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A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

jacobfilipp.com

61–70 of 90 posts

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#61
post #3

Why almost every store have their names written in Chinese (?) and English. Is the post a joke with photos from Asia malls (or AI generated)? Or it’s just common in that part of Canada?

It's like the 21st century "China town". Many new migrants prefer avoiding downtown and the old China towns so have built new ones, complete with huge parking lots.

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#62
post #5
post #3

Why almost every store have their names written in Chinese (?) and English. Is the post a joke with photos from Asia malls (or AI generated)? Or it’s just common in that part of Canada?

Not sure about Toronto, but there are a lot of places like that on the BC side. I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard once that leading up to the handoff of Hong Kong from Britain to China there was a lot of immigration to Canada, due to their easier process than that of the US. It could also just be an Asian neighborhood like you'll find in pretty much every major city.

That was one of the major events, but in general there has been a steady trickle of immigrants from Japan and China to American and Canadian west coast settlements for the past 150 years or so. As with most diasporas, the way it usually works is that the first people come there because it's cheaper and/or because there's work available, and then once they establish a local community, more immigrants start coming there preferentially because they have friends and family, because there are services available in their language etc.

In BC, Richmond in particular has been a recipient of many of those immigrants from Hong Kong, which is why its population is still majority ethnic Chinese, and even many official signs are bilingual.

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#63
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You see names written in Chinese and English everywhere in the USA? Or did you mean something else? Because if that's what you meant to say, that is absolutely not how things are "everywhere in the USA".

Even out here in the sticks, the local Chinese restaurant has both English and Chinese menus. It’s quite likely that the only people around here who can read the Chinese menus work there or are related to those who work there.

From what I've seen, it is an established and expected cultural practice for "ethnic" restaurants in US to have bilingual menus regardless of their actual location. It could be a Mexican restaurant in an area that is 99% white Anglos, and it will still have menu in English and Spanish.

Personally I think it's great; it means that you get some exposure to other languages even if you never leave your corner of the woods.

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#64

I think there is a strong argument for the Library of Congress or some other public/quasi-public entity to archive Google Maps/StreetView data. Redevelopment has been an ongoing fact of life for much of the time I've lived in my area, and huge swathes of the landscape are nigh unrecognizable from when I was a kid. However, a lot of the way things were is preserved in that map and image data. I think this is valuable…

Why rely on Daddy Google so much in the first place?

A couple of months ago, I was puzzled enough by the lack of large scale urban history services in the West to post this question (with examples of what was possible):

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38090473

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#65

> The good thing is that, after 5 years of > construction, a beautiful new mall stan… just kidding! > > This is Canada. The place where construction > has to stop because you’re not allowed to uproot > a tree on your own property. Or a vindictive neighbour > holds up your project in Committee of Adjustments, until > you build them a new deck as a bribe. Or construction > is blocked by a surprise Heritage Listing on y…

How does a "surprise heritage listing" come up? I don't know that I'm always a fan of heritage designations, but they're not exactly a surprise to a buyer, right?

They absolutely can be. Often the designation process can be started by a complaining neighbor, who won't act until notified about construction.

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#66
post #3

Why almost every store have their names written in Chinese (?) and English. Is the post a joke with photos from Asia malls (or AI generated)? Or it’s just common in that part of Canada?

The immigrants have no interest in the culture of their host country. They are only there for economic convenience.

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#67

I can empathize with the author after moving away from Toronto almost 20 years ago, so much from when I was a teenager is gone. I'm not "from" where I live now, and where I'm "from" no longer exists, I just feel perpetually detached from everywhere now.

I've tried explaining this feeling to people so many times. Unmoored is a good word. We now live in a place where the locals are warm and welcoming, but I'll never be one of them. My kids are, but I'm just a little different. When I go back to where I was raised, I'm no longer a local there either, just a little bit different. It's more than the place itself changing. It's as if there is some continuity that's been b…

"Without roots"

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#68
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've read someone mentioning that in the UK such matters often resolve themselves by means of an accidental fire.

Karma’s a bitch: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-68...

I'm of the opinion that if something is a sort of "heritage site," the government should be required to purchase it, and it should not be owned by private parties.

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Texas, and have lived in California and New York. In all three of these places the areas with a large Chinese presence will have stores with names in both Chinese and English. This is absolutely common in the US in pretty much any large city, I can't imagine someone having never seen this before in the US unless they never lived or went to an area that was diverse. And its not just Chinese, many places will…

As someone who regularly shops at those sorts of places, there is a large part of the US population that ignores or is otherwise unaware of them, most of my family included. I've had multiple conversations where people have been shocked when informed that there's an Asian or Mexican market a short distance away that they had no idea existed.

The Mexican market near me has the best bread in town. I’m often the only English speaker in the store when I stop in.

Re: A place I've never been to. A place I'll never go

#70
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've tried explaining this feeling to people so many times. Unmoored is a good word. We now live in a place where the locals are warm and welcoming, but I'll never be one of them. My kids are, but I'm just a little different. When I go back to where I was raised, I'm no longer a local there either, just a little bit different. It's more than the place itself changing. It's as if there is some continuity that's been b…

As a kid we never lived in a country more than a few years. Now, everywhere feels a bit off. And I feel a bit off everywhere. Which, you are right, isn’t bad. Just odd. Unmoored is adequate.

interesting. i moved around as a kid a lot too, and later as an adult as well. but i have the totally opposite reaction. as a kid i didn't have any friends because of the frequent moving. but i love exploring, and now i feel at home everywhere i go. every place creates new memories, and i make new friends. especially going back to any place a second time always feels like coming home to me. whereas getting to a new place fills me with a sense of adventure. moving to a new city or country is like exploring a new neighborhood in my hometown. i guess the key point is that i feel as connected to the place where i am now as to the places where i grew up. effectively, the whole planet is my home.
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