New Crew Dim Sum

We enjoyed a slow morning with family the day after Thanksgiving. No Black Friday shopping for us.

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Rose had pancakes, bacon, and coffee waiting for us when we woke up.

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And she even made me some of her special oregano elixir since I’m feeling a cold coming on.

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{Heidy, Mario, Sis, Rose, me, Ben}

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We bid adieu to the family, and a smaller group of the young crowd headed out for our favorite Atlanta tradition – dim sum.

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{Leo, Lindsay, and Sis}

We trekked over to the Oriental Pearl (where Sis and I went somewhat recently) in search of dumplings and other deliciousness. The last time I came here with cousins, a few years ago, the restaurant had converted from the amazing dim sum restaurant to a run-of-the-mill buffet. We were so sad to think our tradition had disappeared. It wasn’t until Sis and I made our trip to the OP in May that we discovered the dim sum was back in action! Hazzah! 🙂

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The restaurant was far less busy and had a smaller selection since it was a weekday, but the carts were swinging by within just a couple minutes, and they proved to have most of our favorites.

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We quickly snapped up some har gow, steamed BBQ pork buns, and shui mei.

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We got one of the long shrimp dumplings (and a beef one – not pictured).

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Crispy shrimp balls.

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Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce.

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Love their plates by the way!

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Baked BBQ pork buns.

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With a plate full of my favorite eats, I was one happy eater.

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So was Leo.

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And sis and I tried a new dessert – a sort of mango jello-type dessert with evaporated milk poured on top.

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(I believe this is a photo from a dim sum trip from the early ninties – and do you recognize the girl to the far right?! 🙂 )

As I mentioned earlier, we made many trips to visit our cousins over the years. Each trip ended with a family trip to the Oriental Pearl for dim sum.

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The adults were busy this trip, so the new dim sum crew held down the tradition for this adventure. It’s interesting to think about the transition that is already under way – from the old crew to the new crew. And it’s fun to think about this table being filled in a few years with our children, who will be the next future dim sum crew!

sometimes the food is the best because of the context

The trip reminded me of something Anthony Bourdain said in that show I saw recently. When asked about finding the best food, Anthony said that sometimes the food is the best because of the context. He’s so right! I mean, the food at the Oriental Pearl is delicious, but what makes it so special is the company, the familiarity, and the sentimentality of the experience. We’ve been eating at the Oriental Pearl for about 20 years now, and I hope we get to enjoy at least 20 more years together.

4 thoughts on “New Crew Dim Sum”

  1. What a fabulous day! We didn’t do much Black Friday shopping. We got up at like 7:30 and just went to two stores: Target and Payless. My parents got all of the electronic-related stuff that they wanted online the day before, so there was no reason to go out at 12 am (when some of the stores were opening).

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