# Let's talk Dim Sum. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225 "2016-05-20T14:16:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/41 "2016-05-21T16:17:33Z")
Friends of mine recently discovered an apparently good Dim Sum place near my house. I haven’t gone, in part because I watch my carb intake for blood sugar reasons…and I just don’t know what I’m getting into there. How hard would it be to avoid the “mostly dough” and sugary items, yet still have a good experience? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/42 "2016-05-21T16:50:04Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > Friends of mine recently discovered an apparently good Dim Sum place near my house. I haven’t gone, in part because I watch my carb intake for blood sugar reasons…and I just don’t know what I’m getting into there. How hard would it be to avoid the “mostly dough” and sugary items, yet still have a good experience? Everything comes by on a cart. Just don’t choose the doughy items. There are usually meat and vegetable items. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/43 "2016-05-21T22:35:49Z")
Went today, after working legs, hard. That’s how a rationalized pigging out like I did! Man, I love those sesame balls for dessert. (Sadly, we missed the Sticky Rice). ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/44 "2016-05-21T23:37:00Z")
One dim sum place here in Sacramento has ball-shaped objects with shrimp filling, coated in rice. They are WONDERFUL! Lots of Asian grocery stores here, but I have yet to find these in frozen format, so I keep hoping for a recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/45 "2016-05-22T02:55:10Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Unless it is explicitly advertised as such, basically any authentic Chinese restaurant (outside of the ultra high-end) is going use MSG. In Chinese food it is as common and unremarkable as salt. You’d have to ask ahead of time or look for a restaurant that advertises itself as MSG free. > > I don’t want to start a great debate, and anything is possible, but the clinical evidence for MSG reactions is poor. Double-blind studies have not been able to identify a consistent reaction. I don’t disagree with you at all, but MSG is a migraine trigger for me. I have reacted to enough stuff without knowing (including regular ration packs) to know. I generally take some Imitrex after Dim Sum (I know better, I should avoid it, but it’s SO yummy). I prefer the Dim Sum places where you can order off the menu, mostly because I have found the cart stuff somewhat mushy. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/46 "2016-05-22T03:00:06Z")
Isn’t it true that MSG is a naturally occurring substance in the brain and that you cannot be allergic to something that occurs naturally in the body? The whole MSG scare seems like hocum to me. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/47 "2016-05-22T03:06:07Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Pork buns (baked) are basically glazed donuts filled with sweet barbecued pork, and they are one of the greatest things that God ever created on Earth. Yes. Yes. But where am I supposed to find them in Texas? ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/48 "2016-05-22T03:10:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Isn’t it true that MSG is a naturally occurring substance in the brain and that you cannot be allergic to something that occurs naturally in the body? The whole MSG scare seems like hocum to me. Not going to derail the thread (especially since I LOVE Dim Sum), but I don’t think of it as an allergy, it’s a trigger for a migraine. I don’t buy into the “whole MSG is evil” thing, it just happens to cause migraines for me. So does some red wine and swings in barometric pressure. So, if I ever meet you for Dim Sum, we’ll have to have white wine 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/49 "2016-05-22T03:11:46Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Yes. Yes. But where am I supposed to find them in Texas? You should also be aware, it’s not quite like Texas BBQ, but it’s still so delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/50 "2016-05-22T03:12:25Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Not going to derail the thread (especially since I LOVE Dim Sum), but I don’t think of it as an allergy, it’s a trigger for a migraine. I don’t buy into the “whole MSG is evil” thing, it just happens to cause migraines for me. So does some red wine and swings in barometric pressure. So, if I ever meet you for Dim Sum, we’ll have to have white wine 😉 Deal! The wife likes the chicken feet, but I could never get into that. But just about all the rest of dim sun I do like. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/51 "2016-05-22T03:27:00Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > You should also be aware, it’s not quite like Texas BBQ, but it’s still so delicious. Oh yes I know what it’s like. I’m not a Texan; I had these delicious things in California. I was merely bewailing the fact that I don’t know where to go here in Austin to find Dim Sum. (It took me almost four years living here to find decent falafel and I get it at the mall at a place called Potato Club, so maybe there is a similar Dim Sum heaven here and if so I hope someone will tell me about it!) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/52 "2016-05-22T03:27:30Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > What’s interesting to me is that in some parts of the U.S., _dim sum_ is the default “Chinese food”. When someone from one of these areas says “You want to go out for Chinese?”, _dim sum_ may be assumed. In other places, “Chinese food” may be popular, but _dim sum_ is unknown. > > In the New Orleans metro area, “Chinese food” is popular but _dim sum_ is very difficult to find. Only two places that I know for sure offer it, and I think only on Sundays during the day. I likewise had no idea what you guys were talking about. All Chinese that I am aware of comes in buffet form, with English labels to tell me what the food is, and it’s never something that has a filling. It’s meat in a sauce with veggies, which you can put on rice or noodles. And then a few side items, like shish kabobs, those green bean pods, crab ragoon, and then your soups. Would they really not tell you what it was if you asked? Even in any restaurant where the staff doesn’t speak much English, they always speak enough to tell me what something is. ’ Also, are you saying you buy the dish specifically, or is it like a buffet, where you pay and get to try as many or as few as you want? The latter I’d be more fond of. