Dim Sum, anyone?

I love the hustle and bustle of a Chinese restaurant. Especially during the dim sum service. I enter the restaurant, which always has some type of generic, yet to the point name such as Legend, Happy Day, Golden Duck, Nice Day, Little Village, the list goes on. Quickly seated, I pour my hot tea into my miniature tea cup and already begin to prep my not-so-porcelain dish with hot mustard and soy sauce. I look around and wait as patiently as I can for one of the dim sum carts to roll its way over to my table. There are three carts today. The furthest one from my table is a "fryer on the go" type of contraption. This cart offers turnip cakes, potstickers, and one of my favorites - shrimp look fun. I will have to wait because this cart is on the opposite side of the room. The second cart is currently serving a party of four who look like two generations of Chinese-American men. This cart contains popular custard desserts, steamed buns with meat inside of them, fried taro, and spring rolls. The only thing I desire from that cart is the custard bao. A soft, doughy bread injected with a sweet light custard and an almond cookie crust on top. This will be my dessert, so I am sure to save a little bit of room for this magnificent pastry. The final cart finally arrives beside my table. This cart is the most familiar-looking cart to lovers of dim sum. A large, cumbersome silver cart with circular bamboo containers stacked seven-high, holding piping hot Chinese delicacies waiting to be devoured. I already know which dim sum dishes I will ask for even though I know the waitress will present just about every one to me, as I say no to many because I am a creature of habit.

To me, Chinese restaurants have so much character. It is a fast-paced atmosphere and the waitresses are not very friendly, to say the least. But, once in a while there will be one waitress who smiles and treats you as if they do care that you return to the establishment. The waitresses wear nametags with American names like Helen, Janet, and Tina. I wonder why those are always the names they choose. Polite service is not something I would equate with the waitresses. As I order, they look at the other tables planning which table they will attack next, but they never get my order wrong, so I can't complain. I admire the "to the point" attitude type of service from these petite waitresses because I am not a fan of overly nice, especially when it isn't real. I'd recommend you to skip the Chinese restaurant if you want to be attended to as if you are the only customer in the restaurant. I love the loud noises of conversation coming from each table and watching the hands in the air, calling over the dim sum carts. It is a diverse place with native Chinese speakers, Americans, and tourists visiting from all over. The family-style food service is special because everyone on your table shares the food rather than ordering for yourself. A true family moment.

I am stuffed to the gills and ready for my check. But as usual, I am unsure of who my waitress was because there were so many visiting my table. I decide to take the slip of paper with all of my dim sum orders to the cashier where she too, quickly adds up my total and says, "xie, xie." And I reply, "see you next week!"