DIM SUM AT PACIFICANA RESTAURANT ON SEPTEMBER 3

DIM SUM AT PACIFICANA RESTAURANT ON SEPTEMBER 3

This morning we had Dim Sum at Pacificana Restaurant in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. I wish I can identify each delicious morsel by its name, but the carts pass by fast and the Chinese names are hard to remember. Next time for sure we will be more informed about these delectable food experience. For the ones that are wondering what is Dim Sum, I found this very interesting information at Wikipedia.[br]

Dim Sum is usually linked with the older tradition of yum cha (tea tasting), which has its roots in travellers on the ancient Silk Road needing a place to rest. Thus teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would also go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks.

The unique culinary art of Dim Sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries transformed Yum Cha from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. In Hong Kong, and in most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many Chinese restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises, often enjoying the morning newspapers. For many in southern China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically only serve dim sum until mid-afternoon (right around the time of a traditional Western 3 o’clock coffee break), and serve other kinds of Cantonese cuisine in the evening. Nowadays, various dim sum items are even sold as take-out for students and office workers on the go.