Larry Kwong: A Hero to Me


Here is Gavin Donald's winning display on Larry Kwong - photo Todd Wong

Vernon student Gavin Donald creates a prize winning history display about the first NHL hockey player of Asian ancestry


Silver Star school student Gavin Donald, with his project, Larry Kwong: A Hero to Me, one of the winners in the recent Vernon and District Heritage Fair.

Gavin Donald, 11, is a Grade 6 Silver Star student, that I sat beside at last night's BC Hockey Hall of Fame induction dinner.

I was surprised at how much compassion and information that Gavin conveyed when he talked about Larry Kwong.  Gavin is passionate about his hometown of Vernon, and really wanted to choose a person from Vernon for his project.  The young man beside me wore a tie, and was thrilled to meet Larry Kwong at the BC Hockey Hall of Fame Dinner last night in Penticton.  Even though the induction of Trevor Linden, one of the greatest hockey players to wear the "C" for the Vancouver Canucks, was undoubtedly the evening's highlight - Gavin was only there to meet his hero - Larry Kwong. 

When MP Stockwell Day came over to meet Larry Kwong, it was Gavin who quickly had a pen in Day's hand to sign a petition to nominate Larry Kwong for the BC Hockey Hall of Fame.  By the end of the evening, Gavin was proudly carrying a newly won silent auction prize of a goalie stick signed by Mikka Kipprusoff, and asking other of the inducted hockey players Trevor Linden, Dallas Drake to sign the stick.  An evening highlight for Gavin was having Larry Kwong add his signature that same goalie stick.

Gavin did his history project on Larry Kwong, a Vernon native who was the first person of Asian descent to play in the NHL.  Gavin is 1 of 4 Vernon students who went on to the Okanagan Regional Heritage Fair in Kelowna and four projects from Vernon students were selected for the prize of a trip to the Provincial Heritage Fair in Barkerville June 30 to July 4.

Here is a quote from the article:

LARRY KWONG - the first Chinese-Canadian NHL player, will receive the first annual PIONEER AWARD from the Okanagan Hockey School.

The award is being presented at the BC Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration in Penticton on July 23, 2010.  For more details, including ticket info, click www.bchhf.com


Larry Kwong is one of Hockey's great trivia questions.  Who was the first non-white hockey player in the NHL?  He played one shift in the 3rd period against the Montreal Canadiens, in Montreal in 1948. - photo courtesy of Chad Soon. 

During the 1947-48 season, Larry ('King') Kwong is the first Chinese Canadian to play in the NHL as a member of the New York Rangers Hockey Club.  Also known as the 'China Clipper' during an illustrious juniors and seniors hockey career in B.C., Kwong went on to become Assistant Captain of the Valleyfield Braves in the Quebec Senior Hockey League where he led the team to a Canadian Senior Championship and received the Byng of Vimy award for sportsmanship.  Kwong later accepted an offer to play hockey in England and coach in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

The Larry Wong Appreciation Society Face Book Page writes:


Tom Hawthorn wrote a story in the Globe & Mail: Larry Kwong Beat Long Odds


Larry Kwong at the Homecoming Tribute Night in Vernon, BC, March 27, 2010.  He was honoured by the Vernon Vipers before their BCHL (Junior A) playoff game. - photo courtesy of Chad Soon. 

Here's some more information from the Larry Kwong Appreciation Society Facebook Group

Surviving sons and daughters need to be included for Chinese Head Tax settlement.

No other ethnic group was charged a head tax. The govt repealed the racist "Chinese Exclusion Act" in 1947 and also finally gave Canadians born with Chinese heritage the vote.

The Mulroney govt apologized for Japanese Canadians interned during WW2 in 1988.  Four years earlier, Chinese Head Tax Redress had been  brought to Parliament in 1984 by MP Margaret Mitchell, but rejected by the Trudeau govt.

An apology for Chinese Head Tax finally came 22 years later in 2006, but it was 86 years after the last head tax was paid in 1923, and 121 years after the first head tax was paid in 1885. Giving ex-gratia payments only to the few surviving head tax payers and widows while ignoring the other 99% of head tax certificates passed onto surviving sons and daughters is wrong.

