Dim Sum

Today was my first Dim Sum experience. Michael has eaten it a few times before on trips to Hong Kong. Cantonese people like to have dim sum for breakfast or brunch; for some, it's a daily ritual. Many Westerner's don't like it...dim sum is like small dumplings, served in tapas portions. They can be steamed, pan-fried, or deep-fried. Michael's co-worker, Nic and his girlfriend, Stephanie gave me a crash course today. Good thing they were there, because no English was spoken in the restaurant and the menus were in Chinese. They were so helpful and eased me into this experience. Well, almost...

First, came the Chicken foot. It was marinated in a barbecue-like sauce. Michael went right for it, chewing the toes and all. It's very bony (as you would expect a foot to be) and you have to be careful when eating it. Nic actually chipped a tooth a few months back on a chicken foot and needed a root canal! I wasn't so sure I could do it, but how could I disappoint my new Asian friends? I went right for the big toe...then the middle toe, chewing all around the bones and spitting them out. It wasn't bad, but hard to get past the part of knowing what you were eating. I just had to take a picture.

My first experience with dim sum was rather pleasant. I enjoyed the ones we ordered: shrimp dumpling, pork dumpling, barbecue pork rice roll, little dragon dumpling, and spring rolls. I may do without the chicken foot next time, but thank you Stephanie and Nic for the great introduction! Here are some pics of a few of our samplings.