Toronto Dec. 2014

Editor’s letter
All the Stars in the Sky
December might be the most spiritual month of the year. It’s definitely
the most sparkly. A divine birth, a miracle in the menorah,
winter solstice, gift-giving, galas, looking forward to waking up in a
new year. It’s the closest thing to a diamond necklace that a season
will ever wear.
To help you leap from glittering moment to glittering moment
this month, we’ve included a gift guide, a style guide, ideas to cosy
your home with and stories that will warm your heart. There’s even
a guide to cooking elegant holiday cuisine, courtesy of three of
Vancouver’s finest chefs.
We at Taste of Life had a ball thinking about all the fun you’ll
have giving (or getting) the goodies in our gift guide. We were
inspired to create collections according to the personalities of different
stars… Hollywood stars, that is, not celestial ones. But who
knows, with trends changing so quickly, maybe this time next year,
the world will be more enthralled with the stars of the Milky Way
than with Jennifer, Tom, and Justin, and we’ll edit a gift guide inspired
by supernovas and stellar rings, or “What to Wear on a Hot
Air Balloon Ride to the Edge of the Atmosphere.” (Look it up — it’s
not that far off.)
On our cover this issue is an up-and-coming star, someone as
bright as a sun in Taste of Life’s solar system — Meijing Tu of Shen
Yun Performing Arts. She’s danced the role of Mulan and other
gutsy women from the Chinese canon on the world’s most prestigious
stages. She talked with our own Rui Chen about what she did
after she failed the audition twice, and other moments that tested
her mettle.
Susan Langdon and Franz Chen are two artists who reached for
the stars and touched them. Langdon is the mother hen of the
Toronto Fashion Incubator, the first organization of its kind in the
world to be completely dedicated to assisting young designers
in launching their careers. After seeing what Langdon achieved
in Canada (partly thanks to her samurai ancestry), thirty other
fashion incubators have sprung up in places like London, Paris
and Milan.
We’ve known for a while now that Taiwan is a hotspot where classical
Chinese arts like exquisite porcelain are making a comeback.
But we’ve never seen anything like Franz Chen’s stunning achievements.
Read about how technology lends a hand in bringing his
petaled and winged, quintessentially Chinese dreams to life.
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Sincerely,
Brett Price, Managing Editor, English
brett@tasteoflifemag.com