Culinary historian Robert Sung will be giving a talk in which foodies will take delight. As part of the current exhibition in the Chung Collection room, highlighting historical food menus from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Sung’s talk highlights the historical period of the menus in Canadian history. The menus feature mountains, lakes, forests, Mounties and even some CPR advertising for travel packages to destinations in Canada and around the world.
UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections teamed up with local historian Larry Wong to create the exhibit. Wong, author of Dim Sum Stories, curated a series of menus for the exhibition, “Bon Voyage / Bon Appétit: Menus from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company’s Ships, Trains, Planes, and Hotels.”
UBC Library’s Chung Collection contains more than 1,000 menus, ranging from the 1890s to 1980s. The majority of the menus are in English, but there are a few unique menus in Chinese, Japanese, French and even German. Featuring unique historical delicacies, these menus offer a glimpse of “the elegance of dining” in the early days, says Wong.
The exhibition features CPR menus exclusively, but local foodies can also enjoy a few digitized menus from Vancouver’s Chinatown. Six menus are currently online and there are plans to add more over the summer. The exhibition is currently on display in the Chung Collection exhibition room until the end of 2014.
About the Speaker
Robert (Bob) Sung is currently the President of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia. A Fourth-Generation Canadian, Bob has a passion for culinary arts & history. He was educated at the University of Hawaii for Business Administration and at the Dubrulle Culinary Institute for Professional Culinary Training. For over twenty-‐five years, his personal & business life have revolved around the Food & Hospitality Industry. Bob’s purpose is to educate and entertain from a culinary & cultural approach. In terms of outreach, he is a member of both the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee, and serves as an advisor to the Asian Heritage Month Society.
Wednesday November 19, 2014, 12.00PM to 1.00PM, Dodson Room (Rm 302), at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre