"Ethnic Food" debate (from Bay Adelaide P&C thread)

[rpeters]

Thanks for the link, can't wait to see the finished product, but does anyone know if Temperance Street will become pedestrian only like in the picture? I think it would be a terrific idea, so many cities have streets just for pedestrians, it would be a great idea.

True, I wish we were more like Melbourne, they've got tons of those and they're lined with bars and all sorts of different ethnic restaurants. Though I have often hear Melbourners (and Australians in general) use that old adage that multiculturalism is the most amazing thing ever "Because of the food"

 

[isaidso]

True, I wish we were more like Melbourne, they've got tons of those and they're lined with bars and all sorts of different ethnic restaurants.

You realize that all restaurants are 'ethnic' or have an ethnicity, even Harvey's? Ethnic doesn't mean non-white.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Nope. The likes of Harvey's and McDonald's originated in this area, meaning it is "local" food. Other kinds, such as Greek food, originated outside Canada, and therefor is ethnic. (Comes from an ethnicity outside of Canada)

Greek food is not ethnic in Greece.

 

[isaidso]

Nope. The likes of Harvey's and McDonald's originated in this area, meaning it is "local" food. Other kinds, such as Greek food, originated outside Canada, and therefor is ethnic. (Comes from an ethnicity outside of Canada)

Greek food is not ethnic in Greece.

To call food originating outside of Canada 'ethnic' is to misunderstand what the word means. Everything has an ethnicity. Does an English pub serve ethnic food? What about apple pie, is that ethnic food? Neither originate in Canada or this continent, for that matter.

Bacon and eggs on toast for breakfast. That's ethnic food as well.

 

[Lansdude]

To call food originating outside of Canada 'ethnic' is to misunderstand what the word means. Everything has an ethnicity. Does an English pub serve ethnic food? What about apple pie, is that ethnic food? Neither originate in Canada or this continent, for that matter.

Bacon and eggs on toast for breakfast. That's ethnic food as well.

It can be either depending on where you want to draw the meaning from. But if "ethnic food" just means "food" then we wouldn't have much of a use for the phrase "ethnic food". The phrase itself has its own usage despite being strictly redundant. There might be a moral argument against calling everything not-us ethnic x or ethnic y but as a descriptor its content - though it would be a challenge to outline where exactly the category ends - is I think understood generally as food popularized in the west several generations ago in addition to food originating in the west more recently. Again, hard to draw a line and hard to outline conditions for departure from the category of "ethnic food" but we all know Subway is non-"ethnic food" and doner kebab is. But if you really examine like it, many meanings fail under hard scrutiny like that because they rely on the fluid definitions of further concepts.

 

[isaidso]

It can be either depending on where you want to draw the meaning from. But if "ethnic food" just means "food" then we wouldn't have much of a use for the phrase "ethnic food".

That's just the point. The use of the phrase 'ethnic food' speaks to a complete misuse of the word. What the user usually is trying to convey is something foreign to them, but that's not what ethnic means. The whole idea of an ethnic food aisle at the grocery store is absurd and something I expect to see used by people in some backward town in Kentucky.

I have an old anglo-saxon friend from Halifax and when he came to Toronto he talked about all the 'ethnics' here. I just rolled my eyes and said that Nova Scotia is very ethnic too. Ethnically Scottish. I think it went right over his head.

Ethnic refers to what ethnicity/culture it comes from: Japanese, English, Nigerian, French, German, Polish, etc. It doesn't mean not originating from here. To call doner kebab ethnic food and Subway non-ethnic is an extremely parochial attitude.

 

[innsertnamehere]

One thing one must remember when defining a word is that definitions change, as that is the nature of language. The modern definition for all intensive purposes of "ethnic food" is food that does not originate from the location it is being sold.

Besides, this is getting waaayyyyyy OT, and the mods should feel free to delete this or move it, and I would be happy to continue with PMs.

 

[Lansdude]

That's just the point. The use of the phrase 'ethnic food' speaks to a complete misuse of the word. What the user usually is trying to convey is something foreign to them, but that's not what ethnic means. The whole idea of an ethnic food aisle at the grocery store is absurd and something I expect to see used by people in some backward town in Kentucky.

I have an old anglo-saxon friend from Halifax and when he came to Toronto he talked about all the 'ethnics' here. I just rolled my eyes and said that Nova Scotia is very ethnic too. Ethnically Scottish. I think it went right over his head.

Ethnic refers to what ethnicity/culture it comes from: Japanese, English, Nigerian, French, German, Polish, etc. It doesn't mean not originating from here. To call doner kebab ethnic food and Subway non-ethnic is an extremely parochial attitude.

It conveys a meaning. A relativistic and therefore parochial one, sure. But that it carries its own intelligible content means that it has a use. It is, at least until now, practically useful. If you want to make a moral argument about it, that's another rabbit hole.

 

[egotrippin]

That's just the point. The use of the phrase 'ethnic food' speaks to a complete misuse of the word. What the user usually is trying to convey is something foreign to them, but that's not what ethnic means. The whole idea of an ethnic food aisle at the grocery store is absurd and something I expect to see used by people in some backward town in Kentucky.

I have an old anglo-saxon friend from Halifax and when he came to Toronto he talked about all the 'ethnics' here. I just rolled my eyes and said that Nova Scotia is very ethnic too. Ethnically Scottish. I think it went right over his head.

Ethnic refers to what ethnicity/culture it comes from: Japanese, English, Nigerian, French, German, Polish, etc. It doesn't mean not originating from here. To call doner kebab ethnic food and Subway non-ethnic is an extremely parochial attitude.

Seriously? Semantics aside, just go tell any odd person on the street that Subway is ethnic; you'll get strange stares. Colloquially, ethnic food has come to refer to food from non-local cultures. Is it really such a big deal?

 

[Xray_Crystal_Junkie]

This debate is a waste of bandwidth.

 

[UrbanAffair]

To call food originating outside of Canada 'ethnic' is to misunderstand what the word means. Everything has an ethnicity. Does an English pub serve ethnic food? What about apple pie, is that ethnic food? Neither originate in Canada or this continent, for that matter.

Bacon and eggs on toast for breakfast. That's ethnic food as well.

I agree with your pov, however you're all correct. The way its most used would be referring to the culture, food, etc of a minority,
but can also mean, (and how I would see it) as referring to any group, white, black, blue whatever. (see below)

pertaining to or characteristic of a people, especially a group (ethnic group) sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.
referring to the origin, classification, characteristics, etc., of such groups.
being a member of an ethnic group, especially of a group that is a minority within a larger society: ethnic Chinese in San Francisco.


And now back to your previously scheduled program...
Does anyone know if they actually cut to the bottom of the garage? I remember reading that it was going down a floor or two at minimum, but it seems to be much deeper now.
(From Dictionary.com)

 

[wmedia]

This is making me hungry!

 

[CanadianNational]

 

[AlbertC]

Here's my all-time favourite ethnic grub.