October 2019 Digital Issue

Recent research from Chicago-based Technomic shows 62 per
cent of diners are eating globally inspired cuisine at least once
a month and demand is largely driven by younger diners.
“Younger generations are generally driving demand for innovation,
including global cuisines,” Anne Mills, senior manager of
Consumer Insights at Technomic explains. “They’re more diverse
and have had greater exposure to different cuisines from a younger
age — thanks to the Internet — so they’re more open to trying
new foods and flavours.”
Ethics have become an important consideration when discussing
globally inspired cuisine and many industry experts say
we need to refer to it differently in a country as multicultural as
Canada. Many within the industry are also concerned with issues
surrounding cultural appropriation. Jo-Ann McArthur, president
of Nourish Food Marketing in Toronto, says an entire generation
of Canadians now exist who have never known anything other
than multicultural restaurant offerings.
“We aren’t using the term “ethnic” anymore — especially not
in Toronto, where Generation Z has grown up with these types
of international cuisines as staples in their lives,” she explains.
“They’re just multi-cultural food offerings — a true reflection of
Toronto as a city.”
For those living outside Toronto, ethnic backgrounds vary
considerably throughout Canada (First-Nations groups being
considered the only true ethnic Canadians). Each ethnicity represented
within Canada, as well as the distinct geography of each
area, influences the food culture of that region.
“What we’re seeing now [in globally inspired food trends] is
more regional cuisine,” McArthur continues. “People don’t want
‘Asian’ food anymore; they want to know what they eat in Taiwan.
They’re going out for Vietnamese or Filipino food. There’s no
blanket terminology anymore.”
Arlene Stein, founder and executive director of Toronto’s
Terroir Symposium, agrees the terminology needs to change
around this cuisine.
“Language is powerful and important in the way we
frame things,” she says. “People are questioning why the differentiation
of ‘ethnic’ to equate non-Western cuisines? By what
we have learned and researched over the years, ‘ethnic’ is a racist
term. By clinging to these [differentiations] we’re ignoring the
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
OCTOBER 2019 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 17