Happy New Year!! Have some Dim Sum.
As a practicing Buddhist New Year's Day has great significance as a day to redetermine or freshly decide to challenge obtacles and expand my life. It is also a day of many traditions including overflowing alters of fruit, rice cake, saki and large gatherings followed by a group trip to Dim Sum.
Being Buddhist has not only given me a wide appreciation for the varying cultures of the world it has forced my Northern Minnesotan self to try new cuisines. The most memorable being the first time I was brought to a restaurant where there were no forks. My mostly Japanese compatriats watched me with a mixture of concern, curiosity, and humor as I fumbled with the sticks attempting to eat rice and other small objects.
My first trip, and still most trips to Dim Sum feel similar to this experience as I have know idea how to order or what to order even if I knew how. Luckily, I have always had a guide – which in some cases has resulted in chicken feet and beef lung or this New Year's day experience an amazing pork pillow.
My New Year's Day Dim Sum guide Candice took us all to Jade Garden in Seattle's International District. Jade Garden is special, not only because their food is amazing but because of their sustainable practice of composting all of their food waste.
Because of my guide's wonderful relationship with this restaurant I was granted a free photo of chicken feet spotted on a passing cart by my friend Jodie. We did not want to eat the chicken feet. I just wanted a picture for the blog. My memory from a past experiment with this delicacy was that they tasted like cardamom flavored lard wrapped around a stick with weird chewy parts and joints. Needless to say the beef lung -which was just like a chewy form of ramen – was a far better experience.
Here is Jodie enjoying one of her favorites of the day.
It was a thumbs up for the noodles.
And the shrimp dumplings were another crowd favorite.
And don't forget to get your broccoli.
All- in-all an extremely filling start to the year.
I hope all your goals for 2012 become a reality.