Dim sum for the soul

I could start off by saying that there only are a few things that I constantly crave, but that would be a lie. There are so many foods that I want to eat on a daily basis. When I was living in Oregon, and flying back and forth between Mainland USA and Hawaii, I'd look forward to my first meal back on the islands. Having worked for Koreans, who ran a sushi restaurant in Ashland, Oregon, I had my fill of Korean food, and the next thing I'd demand is dim sum. 

The clear wrappers of chewy goodness, filled with minced meat, veggies and garlic; fried wrappers also filled with their own meat and veggie combinations, are enough to make my mouth water with just the remembrance of the crunch and the oozing — oh, the oozing. 

I've been eating Chinese food all my life, as my grandma would often cook various dishes for our family when she was still alive. My mother continued to cook these traditional dishes, and always would introduce me to new foods, ingredients and tastes — mainly food that kids (and most adults) would not even touch.

Dim sum always has been my favorite, though. The partnership of savory and noodle-like dumplings, dunked in shoyu and chili paste, are all I need. Ever. I've never been a fan of anything sweet, so the strong, salty flavors of a dim sum brunch truly satisfy my cravings. Aside from the taste of dim sum, the efficiency of it arriving to your table also is appreciated. Carts run around the restaurant, offering steaming baskets of dim sum of every variety. Also, as the treats and dumplings mostly are bite-sized, this meal is perfect for sharing. In this way, dim sum is appealing because of its communal aspects. With Chinese food in general, everything is served in large portions for sharing, urging you to use the same serving spoons to scoop a piece of a much larger meal onto your plate. Because of this, you're all embarking on something together, as a community around a dinner table.

My coworkers and I recently ventured to Chinatown and shared a dim sum meal. We had char siu bao, fluffy and light; pork hash; fried luk fun with dried shrimp, doused in an oyster plum sauce; dried scallop dumplings with pork; scallops and spinach dumplings; and shrimp dumplings. We mixed the chili paste, hot mustard and shoyu in small ramekins for extra flavor. 

Although not pictured, we also order custard tarts, flaky on the outside with golden custard on the inside. 

Each basket is emptied and enjoyed with a smile. The feeling of consuming Chinese food may not always make your stomach feel great, as the combination of oil and salt can be taxing on your body, but your soul definitely will not have any complaints. And that's it, really, after eating dim sum, my soul is happy. 

The Chinese culture is known to be loud and classless, at times. There often are sneers and dirty looks when mentioned, but to be Chinese, to me, is something I'm extremely proud of. The way that Chinese passionately handle food, gather in groups for meals and put family first, is something to be admired and attributes to be adopted by every culture. The next time you're hungry, order Chinese, family-style, and/or dim sum to share. Not only will your tummy be happy, but your soul will be, too.