For me, dim sum is one of those rare treats that makes me smile. For all of those who are in love with tapas bars, dim sum restaurants have them beat. No, seriously. If your area is lucky enough to have a dim sum restaurant in it, go there immediately for excellent food and culture exchange.
Starting in the later part of the 19th century, dim sum tearooms gave an opportunity for friends to enjoy an amazing diversity of food. They would gather for hours while waiters would push industrial carts stocked with plates, steamer bins, and bowls of whatever the chef decided to prepare that day.
Dim sum is similar to tapas in that you are not served a whole meal, and that you are encouraged to share those little bites with friends. The difference lies in the choices that you’re allowed to make. In a tapas bar, you choose what comes to your table. In dim sum, the food has already been prepared and you choose what you’d like to eat.
The dim sum experience is akin to the Brazilian steakhouse, where people are constantly asking if you would like to taste the goods. The difference between dim sum and the Brazilian steakhouse (other than the food, of course) is that the Brazilian steakhouses will usually charge a set price like a buffet. Each of the dim sum plates have a price.
Dim sum has a beautiful cultural heritage, one which is recognized in many portions of the world. Now, every time I see a food service cart, I can’t help but smile because I think of steamed dumplings, sesame balls, or some other delight I’ve had at my city’s dim sum restaurants.
