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Southern Living, Oct 2002 by McKenzie, Jennifer L

Come explore Texas' Chinatown for a culinary feast and cultural adventure.

Translated literally, dim sum means "heart's delight." Perhaps that's because you eat to your heart's delight when feasting on dim sum. There's pork, shrimp, beef, and vegetable dumplings; steamed barbecue pork buns; crispy egg rolls; Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce-the array is endless and unforgettable.

Thanks to Dorothy Huang, my first dim sum tasting came, not in China, but in Houston. A Chinese culinary expert, Dorothy teaches cooking classes and gives tours of Houston's Chinatown. I signed up for one through Leisure Learning Unlimited and discovered a new love: the smorgasbord that is dim sum. For the class, we (the eager students) met at Ocean Palace Restaurant for lunch and a lesson.

Chinese High Tea

"We're going to have tea today," began Dorothy. "When the Chinese go to lunch we say, `We're going to have tea.' That's because the meal revolves around tea. It cleanses the palate between bites and helps with digestion."

As soon as waitresses poured the tea, they pushed steaming metal carts from table to table. I simply pointed to the item I wanted, and the server placed it in front of me.

The art of dim sum began approximately 1,000 years ago in Canton during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.). Chefs prepared these small, intricate bites of food to impress the royal family. Dim sum is about more than just the food, however. It is also a time to gather with friends and family.

The entire dim sum experience proved filling, fun, and festive. It was a chance to be adventurous with dining. I could try new things, and if I didn't care for them, I didn't request that item again when the cart rolled my way.

To Market, To Market

After we ate our fill, we strolled through the Hong Kong City Mall (one of Dorothy's favorite places in Chinatown) for more hands-on learning. We explored stores filled with lucky bamboo plants, jewelry, and jade figurines. Dorothy led us through the market, pointing at items to be used in cooking at home.

The other students and I commented that many Houstonians don't know about the market and Chinatown. Dorothy agreed, "I've been teaching this class for years, and people are always shocked that this part of town even exists." As for me, I just can't wait to go have dim sum again.

JENNIFER L. MCKENZIE

Ocean Palace Chinese Seafood Restaurant: 11215 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX 77072; (281) 988-8898. For more information about Dorothy Huang's classes, call (281) 493-0885. Her cookbook is Dorothy Huang's Chinese Cooking.