It is impossible to expect my great-grandfather to live to be 130 years old to receive his "tax refund". The payment should go to his remaining 7 children who are 99 to 85 years old, all born in Canada and had to live through the years of The Exclusion Act until 1947.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/head-tax-redress-was-not-enough-say-chinese-descendents/article1624868/

 

Head tax redress was not enough say Chinese descendants

97 year old Thomas Soon (L) and 99 year old Charlie Quon hold government cheques, the first redress payments to Chinese Head Tax payers in Vancouver, BC, October 20, 2006. Lyle Stafford for The Globe and Mail

Canada Day rally planned for Vancouver’s Chinatown

Robert Matas

Vancouver — Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, Jun. 30, 2010 5:05PM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, Jun. 30, 2010 5:35PM EDT

Canada’s apology to the Chinese community for the head tax from 1885 to 1923 was not enough, say descendants of those who paid the tax.

Ottawa said sorry to the Chinese community four years ago and gave $20,000 to those who had paid the head tax or to their surviving spouse.

But members of the Head Tax Families Society of Canada say the federal government excluded thousands of Chinese families who were affected by the historic injustices and Ottawa should rethink its approach to redress.

The children of those who paid the tax but did not live long enough to hear the apology received nothing and still feel left out, Sid Tan, head of the Head Tax Families Society of Canada, said Wednesday in an interview on the day before a “redress rally” planned for Vancouver’s Chinatown.

“The apology was not as meaningful to us as it was to other [Chinese families],” said Mr. Tan, the grandson of a head tax payer. “The federal government left out a large chunk of people and you have to find some way you can meaningfully provide redress for them.”

The federal government acknowledged less than one per cent of families who had paid the head tax, he said. Payments were made to about 800 people although more than 82,000 Chinese immigrants paid the tax from 1885 to 1923.

The rally on Canada Day is intended as a celebration of being Canadian while reminding the federal government that the issue is not closed, Mr. Tan said.

Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, an umbrella group with 27 chapters across the country, said 3,000 families across Canada are still seeking to be included in the apology and payment that was made in 2006.

His grandfather, who immigrated to Canada in 1912, could not bring his wife and four children until 1947, he said. Mr. Wong said he is the family’s first Canadian-born grandson, born 47 years after his grandfather arrived on the West Coast. “Family formation was discouraged,” he said.

Redress that included the children of those who felt the impact of the discriminatory policies would set the tone for governments, prodding them to ensure that policies and programs are sensitive to the needs of minorities.

“For an apology to be meaningful, it needs to include [the children of head tax payers],” said Mr. Wong

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/head-tax-redress-was-not-enough-say-chinese-descendents/article1624868/

 

Chinese Laundry Kids grow up to be writers, professors and community activists:

Friends of Foo's Ho Ho launches another successful event combining Chinese Canadian history with local cuisine and issues of the global Chinese diaspora.  When Committee member Elwin Xie discovered that author Judy Fong Bates was coming to speak at UBC, and that she was reading from her memoir about growing up in a chinese laundry - a light must have gone off.

Elwin quickly remembered that retired psychology professor Dr. John Jung had expressed interest in coming to speak to the Friends of Foo's Ho Ho committee, after learning about their effort to save Vancouver Chinatown's last restaurant serving pioneer style Cantonese cuisine.  A community activist with an interest in Vancouver's Chinese Canadian history, Elwin had also ordered books by Dr. Jung about Chinese restaurants and laundries.  It turned out that like Judy Fong Bates, Dr. Jung had also grown up in a Chinese laundry - but instead of Canada, Dr. Jung had grown up in Macon, Georgia - deep in the American South.  Elwin's interest was keen, because he had grown up at the Union Laundry, owned and operated by his parents in Vancouver.

Event host Todd Wong, with featured guests Dr. John Jung, Judy Fong Bates and Elwin Xie.

Guests began arriving at the 6pm reception time. Books by Dr. Jung and Ms. Bates were for sale, and the authors were set up to sign copies for the evening's patrons.

The event started off with a 10 minute film about Chinese laundries in the United States.  This really helped set the tone for the evening, showing pictures of laundries, the laundry machines, and even some of the racist cartoons and songs of the times.  

