**The Art of Dim Sum: A Hong Kong Tradition**

In Hong Kong, dim sum is more than just a meal - it's an experience that requires patience, etiquette, and a willingness to try new things. For some, dim sum is a childhood tradition that evokes memories of family gatherings and cultural heritage. As we explore the world of dim sum, we'll delve into the history, customs, and nuances that make this culinary art form so unique.

**The Ritual of Ordering**

When ordering at a traditional dim sum restaurant, the process begins with a series of steps that are both humorous and endearing. First, there's the act of washing utensils - a myth-busting tradition that has become an integral part of the dim sum experience. "It's all about the ritual," says one enthusiastic diner. "You have to clean your own utensils with lukewarm tea." This peculiar practice is believed to be a way for dishwashers to stay on their toes, ensuring that every plate and utensil is spotless.

**The Joy of Variety**

Next up is the art of ordering - or rather, not ordering. Dim sum restaurants are known for their vast array of dishes, each with its own unique flavors and textures. "Dim sum is all about variety," explains a seasoned foodie. "You want to try different things - sweet, salty, savory, crunchy... it's like a symphony of flavors." One popular dish that exemplifies this philosophy is the crystal shrimp dumpling - a delicate masterpiece that showcases the chef's skill and creativity.

**Classic Combos**

For those who are new to dim sum, there are certain combinations that are considered classics. Chicken and mushroom, for instance, is a timeless duo that has been perfected over generations. "Dashi is ketchup plus Bon flakes," says one expert - a clever combination that adds depth and umami flavor to the dish. Similarly, beef suai (or quail eggs) is a staple that's hard to beat. "It's like a symphony of flavors," raves a food critic.

**Texture and Tradition**

One of the most distinctive features of dim sum is its emphasis on texture. Diners love a good stretchy radish cake, or a crispy, savory egg tart that shatters in your mouth. "The key to dim sum is texture," explains a chef. "You want to experience different sensations - crunchy, soft, chewy... it's like a sensory journey." And then there's the famous cotton chicken loco daon (or radish cake) - a Hong Kong staple that's been perfected over decades.

**Survival Mode**

Finally, there's the infamous 3:00 AM dim sum run. For those who are willing to brave the crowds and chaos, these late-night gatherings offer an unparalleled culinary experience. "It's like a party," says one regular attendee. "You're with friends, you're eating delicious food... it's a night to remember." And if you're lucky, you might even snag some fresh custard buns - a sweet treat that's worth the wait.

**The Art of Dim Sum**

From its humble origins as a street food tradition to its current status as a global culinary phenomenon, dim sum is a true art form. Whether you're a seasoned foodie or just discovering this delightful cuisine, there's no denying the magic of a traditional dim sum experience. With its rich history, vibrant culture, and endless variety of flavors and textures, dim sum is sure to captivate even the most discerning palates.

**The Price Tag**

Of course, no trip to Hong Kong would be complete without exploring the city's culinary scene - and that includes trying some of the more exotic (and expensive) options. Dim sum restaurants come in all shapes and sizes, but those with Michelin stars or upscale reputations tend to fall on the higher end of the price spectrum. "A full dim sum meal can range from $20 to $100 per person," warns a seasoned food critic. "It's worth it for the experience, though - the prices are usually reflected in the quality and creativity of the dishes."

**The Art of Enjoyment**

In the end, what truly sets dim sum apart is its emphasis on enjoyment - not just of the food, but of the company, culture, and tradition that surrounds it. Whether you're sipping green tea with friends or sharing a plate of steamed buns with strangers, there's no denying the sense of camaraderie that pervades every dim sum gathering. As one enthusiastic diner puts it: "Dim sum is like a big party - everyone's invited, and everyone's having fun."

