The beauty of Milliken’s ‘multicultural hodge-podge’

Helen Stratigos’ eyes light up when she talks about her neighbourhood.

For the last 15 years, she’s been living in Milliken – a north Scarborough community on the Markham border that’s a “multicultural hodge-podge” home to mostly first and second-generation immigrants, where only 25 per cent of the population was born in Canada.

“People here are proud to be Canadian – they love to be Canadian – but they retain their cultural identity,” says Stratigos, 43. “And that’s something that’s part of your soul, part of your roots.”

Stratigos, a full-time mom with two daughters aged 6 and 15, comes from a Filipina-Greek background and says most of the Milliken community comes from mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

On this July afternoon, she’s leading the Star on a tour of the neighbourhood, pointing out the community’s lush parkland, authentic Asian cuisine and welcoming atmosphere for newcomers to Canada.

“Every time I step out my door, I’m getting an education in world cultures and world religions,” Stratigos says.

The din of Steeles Ave. fades away as Stratigos leads the way through Milliken Park, a green space with paved bicycle trails, a fountain, and a recreation centre.

A crowd of older men are quietly playing games – including xiangqi, also known as Chinese chess – at a row of tables, while a family of swans floats across the nearby lake.

The whole park has this sense of calm, but Stratigos says it’s also a gathering place for members of Milliken’s diverse community, where various groups hold cricket matches and others practice Qigong – an ancient Chinese spiritual practice featuring breathing techniques and a variety of movements – every morning.

The park’s pathway leads to Middlefield Rd., a street lined with places of worship. “It’s like a tour of world faiths on one street,” says Stratigos.

There are Hindu temples, a Sikh gurdwara, Christian Chinese churches, a huge Islamic mosque, and a Polish Catholic church, she notes – each with a distinct architectural style, from the clean lines of the gurdwara to the ornate detailing of a Hindu temple across the road.

“It sort of symbolizes true, lived multiculturalism,” Stratigos says.

Colourful flags line the way into Sky City Shopping Centre, a plaza featuring a mix of Asian stores on Midland Ave.

There are independent businesses and franchises, Stratigos says, including tea houses, dessert spots, salons and ramen restaurants catering to various cultural groups.

The parking lot is packed this particular afternoon and the plaza is even livelier in the evening, Stratigos notes, offering a place for young and old to grab a bite to eat or drink bubble tea.

Relaxing for a few minutes at her favourite tea house in the plaza – Tealicious Tea House – Stratigos sips on peach paradise tea with tapioca bubbles and munches on hazelnut-chocolate toast.

She has a hard time picking a favourite tea on the cozy spot’s lengthy list, but says apple tea and Hong Kong milk tea are some of her top choices when she pops into the tea house with her daughters.

“It depends what I’m in the mood for,” she says.

Up the road at an older shopping area, Scarboro Village Plaza, Stratigos points out a massive mural on a focal wall that was finished back in 2004.

“It kind of portrays the changing demographic in Milliken – you can see the Asian groceries and fresh Chinese vegetables and markets. It’s quite striking,” she says.

The plaza itself showcases the neighbourhood’s diversity. There’s a Cantonese restaurant, a Buddhist vegetarian spot, and a Korean grill house.

“It seems like a simple plaza, but within in, you’ve got a wealth of foodie options,” Stratigos says.

A trip to the continent’s largest Asian mall – the 270,000 square foot Pacific Mall, just across the border in Markham – feels like entering a different country, filled with the sights and smells of Asian culture and cuisine.

Stratigos strolls through the indoor mall, passing by its hundreds of clothing, jewelry and electronics shops before stopping at Lola’s Place, a spot for Philippine cuisine. She buys a few pork and chicken skewers smothered in sweet barbecue sauce to take home.

“It’s a fun, unique shopping experience,” Stratigos says.

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