Lau, 17. She said she avoided stores like Gap and Stitches, which are nowhere to be seen in Pacific Mall, adding: "I don't want to look like everyone else. Chinese designers have different ideas."
