A Guidebook to Ethnic Vancouver: Walking, Shopping, and Eating Tours of the Ethnic Neighbourhoods of Vancouver

David Mattison is a librarian with the B.C. Provincial Archives and
Records Services Library.

Radio and television broadcaster Petrie has put together a thoroughly entertaining and mouth-watering look at major ethnic groups in Vancouver: their cultures and their foods are the focus of this guide. Liberally illustrated by Barb Wood, the guide covers the Japanese, Chinese, East Indian, Greek, and Italian mini-communities. A map on the inside front cover shows where the major neighbourhoods are located.

Only the chapters on the Japanese, Chinese, and Italians include a brief history of these groups. All chapters cover all major points of interest to curious persons outside each culture. The best parts of the guide are instructions on how to shop in various kinds of stores, what Petrie calls “A Shelf-by-Shelf Guide to a Chinese Food Store” and so on. The single major difference between the Greek chapter and the others is information on Greek travel agencies which offer cheap charter flights to the homeland available to Greeks and non-Greeks alike.

For the more adventurous an illustrated recipe in each chapter of a typical food dish allows for an at-home sampling. Boldface type is used to highlight the names of all stores and restaurants, while italic type draws attention to foreign words, with translations following. Petrie’s style is light, personal, and not patronizing. Vancouver’s excellent multicultural nature is amply served. Maps of each community are found at the end of each chapter. A handy walking size but not too small, the guidebook has a good index with lots of cross references.