by Adol Christin » Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:00 pm
Welcome to my Yin Cha hour.
Setting: You walk into Windlyn's food district, open the door to the restaurant. Laughter, chatter and finger ketou fill the air. You look around and find your friends and I waiting for you at the table in the back. Bamboo dian xin steamer on the table in front of us. We smile and make room for you at the table. I fill your tea cup and we begin to eat and talk.
What is dian xin (simp. 点心 trad. 點心) and yin cha (simp. 饮茶 trad. 飲茶)?
You may hear the terms based on Cantonese, Dim Sum (cant. Dim sam) and Yun Cha (cant. Yam cha), respectively. Dim Sum is a style, particularly Cantonese, cooking where foods, like dumplings are steamed. Finger ketou 磕头 (cant. Kowtow) is knocking your fingers on the table to show gratitude for your tea pourer, usually someone at the table. The cha in yin cha 茶 is tea. Therefore, you may guess what's searved at yin cha. Dian xin and tea.
So, drink up, chow down. It's yin cha.