The Art of Dim Sum: A Touch of Heart and History

Dim sum is more than just a meal, it's an experience that encompasses tradition, culture, and community. For those who have had the pleasure of savoring this Cantonese delicacy, they know that it's not just about the food; it's about the love, care, and dedication that goes into every bite. Wilson Tang, owner of Nam Moi Tea Parlor in Chinatown, New York City, agrees. "Dim sum is a touch of heart," he says, as he explains the importance of this traditional Chinese dish.

According to Wilson, all dim sum chefs spend decades learning how to make this delicious food from scratch. They must master the art of hand-making the skin and pleating the folds, techniques that have been passed down for thousands of years. "It's not just about cooking, it's about creating a piece of history," he emphasizes.

Wilson's passion for dim sum began when his uncle, Wally, started working at Nam Moi Tea Parlor in the 1980s. Wilson grew up watching his uncle work tirelessly to provide for their family and community. His father, however, had other plans for his son. He wanted Wilson to pursue a traditional American career path, such as getting a degree and working at a white-collar job.

But fate had other plans. Wilson's first job after college was at Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center, where he witnessed the devastating 9/11 attacks firsthand. The experience shook him to his core, and he realized that he needed a change. He sought advice from his father, who suggested opening a coffee shop or bakery, both of which Wilson had previously enjoyed working in.

It wasn't until his uncle called him one summer to suggest trying dim sum that Wilson discovered his true passion. "I was hesitant at first," he recalls, "but I knew I had to try it." Red Egg, the modern dim sum place they visited, sparked an idea in Wilson's mind. He saw an opportunity to revive a piece of New York history and bring back the nostalgia of Chinatown.

When Nam Moi Tea Parlor was relaunched, Wilson made sure to preserve its unique charm and character. The tea parlor had been a staple in Chinatown for decades, and he wanted to ensure that it continued to thrive. By reviving this beloved institution, Wilson aimed to slow down the pace of New York City's rapid development and keep the community close-knit.

As Wilson shares his story, it becomes clear that dim sum is more than just a meal; it's a connection to one's heritage and culture. It's an opportunity to preserve tradition and share it with others. For Wilson, dim sum has become a part of who he is, and he hopes to continue sharing its beauty and significance with future generations.

Today, Nam Moi Tea Parlor remains a cherished destination for foodies and locals alike. The tea parlor continues to serve traditional dim sum dishes, crafted with love and care by the chefs who have been trained in the art of this ancient cuisine. As you sit down to enjoy your meal, remember that each dish is not just about the taste, but also about the history, culture, and community that goes into every bite.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthen some falls under the Cantonese umbrella and dining dim sum also means a touch of heart all these little small plates are made with a lot of love and care all of our dim sum chefs in the kitchen spend decades learning how to make this stuff learning how to hand make the skin hand pleat the the folds and it's got thousands of years of history my name is Wilson tang we are sitting at Nam moi tea parlor in Chinatown New York City Nawaz has been open since the 20s and it has been a hub for the Chinese community in Chinatown throughout the decades my uncle Wally started off as a dishwasher and slowly moved up to owning the place in 1974 my dad tried to keep me as far away from the restaurant as possible he wanted me to go to school and get my degree and get a kind of white-collar job because that was to him the American dream my first job out of college was at Morgan Stanley I was at two World Trade Center my office was on the 74th floor and I would badge in you know get to my desk turn on my computer and that's when I saw like a lot of paper flying outside like through the corner of my eye it was basically oh hey there's a fire and the in the other building we should evacuate for safety by the time I got down you know and this is like within minutes like because it's so chaotic I think it just it's just innate in me to walk here you know I've been doing it practically all my life you know walk to Chinatown or go to Chinatown and whatever news is out there I'm gonna go and let them know I'm okay and just keep walking after that I kept saying to myself like I can I need I need a change in career or something and I asked my dad's for advice and he always said to me you're from a family of entrepreneurs so you should open a coffee shop and like a bakery we opened the cafe on Allen Street in a storefront of my dad's building I did that for four years and I loved it I loved the hard work and I think that stem from just growing up as a kid and and just always working with my dad in the summer of 2010 my uncle calls me and he's like hey let's go have dim sum I'm like okay that's weird sure where do you want to go let's go meet at red egg and red egg was is this kind of modern looking dim sum place and he goes to me I think I got a unload the tea parlour and to just pass it on and you know we can make it look like this if you want I'm like that's that wouldn't be cool like you know the tea parlor has this unique look it's never changed you know I felt like this with my chance to kind of reserve a piece of New York history when we relaunched it brought back a lot of old timers at one point I met four generations of a family son grandson great-grandson all at one table Chinatown is almost it's one of the last places in Manhattan that hasn't been redeveloped and you know I thought I would have my opportunity to kind of just slow New York down a little bit and keep this place the way it is my chef here has been working with my family of my move my uncle Wally since the 80s and I'm really grateful that um there's this long history I hope to see it go a lot longerthen some falls under the Cantonese umbrella and dining dim sum also means a touch of heart all these little small plates are made with a lot of love and care all of our dim sum chefs in the kitchen spend decades learning how to make this stuff learning how to hand make the skin hand pleat the the folds and it's got thousands of years of history my name is Wilson tang we are sitting at Nam moi tea parlor in Chinatown New York City Nawaz has been open since the 20s and it has been a hub for the Chinese community in Chinatown throughout the decades my uncle Wally started off as a dishwasher and slowly moved up to owning the place in 1974 my dad tried to keep me as far away from the restaurant as possible he wanted me to go to school and get my degree and get a kind of white-collar job because that was to him the American dream my first job out of college was at Morgan Stanley I was at two World Trade Center my office was on the 74th floor and I would badge in you know get to my desk turn on my computer and that's when I saw like a lot of paper flying outside like through the corner of my eye it was basically oh hey there's a fire and the in the other building we should evacuate for safety by the time I got down you know and this is like within minutes like because it's so chaotic I think it just it's just innate in me to walk here you know I've been doing it practically all my life you know walk to Chinatown or go to Chinatown and whatever news is out there I'm gonna go and let them know I'm okay and just keep walking after that I kept saying to myself like I can I need I need a change in career or something and I asked my dad's for advice and he always said to me you're from a family of entrepreneurs so you should open a coffee shop and like a bakery we opened the cafe on Allen Street in a storefront of my dad's building I did that for four years and I loved it I loved the hard work and I think that stem from just growing up as a kid and and just always working with my dad in the summer of 2010 my uncle calls me and he's like hey let's go have dim sum I'm like okay that's weird sure where do you want to go let's go meet at red egg and red egg was is this kind of modern looking dim sum place and he goes to me I think I got a unload the tea parlour and to just pass it on and you know we can make it look like this if you want I'm like that's that wouldn't be cool like you know the tea parlor has this unique look it's never changed you know I felt like this with my chance to kind of reserve a piece of New York history when we relaunched it brought back a lot of old timers at one point I met four generations of a family son grandson great-grandson all at one table Chinatown is almost it's one of the last places in Manhattan that hasn't been redeveloped and you know I thought I would have my opportunity to kind of just slow New York down a little bit and keep this place the way it is my chef here has been working with my family of my move my uncle Wally since the 80s and I'm really grateful that um there's this long history I hope to see it go a lot longer\n"