My sister called me this morning to invite me to dim sum. Think of dim sum as the Chinese version of brunch time tapas. Small appetizers brought on carts roaming a large room of tables, usually occupied by individuals with extended families and/or lots of friends. It’s good to go with a group of people so you can try many dishes. Dumplings filled with shrimp and roast pork and beef, spicy short ribs, sticky rice wrapped in fragrant leaves, and pastries filled with egg custard. Add another 50 or so appetizers and it becomes a feeding frenzy. Watch your fingers.
Through an online search, my brother-in-law had supposedly found the best dim sum place in Denver, King’s Land Seafood Restaurant. I know, that’s not saying a whole lot. More importantly, according to my sister’s palate, this dim sum was as good as what she could find in Hong Kong, where she had lived for several years before moving to Colorado.
If you live in a place where you can get dim sum (NY, San Francisco, LA, Chicago and lots of smaller cities with an Asian population), try it out on a Sunday morning. It’s the best way to transport yourself to another world, and get a great meal at the same time.
Afterwards, we visited a Asian supermarket. That’s where I really felt the impact of stepping into another world. It had all the areas that you expect in a grocery store–meats, produce, canned goods, candy and snacks–but with none of the familiar brands or foods. How exactly does one cook salmon heads or chicken feet? The smallest bags of rice come in sacks of 25 lbs. My brother-in-law chided me for looking for the 5 lb. bags that I usually see at the Safeway.
Which brings me to my biggest insight for today. I am less Chinese and more American than I realized. My roots go deep in being born Chinese and raised Chinese. And over the years, my world has become that of mainstream America. Shopping at Target and eating at the local pizza place will do that to you. We live in a rich, diverse place and I hope to see more of it by exploring my own roots. Thanks, Sis.