Dim Sum

Besides cravings, convenience was a bit of a problem this week. We’re in the middle of remodeling our kitchen and had an electrician working pretty much all weekend. While he tore out the hideous fluorescent box that previously illuminated the room and replaced it with recessed lights, my husband and I drove back and forth to the paint store trying to get the ideal shade of grey for our kitchen.

Meanwhile, we got hungry. Amidst the fast food and chain restaurants we knew there to be a tasty, locally owned restaurant serving Japanese rice and noodle bowls. Independent, healthy and it wouldn’t take too long – exactly what we were looking for. We drove over to the lot, starving, only to find that they aren’t open on Sundays. We looked to the left and the right – fast food burgers had us surrounded.

I am not a patient person. I needed to eat within the next few minutes or something bad involving tears and biting was about to occur. Could this be the end? Would I have to break down and eat at a chain in order to save my husband from getting attacked by my hungry self?
But there, across the street, like the cooked-to-order omelette station at a brunch buffet, a restaurant jumped out, glistening, from the mundane chains – Dim Sum. Neither of us had ever had Dim Sum, but we had always wanted to try. If only we hadn’t waited so long.

For those unfamiliar with dim sum, first, my condolences. Next, I’ll explain what it is. It’s Chinese food, but not your sesame chicken/sweet and sour pork type of Chinese. The portions are much smaller, more like a series of appetizers. The soups, dumplings, buns, vegetables, seafood, noodles and desserts are wheeled around on little carts and you get to pick what you want to try. It’s a great way to sample dishes you normally wouldn’t taste, as the portions are small and the prices are low. The shrimp and pork dumplings that we tried were among the best Chinese food we’d ever eaten. And the Chinese donuts for dessert rank right up there with beignets in the race for my favorite nutritionally-deficient food item.

I will now refer to ages 1-27 in my life as the dark ages because I went through them without dining on dim sum. Note to years 1-18, aka the time before I tried Thai food – you will now be referred to as the darker ages.

I am so grateful that we tried the dim sum restaurant instead of succumbing to my oppressive hunger at a casual chain establishment. Had I not been doing this experiment we would have most likely ended up at Good Times, eating yet another fast food burger. Even if you don’t have the commitment or willingness to give up chains forever, try it once in a while and see what amazing new foods you discover. Your taste buds will thank you for it.