让人怀旧的多伦多老店

 

 

今年年初，多伦多地标性廉价百货店Honest Ed关门歇业，几个月后，多伦多深受青睐的音乐主题餐厅Hard Rock Cafe也宣布关门，正式退出了历史舞台。但是，这些著名的老店和建筑总会勾起人们对往昔岁月的回忆。随着这些历史文化印记的渐渐消逝，我们失去的不仅仅是一个著名的旅游参观地，一份珍贵的文化古迹，还有一段难忘的过去。

In the beginning of the year, Honest Ed, a landmark discount store in Toronto met its demise, and a few months later, Hard Rock Cafe in Toronto, a restaurant and a favorite local music scene, closed its doors for good. But these iconic stores and buildings always bring back nostalgia memories. When hallmarks of cultural history have been taken away, we not only lose a tourist attraction, a culture destination but also a piece of past.

当Honest Eds宣布将要关门歇业时，我带着18岁的女儿Katie最后一次重游故地。穿梭在迷宫一般的廉价商品货台间，我不由思绪万千，移民初期的辛酸苦辣全都涌上了心头。我告诉女儿当年我曾住过蟑螂横行的公寓；曾与故友分享痛苦和烦恼，泪水横撒的晚餐聚会；以及我多次对这座一度曾为像我这样省吃俭用的新移民提供购物之必经之地的老店的多次光顾往返。

When Honest Eds announced its plan to shut down, I brought Katie, my 18-year-old daughter, for a last visit. Piles of cheap items scattered among labyrinth of the isles brought memories of the heartaches in my earlier part of the immigrant journey. I told her about my cockroaches infested apartment that I had lived in, the dinner parties with a tearful friend to share pains and agonies, and mostly, my frequent trips to the store that served as a rite of passage for thrift immigrants like myself.

但是，我女儿似乎并没有被我所讲述的往事兴趣索然。当时的她被店内内怪异的灯泡串和马戏团风格的装饰物深深吸引，根本无暇顾及我早年的艰辛奋斗和我对这家老百货店的难舍之情。可我又怎能怪她！作为在加国土生土长的二代移民，他们显然无法理解和体会父母当年辛苦打拼的艰辛。

But my daughter seemed to show little inspiration in my stories at the time. She was more fascinated by the wired lights and circus styles of decorations in the store than my previous struggles and my sad feelings over the long -lost store.  I could hardly blame her. Growing up in Canada as a second generation of immigrant, their parents' challenges and setbacks were all the remote and irrelevant.  

但是，她有其年青一代的文化，爱好和迷恋，并打造了自己的粉丝群。爱好音乐的她是一名乐队队员，而著名的连锁音乐餐厅Hard Rocks 关门歇业对她无疑让她倍感沉重，悲伤。Hard Rocks是他们所欣赏的音乐家一展才华之地，也是艺术高僧们带领他们领略他乡异国风情的场所。如果说Honest Eds见证了移民历经挫折困苦的心酸移民史，那Hard Rocks则突显出了作为他们子女的移民二代对美好未来的期许和对音乐的渴望。

But her generation embraces their own cultural identities and has established their own fanfare. As a music lover and band performer, the shutdown of the iconic coffee chain -- the place where their admired musicians showcased their art talent and where they were taken by the music legends to parts of the world they never been before -- has saddened her deeply and struck her hard. If Honest Eds underscores the setbacks and adversities of immigrants, Hard Rocks highlights hopes and musical aspirations of their children in their adopted land.  

油然而生的怀旧之情缩小了代沟，引发了情感共鸣。在听到Hard Rocks即将关门歇业的不幸消息后，女儿不禁对我说：“妈妈，现在我终于理解你会对Honest Eds怀念之情了！”

This nostalgia memories have narrowed the generation gap and create an emotional connection. "Mom, " she called me when hearing the sad news about Hard and Rock's fate, "Now I can resonate with your nostalgia feelings towards Honest Eds."