Soon the first appetizer dish of deep-fried squid, pork and chicken wings arrived. Yum Yum, some good food to accompany the hearty conversations that filled the upstairs banquet hall.

Elwin Xie was the first speaker.  He gave a power point presentation with pictures of his family's laundry that included himself as a little child.  He described how he was encouraged to climb into the giant washing machines to find coins, only to figure out many years later that he was "exploited" because of his small size.

Dr. John Jung was the second speaker.  He also had a power point presentation that featured pictures of both Chinese laundries and restaurants from across North America. It was really interesting to hear how he grew up in the only Chinese family in Macon Georgia.  An especially amusing story was how the family became media stars one day.  In 1943, they were asked to come out and attend a media photo opportunity with Madame Chiang Kai Shek, the First Lady of China, came to visit Macon.  As the only Chinese family, they had been invited to help welcome the wife of the Taiwanese leader, who had grown up and attended Wesleyan women's college in Macon, before marrying Chiang Kai Shek.

My role as the evening's emcee, was to make sure the presentations flowed smoothly and try to keep the evening running on time.  With John's stories, it was a good way to illustrate that no matter where Chinese had settled in Canada, USA or even Scotland, their stories all had universal themes.  As John had talked about the influence of the Church during his growing up, I shared that my own family was descended from two Chinese Methodist missionaries Rev. Chan Sing Kai and Rev. Chan Yu Tan.  While Yu Tan stayed in Canada and ministered in Vancouver, New Westminster, Victoria and Nanaimo, his elder brother had ministered in Oregon and Nevada, before settling in the Los Angeles area.  Similar to John discovering that he had distant relatives operating a Chinese restaurant in Sasketchewan, my grand mother's cousin Dennis ran a restaurant in Prince Albert SK.  John had even seen the CBC documentary about Dennis' daughter Janice Wong, returning to Prince Albert to sign copies of her book CHOW, about growing up in the restaurant.

Judy Fong Bates reads from her memoir "The Year of Finding Memory"

Judy Fong Bates was the final speaker of the evening.  She remarked how a friend had described the evening's program as "sexy"!  Judy read from her memoir about how her family had come to Canada, and how she had grown up.  Like John and Elwin before her, she also commented about the racism against Chinese that had permeated the social issues of the day, and how growing up in a laundry also had a stigmatism.

It was a wonderful evening with an appreciative audience.  The evening had unfolded with discovered stories that one attendee had had his wedding banquet at Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant 38 years ago.  Another woman, my Aunty Sue, was also a Chinese Laundry Kid, with her family involved with Keefer Laundry in Vancouver.

Todd Wong: A Cultural Revolutionary in a Kilt" - pg 16-18 Pacific Rim Magazine - pick up Today's Globe & Mail. It's a nice"day-after-birthday" gift!

Here I am, back in Vernon, or more specifically Coldstream for the 2009 Easter weekend.  My girlfriend Deb and I drove up yesterday to spend some time with her parents and their border collie dogs.

It was a long tiring trip through the light rain, light snow on the Coquihalla and Connector highways.  Thankfully, there wasn't a snow storm.  We didn't get the big windstorm that hit Vancouver, but there were moderate winds pushing the car along the highways.  Lots of Canadian content on the cd player including Michael Buble's "Live at Madison Square Garden", Bruce Cockburn's live solo album "Slice O Life" and Gordon Lightfoot's "Gord's Gold."  After hearing that Lightfoot had re-written his lyrics of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", I have decided to write new lyrics to his classic "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" to include a Chinese-Canadian perspective.  Maybe I will call it Chinese-Canadian Railroad Trilogy or Chinese-Canadian Railroad Tragedy... we will see how it pans out.

One of the first things I did upon arriving at "The In-Laws" was to pet all the doggies greeting our arrival.  Val literally jumps on me, trying to lick my face, while the younger dog Tess simply brings me a pine cone to throw for her.  Finally, she has somebody to throw pine cones for her again.  Definitely a "fetchit" dog! 

