Hong Kong | All That & Dim Sum
To many, the words "Hong Kong" have become synonymous with another two syllables: "dim sum." While there is certainly much more to this small, bustling cosmopolitan city than its food, it's an incontestable fact that this style of cuisine has firmly woven itself into the cultural fabric of Hong Kong. After all, there's nothing quite so evocative as the image of a steaming basket of fresh dumplings, sitting plump and juicy for the picking.
Dim sum is tied with the older tradition of yum cha (飲茶), which means "drink tea" in Cantonese. With the boom of trading in China during the Han Dynasty, an increasing number of travelers along the ancient Silk Road led to the sprouting of teahouses by the roadside. Although people had originally believed that drinking tea with food led to excessive weight gain, it was later discovered that drinking tea actually aids digestion, and teahouse owners began to serve small bites along with the tea.
These small portions were only intended as snacks rather than a complete meal to fill up your belly, hence the name "dim sum" (點心), meaning "touch the heart." Nowadays, however, the tradition of yum cha has evolved and expanded to a boisterous, happy and full meal -- the rowdier equivalent to New Yorkers' weekend brunch ritual of poached eggs and pancakes. Sunday yum cha has especially become the cornerstone of family gatherings: Walk into any dim sum restaurant on a weekend morning, and you'll find gaggles of people -- mostly families -- flagging down dim sum carts and piling dishes upon dishes atop their tables.
These plates can be sweet or savoury, steamed, baked or fried. Nor are they limited to just dumplings, encompassing a whole banquet of food from spring rolls and chicken feet to congee and egg tarts. My childhood favourite was unquestionably har gaw, which are dumplings made of plump pieces of shrimp nestled in translucent, pleated skins. I can still picture the surprised looks on waiters' faces when our tidy family of four would order five baskets of har gaw on top of our other dishes, upon which they would clarify, "There are 4 pieces per order." My nickname at dim sum restaurants wasn't "har gaw monster" for nothing.
Other popular dim sum include xiao long bao (soup dumplings), xiu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings wrapped in yellow skin), and cha xiu bao (BBQ pork buns), to name a few. If you're lucky enough to visit a restaurant that serves bo lo cha xiu bao, I urge you to quickly order a plate (or two) and mentally prepare yourself for a life-changing experience. These are BBQ pork buns on crack -- roasted, glazed pork pouched in a golden pineapple bun that flakes ever so lightly on top. It is a pillow of perfection, of gustatory glee, and a strong contender for one of my top dim sum delights.
Although the actual meaning of "dim sum" speaks to the size of its portions, the warmth and good-natured jollity permeating the hustle and bustle of yum cha Sundays hint at another way this culinary tradition touches the heart. Upon leaving Hong Kong after having lived there for 18 years, I found myself gravitating towards Manhattan's Chinatown, following the fumes of nostalgia to seek a comforting, rambunctious bite of home away from home.
