As has been pointed out by too many people, 2016 was a devastating year for progressives (a homely term for all those who are want equality, democracy and ecological sanity). There is no need to repeat the list of atrocities, failures and disappointments, as we all have them indelibly marked on our psyches. One result of the annus horribilis is that activists everywhere have pledged to try harder -- at what is clearly not working. There is even a sense of optimism rooted in the old left-wing shibboleth that "the worse things get, the better" -- meaning, of course that if things get really, really bad, people will rise up (and overthrow the 1%). 

Kimchee, the spicy Korean delicacy of fermented cabbage and assorted veggies, and Chef Boyardee, hold divergent yet profound influences in the life of writer and restauranteur Sang Kim, who runs the Windup Bird Cafe in downtown Toronto.

"I actually thought Chef Boyardee was real," said Kim, whose childhood after coming to Canada with his parents from Korea in 1975 was marked by poverty, hardship and those red cans of ready-to-eat-meals. His parents' marriage dissolved in those early years as well.