Next I walk down to private dock that sits on Kalamalka Lake.  It's a beautiful lake, nicknamed the "Lake of Many Colours".  I am hoping to do some paddling this weekend in canoe or kayak.  But now, it's time to socialize, catch up on news, then have a great dinner. 

After dinner, we fall asleep watching Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" .  Darn - I had really been looking forward to the movie, with its portrayal of jazzy cajun spiced New Orleans, and its inaugural debut of African-American characters and culture.  Maybe it is too politically correctly sanitized, or stereotypically traditional, or maybe my sense of disbelief cannot be suspended.  A talking firefly that survives multiple hits, and never becomes bug splat?

Saturday, I wake up to the heavy splashing of white capped waves on Kalamalka Lake.  No kayaking today.  I joke that maybe I could take a kayak out and surf the waves to Alexander's Pub, and somebody could come pick me up.  No takers.  Chances of being cold and wet are high, and I dislike the combination terribly.

There are no dim sum restaurants in Vernon.  Too bad.... but I have a wonderful lunch date with Betty "McChan" and her husband Don.  Betty is a former Canadian National Highland Dance Champion.... and she is Chinese-Canadian.  The picture I saw of her, was an archival copy of Chinatown News from the late 1950's.  I first met Betty in 2006 when she came to Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.  This past New Year's was the first time we visisted in Vernon.  We have a wonderful chat about Gung Haggis Fat Choy, local Vernon Viper hockey, Larry Kwong the first Chinese Canadian to play in the NHL, dim sum, tai chi, and whether or not Betty will borrow, hire or purchase a Chinese Lion dance costume. 

For our first visit to Betty's place, just after New Year's, she had made a wonderful classic Cantonese style Won Ton soup.  This time it was her husband Don in the kitchen.  He made a delicious omelette with a side dish of corned beef hash brown potatoes.  Spontaneously, I asked if he had ever made a haggis hash.  He hadn't, but he liked the idea.  I told him about the a capella group The No Shit Shirleys who had performed at the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner, and how whenever the group performs their version of Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) they tell the story about haggis-fried rice that they had at the dinner.  They thought it was soooo delicious.  Betty and Don had attended that dinner and they thought The Shirleys were wonderful performers, and the fried rice was good too!

On my way back to my Vernon home-base, I spot the Vernon Sausage Company, and it's delicatessen Helmut's Sausage Kitchen.  I have tasted some of Oyama Sausage at Salt Tasting Room in Vancouver, and decide to purchase some local tastes for tonight's appetizer plate.  I select a few slices of the Soppressata salami, Prosciutto Westphalia, Bauern schinken (a cured beef), 1 slice of the huge corned beef, and 6 slices each of the Helmut's Farmer Salami and the Kirsch-Salami.  I also pick some cheeses: Provolone, Smoked Gruyere, and Smoked Gouda.  The meats only cost me $3.12... wow!  It's a wonderful cured meat and cheese platter.  Everybody is complimentary.  And much cheaper than going to Salt Restaurant, but without the incredible comfits and sauces that they match to their platters.  I eat so much that I don't have as much room for the wonderful turkey dinner we have. 

Hmmm.... did I use the word "wonderful" too many times.  I like my visits to Vernon.

"CHINESE VANCOUVER THEN AND NOW: 1972-2010"

Tuesday, March 9, 2010
7-9 pm
Alice MacKay Room, Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch
OPERA SPEAKS @ VPL -


Admission is free.

An eminent panel explores the history of Chinese in Vancouver, with
emphasis on the Chinese communities' emergence and development since
1972, the year of Nixon's momentous trip to China. Discover how our
city has been shaped and transformed by Chinese culture over the past
38 years. This will be a fascinating evening. Speakers include eminent
architect Bing Thom, UBC historian Henry Yu, and filmmaker and writer Colleen Leung.

Presented in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library.
Opera Speaks @ VPL is sponsored by Omni BC Diversity Television. http://www.vancouveropera.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=255&Itemid=15

Daniel Lee 1920 - January 26, 2010 

With sorrow... we share the news that Grand-Uncle Daniel Lee passed away this morning of January 26th, 2010.  He had been in the Burnaby Hospital since Wednesday.  His daughter Grace,  she said it was quite sudden - his going into the hospital.  I had been receiving reports from my mother Betty, as her mother Mabel (Dan's oldest sister at 99 years old) was visiting the hospital each day.

