 www.torontonightmarket.com |
In many ways, the TNM did a perfect job of imitating its Asian counterparts. The night markets in Taiwan, India and Malaysia that are congested with food canteens, street performers and plenty of sidewalk vendors.Toronto’s version was equally as energetic and tasty, jump for photos and my midnight experience.
Having been to the Asian versions, my midnight trek to the Metro Square Plaza greens was a nostalgic one. I was agitated and impatient as I tried to find parking around the packed market area. The waft of smelly tofu was clear even blocks away. I could hear the performances on stage, the clapping applause and bits of music as I circled. After lucking out, and heading through the various lanes of stalls and crowd, memories charged back as the senses took on a full-on attack of smells and tastes.
The Night Market blew expectations. A big party organized by the Asian youth of Toronto, they danced on the stage, sang, they partied on the streets and ate freshly grilled calamari and takoyaki. Every turn presented a multitude of options, and we’re just talking food. There were jewelry stations, game stalls where you try to pop balloons with darts, or pick up water balloons with paperclip hooks to win bags of goldfish. Yes, animals were being given away as prizes to kids that stepped up for some late night interactivity.
Most of the crowd: young asian kids in small to medium groups. The most popular items at the festival (as expected) was the wide variety of smelly tofu concoctions that were available. Lineups stretched with hundreds of kids lining up for soups and spiced servings of tofu. Wait time were approximately an hour. The pungent smell blanketed the entire festival.
While the booth didn’t seem as popular, there were some that lined up for freshly shucked oysters . Given my nose could only smell Tofu after 20 minutes in, I still managed to follow a scent of south Asian spices to a Malaysian hut serving Murtabak.
Given Murtabak is usually very hard to find in Toronto, I quickly ordered the beef variety. A tent, titled hamsters and turtles, selling, hamers, and yes tiny baby turtles. You can pet them, but them, and even accessorize them. The drink of choice. Bubble tea, taro drinks and basil seed concoctions (surprisingly quite tasty with lemon, water and honey).
Of all the festivals in Toronto, the TNM is probably the one with the richest varieties of food. Even after midnight, the venue was packed shoulder to shoulder with very little room to move at the core.
The Toronto Night Market was organized by the Youth Affiliate of The Dove Intercultural Society
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