Growing up, my parents would take us to Dim Sum on weekends sometimes, or on special occasions, or when we had visitors. I love bringing people to have Dim Sum for the first time. I always say, “I’ll refrain from ordering the Chicken Feet,” just to see their reaction! My friend Luann said that she used to live on the border of Chinatown for a while but found the restaurants to be inaccessible. Come to think of it, a lot of waiters even give the Chinese-Americans a hard time if they don’t speak Chinese. My friend Stephen was so excited about having Dim Sum for the first time that he researched it on Wikipedia the day before. He’s originally from Texas so he’s loving the diversity that exists in NYC. Over the years, the ladies that push the carts and yell out what they have in their cart, have been getting younger and younger and speak more and more English. One memory that stands out to me is when I was at a place in Cupertino with my family and a tall, dark, and Latin-looking waiter dressed in a tuxedo and bow tie with a moustache glides over to our table with a tray of bamboo steamers on it, elegantly uncovers them and says, “Tofu?” It was definitely a Twilight Zone moment. I’m not even sure if I managed to say yes or no to the tofu!
Posts Tagged ‘chicken feet
Dim Sum Reflections
Dim Sum at Golden Bridge
Dim Sum is a Hong Kong style breakfast or lunch that could be considered the Chinese version of Spanish Tapas. Dim Sum is the Cantonese pronunciation and in Mandarin it is Dian Xin. It literally translates as a little bit of heart. The only few words I know in Cantonese are, in fact, Dim Sum dishes. Because Dim Sum is served on small plates, it is best enjoyed with a larger group of people so that you can order a greater variety of dishes. I’ve had a couple of birthday celebrations at Golden Bridge on Bowery and Canal Street. The other place that I like in Chinatown is Grand Harmony on Mott St. They still have the nice (relative) ladies who push around the carts of the steamed, fried, sauteed, and dessert carts. There is also a congee cart and sometimes there is a nifty cart that they grill savory diakon radish cakes on. Be aggressive when ordering your food and don’t be afraid to ask specifically for anything! Once you get a dish from the cart, the ladies stamp your bill and at the end of your meal, a waiter tabulates your bill on the spot without the use of a calculator. It’s best to pay cash, as they add a percentage to the bill for credit card payments.
Clockwise from the top: Spareribs, Crispy Fried Shrimp, Sesame Balls, Chinese crullers wrapped with rice noodles (my friends always tell me but I can’t for the life of me remember the name), Har Gao (shrimp dumplings), Dan Ta (custard tarts), more Har Gao, Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce, and Chinese Greens with Hoisin sauce in the center (You Cai in Mandarin). Missing from this photo are every man’s favorite, Siu Mai, and we also ordered the Fried Rice with Chicken and Salted Fish. Dee-lish!