Uncle Dan was born the 11th child of 14, the 5th son of seven to jeweler Ernest Lee, and Kate Chan Lee - the 2nd child, and 1st daughter of Rev. Chan Yu Tan.  As a young child he spent some time living in Nanaimo with his grandparents Rev. and Mrs. Chan Yu Tan, after the early death of his father.

When Dan was 20 years old he tried to enlist in the Canadian Army, but was turned away because at that time they did not allow any Chinese Canadians.  Instead, he went to aircraft mechanics school in Toronto and graduated two years later.  By 1942, Chinese were allowed into the Army due to pressure from Great Britain.  Dan Lee was one of the the first Chinese-Canadians accepted into the Canadian Air Force.  Soon, he was joined in England, by his brothers Howard and Leonard, plus cousin Victor Wong, who were enroute to the Pacific Theatre to serve with the Army special forces.

In the years after WW2, Dan Lee and his fellow Canadian born veterans would continue to face racial discrimination and prejudice.  The were not allowed to join any of the existing Canadian Legions for veteran soldiers.  They turned to the oldest veteran organization, the Army, Navy, Air Force Vets of Canada and were accepted to form their own unit - Pacific Unit 280.  After WW2, he and his fellow veterans and good friend Roy Mah, petitioned the Canadian Government to gain voting rights for Chinese Canadians, and also to repeal the Chinese Exclusion Act.  This was accomplished in 1947.

 

But the challenges weren't over yet.  Every year Uncle Dan would write a letter to Ottawa asking for an apology for the Chinese head tax and exclusion act.  The Chinese head tax redress movement took on a larger significance after MP Margaret Mitchell brought the issue up in Parliament in 1984, and also when Prime Minister Mulroney apologized to Japanese Canadians in 1988 for the the government's interning of them during WW2.

In the 1980's, Dan Lee would continue to work head tax apology issue.  With Douglas Jung, a former veteran, lawyer, Member of Parliament, and the Chinese Benevolent Association, they proposed that a national organization be formed to deal with the Head Tax issue.  Dan Lee became one of the founders of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians(NCCC) and a national conference was held.  After many years, an apology was finally made in Canadian Parliament by Prime Minister Harper in 2006.

In 1998, the Chinese Canadian Military Museum was founded.  Dan Lee's air force uniform was one of the first displays.

In 1999, we held the first Rev. Chan Legacy Family Reunion.  Uncle Dan was a consultant for the committee.  At the reunion, it was Dan Lee who gave the Elder Address, as he talked about his grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan. 

In 2002, the Rev. Chan Yu Tan family was featured in the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum exhibit "Three Canadian Chinese Pioneer Families"  - pictures of Uncle Dan and the contributions of himself and his brothers and cousin were included.  

In 2007, Dan Lee is one of the lead stories in the film documentary Heroes Remember, produced by the Chinese Canadian Military Museum.

Dan Lee's dedication to community service is exemplary.  In 2004, Dan Lee received the Award of  Merit from Dominion Command.  It is one of the highest honours a veteran can receive.  Uncle Dan told me that to receive an Award of Merit, you must first receive the Medal for Appreciation, which he received in 1987.  In 1999 he next received the Award for Service.

And through all these years, Uncle Dan would sell poppies in downtown Vancouver for Remembrance Day, and help organize the Poppy Drive every November.  He was one of the best sellers.  He was also one of the organizers of the Victory Square Cenotaph Remembrance Day ceremonies.  In 2004, Remembrance Day ceremonies began at the Canadian Chinese Pioneer Monument in Chinatown.  The veterans of Unit 280 would attend both Victory Square and Chinatown ceremonies, even if it was raining and cold.

The contributions that Dan Lee made, will last and be remembered, while he will be missed.

We offer support and love to Uncle Dan, his wife Irene, and their children Vincent and Grace.

