热狗 – 多伦多的街边小食 Hotdog -Toronto Street Food

(Dear English readers, please scroll down to find the ‘click’ for English translation. )

今天暂不写西藏，因在多伦多的时间只剩一个星期，想多写多伦多。今天向大家介绍多伦多的街边小食。

对自小在马来西亚长大的我，街边小食是生活中很重要的一部分。虽未必卫生和健康，可是便宜美味自不在话下。在澳洲，由于政府严格的卫生条规，是不允许街边摆卖食物的。可想而知，我在澳洲那种没有街边小食的生活是多苦闷。最近，在墨尔本，开始有一些小档卖抄栗子。可是，就只不过如此，而且不算普遍。要吃马来西亚的街边小食要到餐馆吃，一碗只少要澳币七，八元。我虽爱吃，却觉得实在太贵， 和没有街边吃的风味。可是，坦白说，我在墨尔本住了那么久，已爱上了它的干净。如果，街边突然多了很多小食档，我可能也不会喜欢和习惯。

来到加拿大后，我开始注意到，原来多伦多也有街边小食 – 热狗 ！ 虽也是只此一种，可也算流行和很有风味。大街小巷都可以看到热狗档，有些还是24小时经营的。卖的热狗多样化， 有鸡，猪，牛肉，素，还有意大利式的。价钱便宜，约加币一元至二元，意大利肠较贵，三元。更特别的是，每档都有各式各样的调味酱和配料，不另加价，随你加料，免费。酱料有：番茄酱，辣椒酱，芥菜酱，蜂蜜芥菜江，辣芥菜酱等。配料有：腌制过的capsicum， 玉蜀黍粒，洋葱等等。 多伦多人很爱。有些人一个热狗，一瓶汽水，才两，三元，就一餐了。赶时间的，买了，一边走，一边吃。 不然，随便找个地方坐下来吃。

我有个日本朋友的男朋友是卖热狗的。他们是拿了假期工作签证在加拿大一边工作，一边旅行。她的男朋友在日本是一名导游，曾带日本旅客游过四十多个城市。他现在想回日本做自己的生意 – 在街边卖热狗！ 我去过东京，没见过街边热狗， 觉得这是个好主意！

有一天，我就试了试街边热狗。买了就已忍不住，一边走，一边吃。 很好吃耶 ！ 可是，太贪心，加太多辣芥菜酱，辣得我呱呱叫！

I won’t write about Tibet today. Since I only have one week left in Toronto, I wish to write more about Toronto. I would like to introduce Toronto street food to you all today.

Street food culture is a way of living in Malaysia. Since I was brought up there, it has become an inseparable part of me too. Although they are not as hygienic or healthy, they are so cheap and so delicious that we sometimes won’t care less about its cleanness. In Australia, due to its tight rules in hygiene, street foods are basically not allowed. Hence, it is not hard to imagine how boring for me at the beginning to live in Melbourne, a city without street food. Recently, I saw some small stalls that sell fried chestnuts in Melbourne city but they are not too popular there. If I crave for Malaysian street food, the only place I can find them are in Malaysian restaurants which charge at least seven Australian dollars per serve. I think it is too expensive and they are not the same if they are not eaten by the street sides but I have no choice. However, on other side of the story, since I have been living in Melbourne for so long, I already got used to its cleanness. I won’t like it if there are many food stalls by the streets.

During the last few months in Toronto, I observed some interesting street food culture here – HOTDOGS ! I can easily find hotdog stalls anywhere in downtown Toronto, some of them even open for 24 hours ! Although this is the only street food, there are various different hotdogs you can choose from – chicken, pork, beef, vegetarian, Italian sausages etc. They are generally only cost one to two Canadian dollars. Italian sausage is more expensive – three dollars. The most exciting thing about it is the various different kinds of sauces and ingredients that we can add to our hotdog for free. There are sauces like tomato sauce, chili sauce, mustard sauce, honey mustard sauce, hot mustard sauce etc. Ingredients include capsicum, onions, sweet corns, relish etc. Torontonians love them. It is can be a full meal for some people. You can see people eating their hotdog while walking or some would just choose a bench by street side.

I know a Japanese friend’s boyfriend sells hotdogs by street side. They are here travelling with their working holiday visas. Her boyfriend used to be a tour guide in Japan and has been to more than 40 cities all around the world. Now, he is considering to have own business in Japan after their trip in Canada – to sell hotdogs by the streets in Tokyo. I had been to Tokyo and never saw any hotdog stalls. I think it is a great idea !

One day, I thought is important to have this hotdog experience in Toronto. I bought one, could not resist it, and started eating while I was still walking. It was so delicious !! However, I was too greedy and added too much hot mustard sauce !

Tagged as: hotdog, street food, Toronto, 多伦多, 热狗