So, everyone’s always yapping about dim sum in Los Angeles, right? You hear it all the time, “Oh, you HAVE to try the dim sum there!” Like it’s some kind of pilgrimage you gotta make. I get it, I like a good siu mai as much as the next guy.
But man, have you ever actually TRIED to pick a dim sum place in LA? Forget about it. You go online, and it’s like a warzone of opinions. This place is “authentic,” that one’s “modern,” this other one has the “best chicken feet” – which, by the way, not my thing, but whatever. It’s a whole research project just to get some dumplings. You spend an hour reading reviews, checking locations, looking at blurry pictures of har gow, and by the end, you’re just hungry and annoyed.
It’s too much, you know? Los Angeles is kinda like that in general, I’ve found. So many options for everything, so much noise. You think you’re going to do something simple, and it turns into this whole ordeal. Makes you just want to stay home and eat a sandwich sometimes.
You know, this whole dim sum quest, or rather, the thought of the quest, it actually kicked up a totally different memory for me. It’s funny how the brain works. Why am I even getting worked up about picking a restaurant? It’s just food. But it reminded me of this time, years ago, when I first thought about moving out to LA.
That Whole LA Dream Thing
I had this idea, right? Like a lot of folks do. Gonna go to LA, make something happen. I wasn’t even sure what “something” was, but it sounded good. I was working this dead-end job back then, felt like I was just spinning my wheels. This was, oh, must’ve been before my kid was born, so a good while back. My buddy, Dave, he’d moved out there a year before, always talking about the sunshine and the “opportunities.”
So I started looking into it. Not dim sum, but jobs, apartments, the whole shebang. And it was the same feeling! Overwhelming. So many neighborhoods, all with different vibes. So many industries, all seeming to want five years of experience in something I’d never heard of. Every time I thought I found a lead, it would fizzle out, or the rent for a shoebox apartment would be more than my entire paycheck.
I remember spending weeks, maybe months, just going in circles. Making lists, calling people who never called back, feeling like I was trying to grab smoke. Dave, bless his heart, kept saying, “Just come out, man! You’ll figure it out!” Easy for him to say, he landed on his feet pretty quick. But I’m more of a planner, or at least I like to think I am. This felt like jumping off a cliff without knowing if there was water below.
And then, the kicker. The company I was working for, the one I hated? They suddenly offered me this tiny promotion. Barely more money, a slightly better title, but it was something. And it was here, not out there in the confusing, expensive chaos of LA. It was the safe bet. My wife – well, she was my girlfriend then – she was relieved. She wasn’t too keen on the whole LA gamble either, not really.
So, I took it. The safe bet. Ditched the LA dream. And you know what? For a while, I kicked myself. Thought I was a coward. Wondered “what if.” But life went on, you know? Got married, had the kid, eventually found a different job that was way better than that promotion anyway. Looking back, that whole LA research phase, it was just like trying to pick that “perfect” dim sum place. So much effort for something that might not even be that great, or might be great but you’d be too stressed to enjoy it.
Sometimes, the best option is the one you don’t have to fight so hard for. Or maybe it’s just that the thought of chasing something elusive, whether it’s the “best” dim sum or some vague California dream, can just wear you out before you even start. I still haven’t been to LA for dim sum, by the way. Maybe one day. Or maybe I’ll just make some potstickers at home. Less drama.