Peace & Blessings to all, Todd Wong - Vancouver

As part of his commitment to community, Dan annually organized the poppy campaign in Vancouver. It's not surprising he was a top-seller. For his community efforts Dan has received many veteran honours, such as the Award of Appreciation, and Award for Service - but none higher than the Award of Merit from Dominion Command in 2004. It's a fitting tribute to the grandson who evidently learned his values and strong faith in community from his Methodist Church pioneer, Grandfather Chan Yu Tan.

See VIDEO of Daniel Lee from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum

Todd goes to Vernon and meets Betty Chan, former Highland Dance champion of Canada, and Dan Huang drum sgt of Kelowna pipe band.   more »

I wrote the section on Vancouver Chinatown. The book is edited by Gail Buente, my coworker friend at the Vancouver Library. Back in May I sent her my final draft which she edited. The book has just been released now in November in time for the anticipated visitors for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Maybe some of them will find their way into Vancouver Chinatown.   more »

Uncle Daniel Lee is colour guard for Pacific Unit 280 at the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Chinese Canadian Pioneer Monument in Vancouver Chinatown   more »

August Dinner at Foo's Ho Ho

Friends, Todd Wong and Jim Wong Chu, standing outside Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant after eating there for the last time. - photo T.Wong

Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant to close in Vancouver Chinatown: It's the end of an era for Cantonese restaurants

(please note that due to popular demand - Foo's Ho Ho did re-open.  Open Wednesday to Sunday, Closed Monday and Tuesday - 102 East Pender Street Vancouver, BC V6A 1T3 - (604) 609-2889 - editor Todd Wong January 2010)

On Friday, I received notice that Foo's Ho Ho restaurant was going to close on Saturday July 11th.

On July 9th Friday, several friends sent out emails to me about Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant, including Wesley Lowe, Larry Wong, Bob Sung and Jim Wong Chu.  Larry wrote:

"Sam, the cook and proprietor of Foo’s Ho Ho has liver cancer and is currently in VGH pallative care. At most he has 2 months left to live.  His partner, Joanne has been keeping the landmark restaurant open and continuing cooking the delicious dishes you’ve enjoyed and remembered throughout the years.

Going back and forth between the hospital and the restaurant has taken a toil on her and she has reluctantly decided to close Foo’s Ho Ho indefinitely after this coming Saturday. The famous neon sign will dim one last time. So it’s last call for those who wish to have one more lunch or dinner for old times sake and it’s also a way to support Joanne and Sam financially.  An opportunity to re-live a part of old-time Chinatown, round up some friends and book your table. 604.609.2889"

The first Chinese pioneers to Canada were Cantonese speakers, and they brought Cantonese styled Chinese food with them.  As the pioneers spread across North America, so did Chinese restaurants.

During the 1960's and 1970's, my father would often stop at the Ho Ho Restaurant in Vancouver Chinatown and bring back chow mein or deep-fried won ton, as a late night snack.

I can remember many friday nights, when we would meet our family friends at the Ho Ho restaurant, then either go swimming at Father & Son nights at the YMCA, or shopping at Army & Navy and Woodwards along Hastings St.

During the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, Chinatown's neon was the place to be, and the place to eat! - photo courtesy of Christian Dahlberg http://www.vancouverneon.com/p_chinatown.htm

Larry also is a local Chinatown historian and he wrote: "Foo’s Ho Ho is the last of the “village-style” Cantonese restaurants from the late 1940s. establishments in Vancouver’s Chinatown that does the original home-style cooking. Many of the older generation remembers it well. Sam who first gain his cooking chops at the WK Restaurant and later at the Famous Marco Polo and others before he resurrected the Ho Ho which had been left vacant for a number of years and renamed it Foo’s Ho Ho."

In recent years, I have attended many dinners at Foo's Ho Ho with the Chinese Canadian Miltary Museum, Pacific Unit 280, and also with Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, as well as with our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team after Tuesday night practices.

My friend David Wong wrote on his blog:

At one time, the Ho Ho graced one of the city’s most familiar neon landmarks - a stylized bowl of rice with steam rising up 3 1/2 stories.  Within this neon rise, alternated the Chinese characters for “Ho Ho”…and her English words – both in flashing neon glory.

