Alright, so today’s little adventure was all about “dim sum in English.” Sounds simple, right? Well, let me tell you how it actually went down.
First off, I decided I needed to brush up on my dim sum lingo. I mean, I can point and grunt with the best of ’em, but actually ordering like a pro? That’s a whole different ball game. So, I started with the basics. Googled “common dim sum dishes English names.” Got a list. Immediately overwhelmed.
Then I thought, nah, gotta make this interactive. So, I went to my local dim sum place. It’s chaotic, loud, and the carts come at you like a hungry Pac-Man. Perfect practice environment.
I sat down, grabbed a pot of tea (essential!), and waited for the carts to roll by. This is where the fun started. First cart comes, and I see… something. Looked kinda like a shrimp dumpling, but not quite. The lady pushing the cart rattles off something in Cantonese faster than I can blink.
I panic.
“Um… what’s… that?” I stammered, pointing like a tourist. She repeats the Cantonese thing, even faster this time. I shrug and say, “Okay, I’ll take it.” Classic move.
Turns out, it was a har gow, but a slightly different kind with some extra veggies I didn’t recognize. Not bad, actually! So, small victory.
Next cart. Saw some char siu bao (BBQ pork buns). Okay, I knew these. “Char siu bao, please!” I said confidently. Nailed it. Felt like I won the lottery.
But then came the tricky stuff. I saw something that looked like a chicken foot. I’m not a huge fan, but I figured, hey, gotta expand my horizons. “What’s this?” I asked, bracing myself.
The lady says, “Fung zaau.” I repeat, “Fung… what-now?” She just smiles and nods. Alright, fung zaau it is. Turns out, chicken feet are an acquired taste.
After a few more rounds of pointing, guessing, and occasionally understanding, I realized something: it wasn’t just about knowing the English names. It was about being brave enough to ask, even if I sounded like a complete idiot. And honestly, most of the people there were super patient and helpful, even when I butchered the pronunciation of everything.
So, the big takeaway? Don’t be afraid to dive in, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Order something random. Ask questions. You might end up with something amazing, or something… interesting. Either way, you’ll learn something, and you’ll probably have a good story to tell.
And that, my friends, is how I practiced dim sum in English. It was messy, a little embarrassing, and totally worth it.
Oh, and I definitely need to work on my Cantonese. Next time, I’m bringing a phrasebook.