Donna Paris / en Remembering former 茄子直播 Scarborough Principal Ron Williams /news/remembering-former-u-t-scarborough-principal-ron-williams <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Remembering former 茄子直播 Scarborough Principal Ron Williams</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Groundbreaking%20for%20Soil%20Erosion%20Lab%20with%20Members%20of%20Staff%20Involved.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=zrnQQ6fB 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Groundbreaking%20for%20Soil%20Erosion%20Lab%20with%20Members%20of%20Staff%20Involved.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2bU_oCmo 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Groundbreaking%20for%20Soil%20Erosion%20Lab%20with%20Members%20of%20Staff%20Involved.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=i6QSXQZQ 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Groundbreaking%20for%20Soil%20Erosion%20Lab%20with%20Members%20of%20Staff%20Involved.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=zrnQQ6fB" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-07-22T12:02:39-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 22, 2020 - 12:02" class="datetime">Wed, 07/22/2020 - 12:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Former 茄子直播 Scarborough Principal Ron Williams (in hard hat, on right) attends a groundbreaking for the Soil Erosion Lab in May 1988 (UTSC Archives Legacy Collection)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/donna-paris" hreflang="en">Donna Paris</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">茄子直播</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/biochemistry" hreflang="en">Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/history" hreflang="en">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University&nbsp;of Toronto community is mourning the death of <strong>George Ronald (Ron) Williams</strong>, former principal of 茄子直播 Scarborough and professor emeritus in the department&nbsp;of biochemistry and the Institute for Environmental Studies.</p> <p>鈥淚 was chair of what then was the division of humanities when Ron was principal,鈥 says <strong>Wayne Dowler</strong>, a&nbsp;professor emeritus of history. 鈥淚 still feel the warmth, congeniality and sense of co-operative enterprise that he fostered.鈥</p> <p>Williams was the sixth principal of what was then known as Scarborough College, from 1984 to 1989 鈥 and he cared deeply about the college.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淗e was generous in giving it his attention,鈥 says <strong>Eleanor Irwin</strong>, associate professor emerita of 茄子直播 Scarborough. 鈥淗e amazed me with his shrewd knowledge of all the faculty.鈥</p> <p>When someone was needed to serve on a committee, she says, Williams would go down the list of faculty and always identify the right person with suitable interests and abilities.</p> <p><strong><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Portrait_%20Ron%20Williams%2C%20retired%201993.jpg" alt>Joan Foley</strong>, Williams鈥檚 immediate predecessor as principal, says Williams cared for students as much as faculty. 鈥淲hile promoting research and scholarship as principal, he was also a strong advocate for students, particularly supporting their need for a student centre,鈥 she says, adding that his support was essential to the eventual construction of the Student Centre in 2004.</p> <p>Born in Liverpool, England, Williams attended Merchant Taylors鈥 School and earned his PhD from the University of Liverpool. He pursued&nbsp;post-graduate work at 茄子直播, the University of Pennsylvania&nbsp;and the University of Oxford. He became a faculty member at 茄子直播 in the 1950s.</p> <p>Williams chaired the department of biochemistry from 1970 to 1977, growing the department and creating an environment that allowed&nbsp;students and research to&nbsp;flourish and thrive.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淩on Williams was a dear and lovely man, always positive, interested in all the world has to offer,鈥 says <strong>Paul Gooch</strong>, who was chair of the division of humanities from&nbsp;1977 to 1982. 鈥淗e had the mind of a scientist and the heart of a humanist.鈥</p> <p>Under Williams鈥檚 watch, undergraduate instruction in biochemistry for arts and science students was expanded to include students in disciplines other than biochemistry, as well as larger numbers of biochemistry specialist students. During his tenure as chair, members of the department received Canadian Biochemical Society Ayerst [Merck-Frosst]&nbsp;awards&nbsp;on three occasions. Williams combined his passion for biochemistry with concern for the environment and, in 1996, published <em>The Molecular Biology of Gaia&nbsp;</em>about the stability of the Earth鈥檚 environment.