Dim Sum - Get Some!

Dim Sum is a very unusual type of food, well at least it was unusual to me. The Chinese people sometimes referred to Dim Sum as "going to tea" which made sense as tea was served with the meal. I really enjoyed the tea, but I can't say the same for all the food though.

My first experience with Dim Sum was one weekend morning when my neighbor asked me if I wanted to go out to eat with them. I agreed and we got on a bus and went downtown to a pretty large restaurant. The restaurant was two stories tall and decorated very elaborately inside. What struck me the most at first was the number of people in the seating area. It was packed full and very noisy, but as I continued to visit other restaurants around, I realized that it was not so uncommon to have very little personal space in a restaurant.

As normal, I had to let my neighbor order because the entire menu was in Chinese, but he did a very good job at ordering a vast variety of food so I could try different kinds and potentially find one that I really liked. After the order was placed, we sat and enjoyed some hot tea. I believe it was Jasmine tea and I really liked it. After a very short while our food was brought out and served in these small bamboo dishes. The portions were very small, usually only about 4 pieces per serving of each type of food that we ordered. Most of the food was a mix of some sort of meat, vegetables and spices rolled into a ball and wrapped in a dough to make a dumpling. There were also a few gelatin type deserts too that we tried.

I don't consider myself a very picky eater and if I had to say what food I don't like I could easily say salmon and tomato soup. When it came to eating Dim Sum though, I think what turned me off was the texture of the food. It was very unlike anything I had had before and it was a huge change from what I was used to. Some of the food had a very good taste but such a strange, unusual texture that it made it hard for me to enjoy.

Dim Sum was a great tasting adventure for me and I don't believe you should visit Hong Kong and not try Dim Sum. I'm really glad I had a local person to take me there and order for me as it was quite an experience to try all the different flavors and textures. I do like trying new things, and I also have to know that I might not necessarily like everything that I try. At least it was a new experience for me, and another local tradition that I was able to take part in.

For some more information about Dim Sum, click here or simply Google in "Dim Sum" and there are many other sources out there with great information about it.