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're in Kennedy town it's 3:00 in the morning sun hang just opened and we're here at for the custard butts laaba this is one of the only late night dim suum places that I know of still operating in Hong Kong the dim suum itself is going to be prepared right behind us it's going to be steamed inside of those bamboo steamers and they make them in batches that have fillings inside of them pastries bows there are various types of like dumplings but as I said we're just here for one thing which is the custard bun laaba I would translate as custard lava bun and the idea is that you have a solid piece of filling that gets wrapped inside of the dough it gets steamed and once it's hot it'll run so bow is a leaven bun the dough itself is quite simple the reason why the buns are so soft is a combination of baking powder and yeast and the filling here is primarily salted egg yolk so that's a duck egg yolk that's been cured in salt it becomes runny delicious lava so when they're completed they just look like plain old white bows there's no fancy folding but it's all about craftsmanship and it's some of the most delicate handiwork ever a little bit of water over the top to stop that skin from forming and they're going to let it rest for probably just a little bit this is a specialty station just like P the handiwork that produces these specific shapes and the speed that's what makes this place very very special and it's going to go in a steamer at a high temperature for a couple of minutes bunch of Brave friends are coming to join us for dim some first thing in the morning actually the original crew of people who brought me here the first time did Elon convince you to it just didn't make any sense having dium alone it has to be a group so we in English call this whole genre of food dimsum but in Hong Kong we call it Yamcha and historically those are two concepts that have kind of merged into one Yamcha means drink tea the primary act here the primary thing that we're here for is the tea first step for Yamcha pick your tea tea it's kind of like a personality question I actually like P which is Ja te a little bit of like floral tinge it's quite easy to drink first thing in the morning second step for Yamcha is to wash your utensils this is a myth that we have in Hong Kong that for some reason the people who are dishwashers don't know how to do their jobs so you have to clean your own utensils with lukewarm tea it's part of the ritual I cannot imagine that this is actually good for you but here's a tea H PE green tea jaas and flowers all of that food that developed the dim suum developed around that tea drinking ritual and that tea drinking habit cheers and the third step is then you start ordering the things that you like dim some de some roughly translates to whatever you like whatever your heart desires really you serve yourself and you go through all those little bamboo baskets and you try to find the stuff that you want you bring it back to your table your goal is to cover the table in as big of a variety and as much diversity of dim dishes as you can you want different textures you want different flavors you want sweet things you want salty things everything at the same time every single time you go to dimsum basically you have to get hag out this is a crystal shrimp dumpling a lot of fancy dimsum chefs will say that this is a test for what's good and then sui sui is pork and shrimp one of the things CES people are really good at is combining Land and Sea specific animals have specific proteins with specific types of amino acids when you bring different types of animals together sometimes you create that's like symphonic effect shrimp and pork really great example from Japanese cooking Dashi is kbu plus Bon flakes That's a classic example or chicken and mushroom yes these are kind of the classics but they're Classics for a reason and most Dimson restaurants won't deviate from it this is an old school version of suai quail eggs good for the Mojo I think this is beef suai if like proper dim some experts watch this they're going to say they're going to think this is ridiculous three SE m in the first round is crazy thank this is cotton chicken lco daon or radish cake CH fun a nice stretchy texture Hong Kong people love texture this is what happens when you sit a little bit too far away from the dimone restaurant you your fresh food gets sniped going so after it's steamed the food just physically moves through the restaurant space she pushes that car all the way up to the steamer in the front where things are kept warm it's like a spotlight everyone just turns and looks you might grab it off the car like literally just snag it or usually they'll shout they'll say what's being made she was like chicken feet and then all the girls were like yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah please please please this is what you're here for dude eat it eat it yes chef I think the image speaks for itself it's so perfect the fattiness of that buttery dairy milk stuff and then the salted duck egg yolk balanced it's chalky but it's smooth it's hyping hot it's so fresh go ahead the longer we stay here the more type of people you're going to meet literally a rotating cast of characters actually the table next to us is three people every time someone finishes eating one person will get up and randomly a new person is going to take their seat this is the only way that they can keep track of what you've ordered this is the size of the Dimson but really it's a c it's a pricing category I will say this is the most civilized I've ever seen the pricing been done here because last time we were here we got up they had no idea what we ate cuz it was just pure chaos they just are just a cover charge they just said we're like like yeah about 200 per person yeah yeah that sounds good and then we just have to pay it and leave every time people come to Hong Kong they always want to look for dimsum cuz they know that it's the best here probably is and there are the really fancy places the Michelin start restaurants that make really delicate really beautiful dimsum this is the type of place I like to go to because it's a little bit more you know it's like closer to the ground it's a little bit more for the people and it is very very very fun to go out knowing that you're trying to survive until 3:00 in the morning because these custard buns are worth the waight so we just ordered our fried milk it really is milk right so like the point of this is to really taste that fresh fragrant Dairy flavor nice custardy and soft crispy crackling batter on the outside it's like deep fried panac Touch