</p> <p>鈥淗e had a wide appreciation of the academic subjects offered at the college and was particularly supportive of the performing arts. He attended college concerts, plays, and art exhibitions,鈥 says Irwin.</p> <p>Williams鈥 devotion to the campus continued even after his retirement. He maintained contact with many of his former colleagues at 茄子直播 Scarborough and elsewhere at the university.</p> <p>Williams and his wife, Joyce, raised three children; Geoff, Glynis, and Tim. He was grandfather to Jeremy, Dave, and Jano, and great-grandfather to Nia and Lila.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 22 Jul 2020 16:02:39 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 165396 at We're calling it: Scarborough, food capital of the world /news/we-re-calling-it-scarborough-food-capital-world <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">We're calling it: Scarborough, food capital of the world</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/16-10-29-UTSC%20Commons-food.jpg?h=4700a5f5&amp;itok=gXeWdpIo 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/16-10-29-UTSC%20Commons-food.jpg?h=4700a5f5&amp;itok=02bIP6Ab 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/16-10-29-UTSC%20Commons-food.jpg?h=4700a5f5&amp;itok=kZ9A58gf 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/16-10-29-UTSC%20Commons-food.jpg?h=4700a5f5&amp;itok=gXeWdpIo" alt="People sampling food at the Taste of Lawrence vent"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-02T14:35:14-04:00" title="Wednesday, November 2, 2016 - 14:35" class="datetime">Wed, 11/02/2016 - 14:35</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The Taste of Lawrence draws food lovers from across the region. It's Scarborough's largest street festival (photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/donna-paris" hreflang="en">Donna Paris</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Donna Paris </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/food" hreflang="en">Food</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/culture" hreflang="en">Culture</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/culinaria" hreflang="en">Culinaria</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When American author and economist&nbsp;Tyler Cowen came to town,&nbsp;three University of Toronto historians knew exactly where to take him for dinner: Scarborough.</p> <p>The food was such a hit that it prompted Cowen&nbsp;to give Scarborough top praise in a subsequent blog post.</p> <p>Scarborough, Cowen wrote, is the best ethnic food suburb he has ever visited. In his life. Ever. Then he wondered if it could even be the 鈥渢he dining capital of the world.鈥 Seriously. The world.</p> <p>That鈥檚 a big deal&nbsp;when it comes from the author of <em>An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies</em>. But Scarborough is more than just a place to get some of the best pho, roti, lamb kabobs, shawarma, veggie curries, lahmajoun and dim sum on the planet. It is home to many thousands of immigrants who have put down new roots and created one of the world鈥檚 most diverse cultural urban regions.</p> <p>鈥淎 large proportion of the population in Scarborough is newcomers and their children and grandchildren,鈥 says <strong>Donna Gabaccia</strong>, professor of history at 茄子直播 Scarborough. 鈥淐ultural difference always expresses itself in food. New groups are adapting to new foodways, and they鈥檙e trying to maintain the foodways of their original culture.鈥</p> <p>Food isn鈥檛 just sustenance, then. It鈥檚 a connector&nbsp;too&nbsp;and a tangible way for first and succeeding generations in Canada to hold on to their cultural identity.</p> <p>鈥淲e learn which food tastes good, even before we speak,鈥 says <strong>Daniel Bender</strong>, professor of history at 茄子直播 Scarborough and Canada Research Chair in Cultural History and Analysis. 鈥淎nd we never lose the emotion. Every immigrant group tries to replicate its culture from the homeland.鈥</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2389 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="499" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-02-food-scarborough-embed_1.