Journal
Tea, dim sum, weddings and festivals
Guides to yum cha, tea etiquette, Chinese and Western weddings, and festival food traditions, for first-timers and regulars alike.
Cantonese Cooking
What Is Cantonese Cuisine? A Guide to China's Yue Cooking
Cantonese cuisine, or Yue cuisine, is the cooking of Guangdong province and Hong Kong, one of China's Eight Great Cuisines. It prizes freshness...
Tea Guide
Chinese Tea for Dim Sum: Pu'er, Jasmine, Oolong and More
The teas most often poured at Cantonese yum cha are pu'er, jasmine, tieguanyin, shoumei, chrysanthemum pu'er and longjing. Earthy pu'er and...
Wedding Guide
Chinese Wedding Banquet vs Western Reception in Vancouver
A Chinese wedding banquet is a multi-course shared dinner, usually eight to twelve dishes served to round tables of ten, framed by a tea ceremony,...
Dim Sum History
The History of Dim Sum: From Teahouse to Tick Sheet
Dim sum as we know it grew out of Cantonese teahouse culture in Guangzhou, where simple tea huts of the 19th century gave way to multi-storey...
Yum Cha Guide
How to Order Dim Sum: A Beginner's Guide to Yum Cha
To order dim sum as a beginner, plan on two to three dishes per person, start with steamed classics such as har gow and siu mai, mark your choices...
Festival Food
Lunar New Year Foods and Their Lucky Meanings
Lunar New Year foods are chosen for what their names sound like. Fish (魚) suggests surplus, rice cakes (糕) rising fortunes, lettuce (生菜) growing...
Festival Guide
Mid-Autumn Festival: Mooncakes, Legends and Family Dinners
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is said to be at its fullest. Families gather for dinner,...
Tea Etiquette
Dim Sum Tea Etiquette: Finger Tapping, Lids and Pouring
At a Cantonese yum cha table, you pour tea for others before yourself, tap two fingers on the table to thank someone who pours for you, and leave...
Local Guide
Vancouver Dim Sum: Why Metro Vancouver Loves Yum Cha
Metro Vancouver's reputation for dim sum grew from generations of Cantonese settlement and, above all, the wave of Hong Kong immigration in the...
Wedding Traditions
Cantonese Wedding Banquet Dishes and Their Meanings
In a Cantonese wedding banquet nearly every course carries a wish. Red-skinned suckling pig signals good fortune, lobster and chicken stand for...