of sweetness so perfect mwe're in Kennedy town it's 3:00 in the morning sun hang just opened and we're here at for the custard butts laaba this is one of the only late night dim suum places that I know of still operating in Hong Kong the dim suum itself is going to be prepared right behind us it's going to be steamed inside of those bamboo steamers and they make them in batches that have fillings inside of them pastries bows there are various types of like dumplings but as I said we're just here for one thing which is the custard bun laaba I would translate as custard lava bun and the idea is that you have a solid piece of filling that gets wrapped inside of the dough it gets steamed and once it's hot it'll run so bow is a leaven bun the dough itself is quite simple the reason why the buns are so soft is a combination of baking powder and yeast and the filling here is primarily salted egg yolk so that's a duck egg yolk that's been cured in salt it becomes runny delicious lava so when they're completed they just look like plain old white bows there's no fancy folding but it's all about craftsmanship and it's some of the most delicate handiwork ever a little bit of water over the top to stop that skin from forming and they're going to let it rest for probably just a little bit this is a specialty station just like P the handiwork that produces these specific shapes and the speed that's what makes this place very very special and it's going to go in a steamer at a high temperature for a couple of minutes bunch of Brave friends are coming to join us for dim some first thing in the morning actually the original crew of people who brought me here the first time did Elon convince you to it just didn't make any sense having dium alone it has to be a group so we in English call this whole genre of food dimsum but in Hong Kong we call it Yamcha and historically those are two concepts that have kind of merged into one Yamcha means drink tea the primary act here the primary thing that we're here for is the tea first step for Yamcha pick your tea tea it's kind of like a personality question I actually like P which is Ja te a little bit of like floral tinge it's quite easy to drink first thing in the morning second step for Yamcha is to wash your utensils this is a myth that we have in Hong Kong that for some reason the people who are dishwashers don't know how to do their jobs so you have to clean your own utensils with lukewarm tea it's part of the ritual I cannot imagine that this is actually good for you but here's a tea H PE green tea jaas and flowers all of that food that developed the dim suum developed around that tea drinking ritual and that tea drinking habit cheers and the third step is then you start ordering the things that you like dim some de some roughly translates to whatever you like whatever your heart desires really you serve yourself and you go through all those little bamboo baskets and you try to find the stuff that you want you bring it back to your table your goal is to cover the table in as big of a variety and as much diversity of dim dishes as you can you want different textures you want different flavors you want sweet things you want salty things everything at the same time every single time you go to dimsum basically you have to get hag out this is a crystal shrimp dumpling a lot of fancy dimsum chefs will say that this is a test for what's good and then sui sui is pork and shrimp one of the things CES people are really good at is combining Land and Sea specific animals have specific proteins with specific types of amino acids when you bring different types of animals together sometimes you create that's like symphonic effect shrimp and pork really great example from Japanese cooking Dashi is kbu plus Bon flakes That's a classic example or chicken and mushroom yes these are kind of the classics but they're Classics for a reason and most Dimson restaurants won't deviate from it this is an old school version of suai quail eggs good for the Mojo I think this is beef suai if like proper dim some experts watch this they're going to say they're going to think this is ridiculous three SE m in the first round is crazy thank this is cotton chicken lco daon or radish cake CH fun a nice stretchy texture Hong Kong people love texture this is what happens when you sit a little bit too far away from the dimone restaurant you your fresh food gets sniped going so after it's steamed the food just physically moves through the restaurant space she pushes that car all the way up to the steamer in the front where things are kept warm it's like a spotlight everyone just turns and looks you might grab it off the car like literally just snag it or usually they'll shout they'll say what's being made she was like chicken feet and then all the girls were like yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah please please please this is what you're here for dude eat it eat it yes chef I think the image speaks for itself it's so perfect the fattiness of that buttery dairy milk stuff and then the salted duck egg yolk balanced it's chalky but it's smooth it's hyping hot it's so fresh go ahead the longer we stay here the more type of people you're going to meet literally a rotating cast of characters actually the table next to us is three people every time someone finishes eating one person will get up and randomly a new person is going to take their seat this is the only way that they can keep track of what you've ordered this is the size of the Dimson but really it's a c it's a pricing category I will say this is the most civilized I've ever seen the pricing been done here because last time we were here we got up they had no idea what we ate cuz it was just pure chaos they just are just a cover charge they just said we're like like yeah about 200 per person yeah yeah that sounds good and then we just have to pay it and leave every time people come to Hong Kong they always want to look for dimsum cuz they know that it's the best here probably is and there are the really fancy places the Michelin start restaurants that make really delicate really beautiful dimsum this is the type of place I like to go to because it's a little bit more you know it's like closer to the ground it's a little bit more for the people and it is very very very fun to go out knowing that you're trying to survive until 3:00 in the morning because these custard buns are worth the waight so we just ordered our fried milk it really is milk right so like the point of this is to really taste that fresh fragrant Dairy flavor nice custardy and soft crispy crackling batter on the outside it's like deep fried panac Touch of sweetness so perfect m\n"