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Professor Daniel Bender leads a class at the Culinaria Research Centre at 茄子直播 Scarborough (photo by Ken Jones)</em></p> <p>Bender, who directs the <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/hcs/culinaria-research-centre">Culinaria Research Centre</a>, adds that&nbsp;鈥渇ood is the one activity external to the body that you have to do. You have to eat and you have to drink. Everything else <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">鈥&nbsp;</span>getting out of bed, finding a job, sex <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">鈥&nbsp;</span>is optional.鈥</p> <p>People who don鈥檛 live in Scarborough may not realize how much the area has been shaped by immigrants in just the past few decades.</p> <p>鈥淭he diversity of the immigrants who have come to Scarborough since the 1950s has made it one of the leading immigrant recipients in North America,鈥 says <strong>Jeffrey Pilcher</strong>,<a href="/news/opposite-small-beer-how-lager-conquered-world"> a professor of food history</a>.</p> <p>鈥淣ew immigrants set up food businesses,鈥 says Pilcher. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a source of entrepreneurship for people starting in the economy.鈥</p> <p>They may not have some of the opportunities they had at home, he adds. So the food business may be all immigrants can do <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">鈥&nbsp;</span>and it鈥檚 a step into the economy.</p> <p>Bender says this is a good thing for immigrants.</p> <p>鈥淔ood is a key source of employment for people who have left behind families and have degrees that may not be recognized here.鈥</p> <p>He goes further, emphasizing that Ontario is one of the world鈥檚 largest food hubs&nbsp;with Scarborough as one of the hub鈥檚 epicentres.</p> <p>鈥淭here are more jobs in the food and food processing centres here than in New York City.鈥 He says only Los Angeles has more.</p> <p>It is no surprise that such a diverse population would create a dynamic and varied food industry.</p> <p>鈥淚t only takes a little drive to see the restaurants and supermarkets,鈥 says Bender. 鈥淏ut behind that it is even more expansive.鈥 He describes a vast infrastructure of food buyers, processors and vendors supporting independent import markets.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2393 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="458" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-02-food-scarborough2-embed_1.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Professor Jeffrey Pilcher teaches food history at 茄子直播 Scarborough (photo by Ken Jones)</em></p> <p>Gabaccia adds that you can get just about any type of cuisine or the ingredients you need to make it at home. 鈥淭here are East Asian, South Asian and Pan Asian grocery stores, many started by Asian entrepreneurs with limited capital,鈥 she says.</p> <p>鈥淭hink of the packaged sauces you can buy from Indonesia, or canned ackee or saltfish in Guyanese supermarkets,鈥 says Bender. 鈥淵ou can probably buy six or seven varieties in Scarborough.鈥 And think of the food we take for granted today&nbsp;from beer to German-style hot dogs, which can be traced back to immigrant businesses.</p> <p>鈥淭hose little businesses starting up in Scarborough now are selling things that will be on everybody鈥檚 shopping list in five to 10 years,鈥 Bender adds.</p> <p>That鈥檚 already noticeable.</p> <p>鈥淟arge Canadian food chains are competing and adapting. Look at halal and other specialty food aisles,鈥 says Gabaccia. 鈥淚n Toronto, even older Canadians are eating Greek and Italian food now&nbsp;from earlier migrations of the 鈥50s and 鈥60s.鈥</p> <p>What鈥檚 more, she adds, is that in the 鈥80s food started to become a cosmopolitan symbol of foodies and the middle class.</p> <p>鈥淎s a result of global travel, this interest in food came about for longtime Canadians interested in experiencing immigrant foods,鈥 she says.</p> <p>People have many reasons for choosing particular foods, not the least of which is location.</p> <p>鈥淚f you live downtown, there is a real problem going to eat in Scarborough. It鈥檚 a lot of work,鈥 says Pilcher. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e already living in the suburbs, it鈥檚 not a big leap.鈥</p> <p>And nestled in this unique part of the world&nbsp;is 茄子直播 Scarborough&nbsp;with a committed connection to the community. Moreover, part of the university鈥檚 strategic plan is to focus on the strengths of its location within one of the most culturally diverse communities in the world. Witness the popularity of initiatives such as 茄子直播 Scarborough's farmers鈥 market. It is organized by students and faculty&nbsp;with local vendors selling everything from maple syrup and chutneys to fresh produce and baked goods.