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/53 "2016-05-22T03:35:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Would they really not tell you what it was if you asked? Even in any restaurant where the staff doesn’t speak much English, they always speak enough to tell me what something is. ’ Of course they would tell you. Some people are just paranoid. > [@](#): > > Also, are you saying you buy the dish specifically, or is it like a buffet, where you pay and get to try as many or as few as you want? The latter I’d be more fond of. It’s not a buffet. There are several servers roaming around with carts, each of which carries multiple items on small plates, like tapas. You point out which ones you want, if any. Usually each plate has 2-6 pieces of whatever on it. Each dish is assigned a price point. One common way is for your table to have a card on it and each time you choose something from a cart, the server puts a mark in the appropriate spot. At the end, someone takes your card and tallies it up to calculate your bill. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/54 "2016-05-22T03:48:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I likewise had no idea what you guys were talking about. All Chinese that I am aware of comes in buffet form, with English labels to tell me what the food is, and it’s never something that has a filling. It’s meat in a sauce with veggies, which you can put on rice or noodles. And then a few side items, like shish kabobs, those green bean pods, crab ragoon, and then your soups. > > Would they really not tell you what it was if you asked? Even in any restaurant where the staff doesn’t speak much English, they always speak enough to tell me what something is. ’ > > Also, are you saying you buy the dish specifically, or is it like a buffet, where you pay and get to try as many or as few as you want? The latter I’d be more fond of. It’s not expensive, and we usually order about six different items - comes to about $40. Lots of dumplings, potstickers, onion crepes. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/55 "2016-05-22T06:06:04Z")
Well, sorry, I didn’t really mean to derail this thread into a discussion of MSG sensitivities. But a difficulty I often have as Chinese restaurants is that, in many of them, I can’t get a reliable answer just by asking. The wait staff either doesn’t understand the question, or doesn’t know what MSG is, or doesn’t know the answer. I have learned that I should only eat in Chinese restaurants if I see it actually printed on the menu (or in the window) that there is no MSG. Anecdote: I considered trying the fare at a Thai or some-such fast-food place in a mall food court. I asked the worker there: “Does your food have MSG in it?” She answered: “Is good for you? Yeeeeeeeees, gooooooooood for you!” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/56 "2016-05-22T06:56:28Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I likewise had no idea what you guys were talking about. All Chinese that I am aware of comes in buffet form, with English labels to tell me what the food is, and it’s never something that has a filling. You’ve never been to a Chinese Restaurant that wasn’t a buffet? Really? Where on earth do you live? > [@](#): > > Also, are you saying you buy the dish specifically, or is it like a buffet, where you pay and get to try as many or as few as you want? The latter I’d be more fond of. It actually is very much like a buffet except the food comes to you (on little carts) instead of you going to the food. If you miss the _Har Gao_ cart the first time, another one will be by in a bit. If you don’t see a specific thing you want, just ask one of the ladies and they’ll give you some idea of when that cart will be coming, or if by chance they are out of that thing for the moment. The one downside, as noted, is that it’s not designed to dine solo. You could do it, but you wouldn’t be able to try very many things unless you took a bunch of doggie bags home (or just threw most of it away). Each plate is typically designed for 3-4 people to share. But you can make do with just two diners. I’ve done that many times. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/57 "2016-05-22T07:42:28Z")
Dim sum is best when you’re with a group of people. That way you can have many different dishes, rather than filling up on just a few. Most of the dim sum places around here serve three items on a plate, so it works well for the number of people in your party to be a multiple of three. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/58 "2016-05-22T11:06:19Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Oh yes I know what it’s like. I’m not a Texan; I had these delicious things in California. I was merely bewailing the fact that I don’t know where to go here in Austin to find Dim Sum. (It took me almost four years living here to find decent falafel and I get it at the mall at a place called Potato Club, so maybe there is a similar Dim Sum heaven here and if so I hope someone will tell me about it!) Texas gets kolaches, and the good Lord deemed that no place should get two types of the heavenly meat filled doughnuts, lest the people start to believe they are already in heaven. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/59 "2016-05-22T13:45:19Z")
Well, **iiandyiiii** , I have only had the sweet kolaches, never savory, so I guess I’ll have to try that. But the Bao I had with BBQ pork in Los Angeles was different from kolaches; the bun part was much lighter. The kolaches I’ve had here were pretty heavy, and the people I was eating with were saying how wonderful they were so I thought that’s just how they are. (I didn’t care for them actually.) The Bao I had were baked, not steamed, and were heavenly. Oh my, now I am starving! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225/60 "2016-05-23T00:06:28Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You’ve never been to a Chinese Restaurant that wasn’t a buffet? Really? Where on earth do you live? I can’t absolutely say “never,” but I don’t remember it. I know for sure that the Chinese places within lunch/dinner driving distance all have buffets, though one is small and only available for lunch. And there was one I went to on trips that had a buffet, too. I think it might’ve been a Panda Express, but I’m not sure. I just know it was a Chinese place we saw on the way, went in and found a buffet, like I expected. I mean, I know that other places must exist–if only because some are tiny and some are take-out only. Or actually have delivery, which is something I’ve never experienced. I’m in northwest Arkansas. To me, Applebee’s is semi-fancy (and more expensive than local places), not bottom of the barrel like it seems to be to some of you guys. We have local pasta places, but Olive Garden is a treat due to the sheer variety. Golden Corral was even a treat as a kid. So I know my dining out experiences are different. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-dim-sum/755225.md?page=4)