The restaurant once hosted many of Chinatown establishment’s major events – weddings, Clan society dinners, cultural and festival dinners, etc. The enterprise occupied the lower two floors of an old 8 storey brick building that contained a once thriving rooming house / hotel, the “Sun Ah”.

At one time, another old favourite restaurant existed a block away. Foo’s restaurant. When old Foo’s restaurant closed shop, the Ho Ho became “Foo’s Ho Ho”

From serving tourists to locals, there are regular groups of customers who return to enjoy the authentic ciusine that faithfully maintained Chinatown’s history. Each year, the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia hosts its Annual General Meeting dinner at Foo’s Ho Ho in honour of the tradition and history that it represents.

What did we eat for our "Last Night at Foo's Ho Ho"?

Sticky Rice w/chicken - one of my Favorites!  photo T.Wong

Ox Tail with Black Bean sauce  photo T.Wong

Curried potato with beef slices - Another Favorite!  photo T.Wong

Egg Foo Yung - Sam's signature dish.  photo T.Wong

Who was eating at Foo's Ho Ho on the last night?

photo T.Wong

Peter Wong, Kwoi Gee, Annie, and Opal.  Peter is the brother of Steven Wong, one of our paddlers on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  Steven tells us that their family often goes to Foo's Ho Ho restaurant.  Their father Bill Wong runs Modernize Tailors, another landmark institution in Vancouver Chinatown.

photo T.Wong

Our table with (standing) Jim Wong Chu, Marlene, Bev and Ken (visiting from the next table), sitting: Todd, Deb, Dan, Sandy, Al and Stuart Mackinnon. Deb, Dan, Stuart and myself have shared many dinners at Foo's Ho Ho, following dragon boat practices.  Jim and Bev are Chinatown institutions themselves, having grown up in the area, then working hard as board members to develop Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society into a major Vancouver festival.

photo T.Wong

My mom's cousin Gary Lee, a friend, Tina, Gary's wife Josie, Bev and Ken.  Gary filmed his interview for the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy, upstairs at the Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant.  Gary's a real Chinatown veteran.  His father Gordie Lee helpd develop Lee's Taxi - Vancouver's first Chinese-Canadian owned taxi service.  Gary also used to sing in local night clubs - he was called "the Chinese Sinatra."

photo T.Wong

Ron, George, Sid, Fanna, Elwin and Mary, were all active compatriots during the Chinese Head Tax Redress campaign of 05-06.  We are all pioneer Chinese head tax descendents.  Sid has carried the torch for many years, and promises to keep carrying it until all the head tax certificates are recognized - not just the less than 1% of surviving head tax payers and spouses.

photo T.Wong

Bob Lee and Family had the largest gathering at Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant.  Bob was the first Chinese-Canadian chancellor of UBC, and his daughter Carole recently organized the Chinatown and Beyond conference.

photo T.Wong
At the end of the meal, Todd and Jim went to say thank you to the chef, Joanne.  By the end of the evening, there was a rumour going around that Joanne was so touched by the turnout for "Last Night at Foo's Ho Ho" that she might keep the restaurant going... or re-open in a month...

In any case, we wish the best for Sam and Joanne.  They've earned a place in Vancouver's culinary and cultural history.

photo T.Wong
Behind the cashier desk at Foo's Ho Ho, is this picture taken last November following the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Canadian Chinese Pioneer Monument in Keefer Square.  The Hon. Lt. Gov. Steven Point spontaneously decided to attend the ceremonies and gave a very heartfelt speech.  The veterans of Pacific Unit 280 always go to Foo's Ho Ho for lunch afterwards.  After the lunch, Lt. Gov. Steven Point asked to meet the cook, and honoured Joanne with a "Thank You Song" which he and his wife Gwen sang in their First Nations Sto:lo language.  Itw as a wonderful and proud moment for all who attended.

Arlene Chan has written a new book on dragon boating.

Arlene paddles on a Toronto dragon boat team.  Susan Humphries is past president of Dragon boat Canada. Arlene wrote a children's book on dragon boating, Awakening the Dragon.  This book features chapters on various topics written by top coaches, paddlers, and organizers from across Canada.  Vancouver coach Kamini Jain, former Olympic kayaker, has written the chapter on coaching.

