How Desi stores are building community in Saskatchewan
As more immigrants come to the province, more stores are popping up to serve them
This piece originally published Oct. 11, 2023.
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If you've driven around Regina or other Saskatchewan cities recently, you've probably seen some specialty grocery stores.
Often they are attached to a restaurant, and carry a wide variety of products such as fresh and packaged food, produce, spices, specialty meats and household items associated with one or more international cultures.
Regina resident Amar Vail Kaur is originally from Punjab. She said some of these stores carry all the ingredients she needs to make dishes common in her culture and beyond.
"That's the beauty of Canada, from what I can see," she said. "We have people from Punjab. We have people from Gujarat, South India, West India, Bangladesh, Pakistan."
A lot of these markets sell items commonly associated with "Desi" or South Asian countries, so they are known as Desi stores.
The word Desi is derived from Sanskrit and means "land and country." It's used to describe the people, culture and products of the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora, which generally includes people from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Another shopper, Vidya Jain, said these stores make it possible to cook with the ingredients her mother used back home and eat the meals she remembers from that time.
Sharanjit Bains agreed, and said coming into a Desi store and smelling the familiar aromas makes him feel like he's at home.
According to the 2021 Census, about 12 per cent of people in Saskatchewan are immigrants. Most of the newcomers are from the Philippines and South Asian countries.
Data shows the top five most common countries of origin for Saskatchewan immigrants are:
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Philippines 24.3 per cent.
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India 18.4 per cent.
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China 8.5 per cent.
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Nigeria 7.7 per cent.
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Pakistan 3.9 per cent.
Desi stores are also bringing historically adversarial communities together. Some Desi countries, such as India and Pakistan, have had long standing political tensions, but in a Desi store shoppers can find harmony in the aisles of a shop that caters to people of many cultures, religions and nationalities.
Jaanvi Dhekar is the manager at Bombay Spices in Regina. She is originally from Gujarat, a province in India.
She said since working at the store, she has grown relationships with fellow Gujaratis, as well as people from many other ethnic communities, because the store sells products from all over India and Asia.
Some Desi stores also sell items for practicing Muslims, including Halal foods and meats, which carry a special certification.
Muhammad Rehan, the owner of Central Foods in Regina, said his store focuses on ready-to-eat Pakistani foods, along with many varieties of freshly made naan and chapati flatbreads.
Regina Halal Meat, Bakery and Grocery is also considered a Desi store, and has things for customers from Asia and South Asia, but also caters to Middle Easterners, including people from Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
Besides selling food and household items, Desi stores can be a starting point for many newcomers arriving in Canada. They can find tips about jobs and apartments for rent, exchange recipes and make friends.
The owners also say their stores are a welcoming place for anyone who wants to try something new or different, or experience diversity in their communities through the aroma of spices and the sounds of different languages being spoken around them.
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With files from Ayesha Mohsin