This Japanese Calgarian chef continues to share his culture despite the changing environment
Highlighting the rich heritage and contributions of Asian Canadians in Calgary
May is Asian Heritage Month and to celebrate, CBC Calgary is featuring Calgarians and what it means to be Asian Canadian in 2021. This first person piece was written by Koki Aihara is the chef/owner of Shiki Menya Ramen in Calgary. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
Everybody had to make a lot of changes in the past year but for us in the restaurant industry we had a lot of ons and offs — opening the restaurant, closing the restaurant — and adjusting constantly. So I think the biggest thing I learned over the past year is how to be adaptable to the environment and try to approach things differently because we had to completely change our restaurant model.
Before the pandemic, we didn't do takeout. You'd show up, get seated and it was a very packed and bustling place. Taking that away really changed the whole essence of what the restaurant is. But thankfully we've had the support of our customers and the staff.
Running a restaurant means I try not to think about our differences because I just want to create a space where anyone can come and chill out and forget their problems, eat and enjoy who they're with. I'm in a unique position where I'm able to share Japanese culture directly with people.
Even 10 years ago, if you wanted Japanese food, all you could find was teriyaki chicken and sushi. But now people are appreciating Japanese products and a wider array of food. When we opened Shiki Menya as a ramen-only restaurant, I really wanted to show people the culture of Japanese ramen. It's popular here now, but "popular" is not even comparable to what it is in Japan.
Everyone (including me) has been cooped up, and people have a lot of pent-up stress whether they know it or not.- Koki Aihara
There's a lot of division obviously right now because people are stressed. I'm lucky that I haven't faced anti-Asian discrimination myself, but I have noticed a change in people in general. Everyone (including me) has been cooped up, and people have a lot of pent-up stress whether they know it or not. Even in the restaurant, when some people come in, it seems like they don't know how to interact anymore.
I'm looking forward to warmer weather when we can all be outside, and hopefully we can get back to some sort of normal soon where we can bring Shiki Menya back to what it was before.
Follow #ProudlyAsianCanadian on Instagram for content throughout the month.