</p> <p>Witness also the Culinaria Research Centre, bringing students and faculty together in partnership with community organizations and other institutions.</p> <p>鈥淚n a way, Culinaria was possible at this location for a reason,鈥 says Pilcher. 鈥淢any times, innovative work gets done in less central locations.鈥</p> <h3><a href="/news/why-foodies-bloggers-and-scholars-are-turning-scarborough">Read more about why foodies are turning to Scarborough</a></h3> <p>Pilcher鈥檚 current research project, <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/culinaria/city-food">City Food</a>, is a collaboration with partners on six continents&nbsp;including academic institutions, vendor organizations, non-profit groups and museums. The research is comparative, looking at migrant marketplaces, gendered labour, culinary infrastructure, regulation and sensory studies.</p> <p>鈥淐ity Food starts with the premise that we can learn from migrant people by documenting immigrant foodways, and [by] looking at infrastructure that contributes to successful food businesses and at government regulations,鈥 says Pilcher.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2392 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="563" src="/sites/default/files/2016-11-02-food-scarborough3-embed.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Restaurants in Scarborough offer&nbsp;all kinds of food choices&nbsp;(photo by mikescarboroughtoronto via Flickr)</em></p> <p>In June, Culinaria hosted Scarborough Fare: Global Foodways and Local Foods in a Transnational City. It was the joint annual meetings and conference of the Association for the Study of Food and Society,&nbsp;the Canadian Association for Food Studies and the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">鈥&nbsp;</span>the first time these organizations have ever met together. The conference featured international speakers, cultural events, kitchen demos and field trips to rooftop gardens, community food centres and urban beekeeping hives.</p> <h3><a href="/news/are-you-going-scarborough-fare-u-t-hosts-international-food-conference">Read more about the conference</a></h3> <p>Research at Culinaria employs a range of methodologies and approaches <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">鈥&nbsp;</span>field work, archival work, oral history, GIS mapping, digital humanities and others <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">鈥&nbsp;</span>to trace the foodways of multi-ethnic neighbourhoods. For example, a project called Scarborough Chinatown collects and maps details about Scarborough restaurants, offering an interactive map. Viewers can investigate the evolution of Scarborough鈥檚 Chinatown and discover new restaurants and takeout places.</p> <p>And maybe that鈥檚 why Tyler Cowen sees Scarborough as the&nbsp;next big thing. As an economist, he champions the suburbs as the place to enjoy ethnic food because that鈥檚 where it鈥檚 cheap and innovative.</p> <p>鈥淎nd there鈥檚 a wealth of crossover eating with people who are eager to discover new foods,鈥 Pilcher says.</p> <p>Why? Immigrants are serving other immigrants and prices tend to be on the low side. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 easy to feed people鈥檚 interest in new foods and feed the culinary tourism that seeks to experience the ethnic foods of others.鈥</p> <h3><a href="/news/worlds-largest-collection-chinese-menus-acquired-university-toronto">Read about the world's largest collection of Chinese menus at 茄子直播 Scarborough</a></h3> <p>Pilcher adds that foods also start to migrate between cultures. 鈥淚n the U.S., one of the trends now is Korean taco trucks serving up Korean barbecued short ribs in a taco. It鈥檚 a way for them to Americanize their food.鈥</p> <p>Gabaccia says curiosity about other foods is culturally positive. But it doesn鈥檛 always transfer to other areas. 鈥淲e do have crossover multicultural eating, but that doesn鈥檛 mean the battle is won and that we all accept each other,鈥 she explains. 鈥淎ccepting an immigrant鈥檚 food is not the same as accepting an immigrant.鈥</p> <p>However, she adds, 鈥淪carborough is a good start because that willingness to try other foods is there. This is hopefully the first step toward a social and economic acceptance that develops over time.鈥</p> <p><em>Donna Paris is a writer with UTSC Commons</em></p> <h3><a href="http://utsccommons.utsc.utoronto.ca/fall-2016/features/were-calling-it-scarborough-food-capital-world">Read the full UTSC Commons feature&nbsp;</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 02 Nov 2016 18:35:14 +0000 vzaretski 102009 at