It was a warm Sunday in July. I was to meet some friends at the Mandarin House Restaurant for Dim Sum. I have a fondness for Chinese food, but didn't know anything about this food called "Dim Sum". I was in for a real treat!!

The food was brought to our table on miniature steam tables. The young women who wheeled these carts through the restaurant were very gracious and happy to help you make your selections.

On these steam tables were small aluminum pots containing portions of authentic and extraordinary Chinese cuisine, such as steamed pork dumplings, spareribs in black bean sauce, pot stickers, springrolls, rice balls with shrimp, etc., etc., etc. This was like a "reverse buffet" - the buffet was brought to your table piping hot and you could choose small or large portions.

I tried my hand at chopsticks, but had to resort to using a fork. One of the waiters saw me floundering and offered me a pair of chopsticks he had put together to make it easy for me to conquer my clumsiness. They worked beautifully!

My friends told me that serving food in this manner gave customers an opportunity to try different Chinese dishes while visiting leisurely with friends and family. A Dim Sum meal could last as long as three hours.

It was a unique and delicious Chinese meal. To share this Dim Sum experience with my family and friends on a special day in the near future is something I look forward to with great anticipation.

蝦餃	燒賣

作者：Virginia Lee
(編按：Virginia Lee是一位住在Florissant的美國人。她與夫婿Bill Lee熱愛中華文化，喜歡中華美食，曾於2001年11月至2002年5月在聖路易時報及時報文教基金會發表中國旅遊專欄，網址：ccefoundation.org/publication/chinaex
perience)

在七月夏季的一個星期天，朋友們邀我到京園餐廳吃「點心」，我雖然很喜歡
中國食物，但是我從不知道什麼是「點心」，沒想到這次吃點心的經驗可是棒極了。在一個小推車上，不同的食物送到桌旁請我們挑選，餐廳裡的服務生很耐心好意地介紹每一種食物，也樂意幫我們選擇喜歡的食物。

鳳尾蝦	蛋塔

小推車上，有蒸籠盛著好幾樣特別的點心料理，例如燒賣、豉汁排骨、蝦餃、
腐皮卷、蝦丸等等。這個和Buffet自助餐剛好相反，熱騰騰的食物送到你的桌旁
讓你隨意選擇。我試著用筷子，可惜技術不佳，祇得回過頭來用叉子，一個服務生看到了我的窘狀，特別幫我準備了一雙特制的筷子，非常好用。

在餐桌上，朋友告訴我，點心式的食物讓顧客在輕鬆舒適的用餐環境中有機會
嚐到不同種類的中國食物，一邊吃一邊聊，據說吃一頓點心下來，可以坐上三
個小時呢！

這真是一個很特別又美味的一餐。我希望很快帶朋友和家人一起來，再次分享
吃點心的樂趣。(英文稿請見時報本期英文版)