Things to love about China: 24 of 100

Dim Sum

So imagine you are Marco Polo. You’re seventeen. No European that you have heard of has ever travelled much further than Egypt. The world is a giant, mysterious place and then, one day, you and your family set out on the trade routes- The Great Silk Road. You travel through Central Asia, you meet Kublai Khan, and then you set your sights further- much further than any man has ever traveled. You set your sights on China.

The journey through China is long. You have had many adventures thus far. You have traveled for over twenty years and over 7,000 miles and you are starting to think about going home. Your feet are tired. The winter has been cold but you are heading south now, the air is warmer here.

The people in this region are different than most Chinese. They don’t speak Mandarin and they call themselves Cantonese. You stop in a small hut to buy some tea, but when the tea comes it is served alongside of many baskets, with various snacks inside. The snacks are tasty, very tasty! They may be among the greatest delicacies of your entire journey. Congratulations, you are now the first European to eat Dim Sum.

Dim Sum is the Chinese equivalent to “Tea Time” and if you are going to drink tea, then why not eat some tasty snacks along with it. Try the bean-paste-filled-sweet-buns. Have some chopped-up-shrimp-stuffed-in-starchy-wheat-dumplings. Eat the deep-fried-chicken-feet-marinated-in-black-bean-sauce. This is what junk food tastes like in China.

Dim Sum comes from the Guangdong province, which has a different history and culture than the rest of China. If Guangdong is the land of Dim Sum, Hong Kong is the capital- and in a few months from now, I will be living in the Dim Sum capital of the world.

Though Dim Sum is tasty, people often forget it is a sometimes food. Originally, Dim Sum was eaten as a special treat for tea-time, but in the fast-food-age people forget the difference between treats and meals (even the Chinese). Dim Sum is now even being sold as a frozen microwavable snack (like TV dinners). Health officials in China have issued warnings about the fatty content of the food.

So here I come bamboo-juice-water-chestnut-cake. Get ready for me Orange-flavored-steamed meatball. Your days are numbered chilled-almond-flavored-tofu-served-with-sweet-fruit. Brock Raabe is coming to the Land of Dim Sum.