The dim sum experience in Toronto is a tale of two cities - the Spadina and Dundas haunts in the heart of Chinatown and the suburban dining halls sprawled north of the 401. Either way, the much loved Cantonese brunch of little dishes is best shared with big mouths and lots of gossip. Expect plenty of noise and so-so service where getting your number called after a wait for a table feels like you've won a medal.

Toronto's best barber shops are low on drama and high on value, quality and character. Inside, their barbers uphold the traditions of metiers that have survived the ravages of time and technology. Let's not forget that once-upon-a-time barbers were bona fide surgeons. They performed amputations and blood-lettings as well as cut hair. And while their therapeutic services may have been curtailed due to medical advances, today's cutters will still share their wisdom on everything from women to politics to sports to playing the lottery.

To my stomach's great dismay, I spent four years eating my way across red-pepper obsessed Korea. Ignoring daily digestive protest, I found spicy Korean food too tasty to say no. Bibimbap, a medley of rice, veggies, meat, egg and that Korean spice staple, gochujang (red-pepper paste) is one of the most popular dishes in Korea and I was pleased on my return to Toronto to learn how many tasty bibimbaps can be found here. Lucky for my stomach, in Toronto, the gochujang is served on the side.

MLSE (the owners of the Raptors, Leafs, TFC , and the Marlies) have rewarded TSN the rights to broadcast 48 Raptors games, 25 of which will end up on TSN2 - a channel accessible to only Bell TV and Star Choice subscribers in Toronto, and not Rogers. As a result, many Toronto basketball fans have been left in the dark, unable to watch their beloved Raptors on TV.

On the surface this seems fine, but the problem here is that the majority of Raptor supporters in the Toronto area will be unable to watch these games. The very people that pay to go to the ACC, and support the team can't watch at home? How can this happen?

Toronto jazz may not have its own distinct sound in the way that New Orleans or Chicago does, but given the city's status as cultural hub and home to an astounding number of ethnic groups, its main distinction is the sheer level of talent, quality and diversity within.

Live jazz in Toronto has changed radically in recent years. When Jazz Report Magazine editor Bill King was asked to name the hottest current jazz clubs in the city for the International Association of Jazz Education (IAJE) in 2003, he picked three: Top O' The Senator, Montreal Bistro and The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar. Today only The Rex is still in business.

Yoga studios may be ubiquitous in Toronto these days, prompting many to perceive the practice as a hot trend, but yoga has actually existed for thousands of years. Originating from India before eventually taking hold in North America, yoga has a culture that constitutes a varied mix of activism, commercialism, fitness and spirituality, and is an integral activity for an urban population seeking exercise that goes beyond the often empty and soulless confines of a traditional gym.