Occidentals, dim sum and tea

I think you're probably being sized up on the basis of your appearance, as you think. Why not bring your own tea and ask the waiter to put it in the pot with hot water? Or ask for Bo Lay? I do the first mainly, and the second when I forget.

/Lew

Jasmine tea is the cheapest and the restaurant probably wants to save money. And, yes, they probably think foreigners only like Jasmine tea. Whenever I go to market or some place, they try to flash their crappy flower teas to attract me to their stalls. Actually, I loathe flower tea, but for some reason it is a stereotype that all laowai like flower tea.

You need to be specific and tell them you want something. They'll give it to you, at least if it's a good dim sum place.

The advice I've always been given by more experienced people is to always order white tea, in this case, Shou Mei. White tea is kept cleanest. Puerh is the worst -- they are often overrun with cockroaches and what not for all you know.

Jas> When I go to dim sum in Los Angeles, all the restaurants offer is

The Chinese don't do that which is why in the vast majority of Chinese restaurants you have to make a special request for water. They believe that drinking with meals is bad for digestion, and drinking cold water is the worst which is why if you drink anything, it's just a little tea. I'm sure it doesn't hurt it's safer to drink tea in China anyway because the water is boiled.

Hi Shen and all, As Lew suggested, ask for Bo Lay -- you might have to run through a few pronunciation alternatives before they get it if you're a lousy Chinese sound maker as I am -- but be forewarned: The Pu'erh they usually serve to their Chinese customers in these restaurants is saved from utter lousiness by the tea's extreme weakness. Better to use Lew's bring-your-own model. Nobody will mind, and you'll know what you're drinking. (All this for NYC)

BTW, I often bring my YiXing tea set to Chinese restaurants and set myself up. Since I do this during non-rush hours, nobody minds. And you'd be amazed at how many Gung-fu enthusiasts come out of the wood work. Michael

Like Lew suggested, ask for "Bo Lay". Every dim sum restaurant in every galaxy, in this and other local clusters, has it. They will never spontaneously bring it to a westerner. It is cheap dilute black (shu) pu erh.

After you ask, observe the waitresses giggling to each other about the cute Westerner who is actually intelligent to request bo lay, as if you were a type of freshly bathed circus dog. This is customary.

Then ask for ketchup.

Rick.

Another opinion:

"Eating food and drinking tea at the same time only results in excessive weight gain." Hua To, Chinese imperial physician, ca. 110 - 207 A.D.

Though I doubt that excessive weight was a concern of most Chinese at the time, outside the Imperial circle.

Best,

Rick.

hahaha, nice! I'd love to see that one, thanks for the good mental flip-book on that one... I got a good laugh.

The sad part is just last week I went to a new Chinese joint for lunch and was fairly unhappy at the General Tso's that was being doused in liberal amounts of Heinz Ketchup by the "cook." It was like eating deep-fried chicken bits smothered in it. Oh and he threw a single red chile on top before serving, so I think that was what made it General Tso's.

- Dominic

That seems reasonable to me. There are several signals for satiety, including a full belly and increasing blood sugar. Since tea seems to reduce blood sugar for some people, it might delay an end to face-stuffing.

-DM