Here's the thing: Can you really blame the news media in Toronto for putting out a few stories on Toronto's new status population-wise? Yes, it smacks of one-upsmanship, and that's not really very attractive, but considered in light of the fact that Canadians live next door to the nonstop 24-hour Aren't-We-Awesome show, I'd say any perceived crowing has been rather understated.
Toronto takes a lot of flack on this board for not having a readily identifiable indigenous character. I agree that being large and multicultural aren't the sort of unique signifiers that tend to excite the interest of foreign visitors, but my reaction to that as a neighbour (and fan) of Toronto is one I sense many people in Toronto share: 1) the former is true in terms of Canada, and the latter is uniquely true in terms of the world, and these are what they are, and they are what we got, so it is what it is; 2) if these things aren't as much of a draw as having <insert well-known specialty food from a well-known city>, well...who cares?
Because while I think Toronto is one of the most compelling cities around right now, I say that as an urban aficionado, and I don't think it's really much of a tourist draw to your average person out there the way London or Las Vegas is. Or Montreal. But I don't really care, to be honest. Toronto is building up some insouciance cred these days. You quibble about the lack of famous Toronto style dishes? Shrug. Don't come. Slag the place online. Make more jokes about the Leafs. Knock yourself out.
Okay, said insouciance isn't entirely reflected in the personas of some of the posters on this board. Though one does well to recall that this board is not an accurate or reliable reflection of the way people or things are on the ground.
Can Toronto hang its hat on the diversity thing? The answer is yes, because it really does take it to another level. An example is the Downsview Merchants Market:
http://www.thegridto.com/city/places/selling-the-dream/
It's classic Toronto: a massive flea market with 600 stalls in an old military hangar way out in the middle of nowhere that's as ethnically diverse as, well...Toronto. Your average tourist wouldn't have a clue about this place, as you won't stumble across it wandering along Queen West. My wife and I went last weekend to check it out on the strength of the story at the link, and it really was quite something. It's rambling, shambolic and easy to get lost in. You've got everything from your Islamic preacher to your shady cell phone dealers to your German-speaking Korean pastry chef with credentials from an institute in Cologne interspersed among the carpet sellers, the knock-off T-shirt merchants, and the 300-pound Comic Book Guy doppelganger slouched in a leather office chair who seemed more intent on the shoot-em-up video game he was engrossed in than in selling anything. Et cetera.
Without meaning to sound challenging or competitive, and without meaning to start a flame war, I'd sincerely like to know: where else are you going to find something like that? The closest I can think of is London's legendary outdoor markets, and of course they're wonderfully urban and original, and I wouldn't dare compare this place to them. However, I would dare say that the Downsview Merchants Market is something that is unique to Toronto.
It's not a sandwich, but it's something.