Here's a description from Kamini's website

Description:   Paddles Up! provides an in-depth look at dragon boating from its beginnings in ancient China to the modern-day prominence of Canadian teams on the international scene, as told in the words of top coaches of men's and women's teams, experts and enthusiasts, and sports health professionals across Canada. Contributing writers include Mike Haslam, executive president International Dragon Boat Federation; Matthew Smith, president Dragon Boat Canada; Kamini Jain, Vancouver; Albert MacDonald, Halifax; Jamie Hollins, Pickering; Matt Robert, Montreal; and Jim Farintosh, Toronto. Through legends, history, and traditions, to paddling tips and mental readiness, and from choosing gear to exceptional achievements, a battery of Canadian dragon-boat notables share their considerable knowledge in one authoritative volume.

Last year in June 2008, the author Arlene Chan contacted me.  She wrote:

This is what I originally sent to Arlene, most of it is printed on page 27:


Here's a picture of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team that appears on page 23.  This is from the 2007 Vancouver Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race.  I am drumming.  Emilie is our flag puller learning out over the dragon head.  This photo is by my friend VFK whom I introduced to Arlene to be included in the book, as well as photographers Ben Lee and Heather Mclaren - photo VFK

I discovered more about Arlene.  She is a librarian with the Toronto Public Library and had written two previous books, The Spirit of the Dragon: The Story of Jean Lumb, a Proud Canadian Citizen and The Moon Festival: A Chinese Mid-autumn festival. 

When she told me she also organized a fundraiser dinner for the Jean Lumb Foundation, I had to ask, "Jean Lumb... the first Chinese Canadian woman to recieve the Order of Canada?  I know her daughter, Janet Lumb in Montreal... we met in Ottawa for a conference.  I introduced Janet to Sen. Vivienne Poy (the first Chinese Canadian senator) "

It's a small world.  Arlene told me that Janet is her younger sister.  Back in 2002, I was working for the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society.  Janet is the founder and organizer of Access Asie, the Montreal version of Asian Heritage Month Festival.  Sen. Poy is the patron senator of Asian Heritage Month in Canada, having had it proclaimed in parliament.  Sen. Poy's husband Dr. Neville Poy had an aunt in Vancouver... who married my grandmother's eldest brother.  "Auntie!" I called her.

You can purchase Paddles Up! on Amazon.ca here:
http://www.amazon.ca/Dragon-Boat-Racing-Canada-Paddles/dp/1554883954
or contact Kamini Jain in Vancouver
http://www.rightangleperformance.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=74

Toddish McWong, telling stories at 2008 Celtic Fest for the Battle of the Bards, and reading Robert Burns poetry - photo D. Martin.

Vancouver Storytelling at Main St. Car Free Days, with Todd Wong

I have been asked by Vancouver Storytellers, to give a storytelling performance
Location: located on the West Side at 18th.; on a grassy island set back from Main Street.  We are beside a tiny mall with a Pizza Hut.

It is Car Free Days starts at 12 noon at the following locations.
Commercial Drive (between Venables and 1st Ave.)
Denman St. (between Davie and Robson)
Main St. (between 12th and 25th)
Kitsilano (various neighborhood block parties)
http://www.carfreevancouver.org/

I will tell stories of early Chinese & Scottish pioneers in BC,

I will look down Main Street towards Chinatown and tell stories about my great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan, who came to Canada in 1896 as a lay preacher for the Chinese Methodist Church....  

I will tell stories about how James Douglas was born in Guyana to a Scottish father and a Creole mother, and came to BC to become the first governor of BC.

I will look south to the Fraser River, and recount how Simon Fraser was born in the United States, came to Canada with his Loyalist mother, and travelled through Western Canada, to explore this Westernmost land and named it New Caledonia.

I will the origins of Gung Haggis Fat Choy: 

• in 1993, when I first wore a kilt for the SFU, Robbie Burns Day celebrations
• in 1998, with a small private dinner for 16 people in a living room
• how it has grown into an annual Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner serving 550 people
• and spun off a CBC TV performance special
• The SFU Gung Haggis Fat Choy Festival, by SFU Recreation department.