Semester in Dublin: Dim Sum in Dublin: Cultural diversity in Ireland

har-gow (shrimp dumpling)

Two weeks ago I went with a couple friends to have dim sum. For those who don't know what dim sum is, dim sum is a Cantonese term used to refer to small dishes of Chinese food. It allows a person to have a small portion of different types/tastes of food in a sitting. The wikipedia article has great information about dim sum if you want to google it.

Anyways, one of my biggest fears of living abroad in Ireland was that I would not have the comfort of Chinese food. I naively thought that Ireland was a country with little cultural and ethnic diversity (I didn't research that much about Ireland even though you should before deciding to live in another country).

So with the belief that Ireland had little ethnic diversity, I was really surprised to find that there were Asian supermarkets and Chinese food restaurants here.

I learned from school that a lot of in-migration occurred during the Celtic Tiger period (1990s-early 2000s). It was a time of economic boom and people from different countries began migrating to Ireland for work. (there are also other reasons but mostly work related). The Chinese continue to be one group that is continually growing in Ireland.

Being able to eat dim sum in Dublin highlights Ireland's growing diversity.

At first I didn’t want to go eat there since the price is so ridiculous compared to home. It’s 4.20 euros for a dish of har gow (shrimp dumpling). Converted that’s over $6 for 4 pieces of har gow.

After talking to my mom, who told me not to be cheap and just try it, and 3 months of craving it, I gave in and went to the restaurant.

I went in thinking that the dishes would be different, maybe with an Irish flair to it or something. However what I got was food that tastes just like home. I’m pretty sure it’s because the restaurant is owned and operated and the food is cooked by people from China and what not. Either way, I was completely satisfied with my meal and happy that I went.

Going to the restaurant made also me realized how much I missed speaking Cantonese. Although I don't speak it often or very well, my parents forced me learn how some Cantonese by telling me I couldn't eat any dim sum dishes unless I could order them in Cantonese. The waiter spoke Cantonese and it was beneficial that I knew the language.

My friend is a vegan, so he doesn't eat any animal products. He won't even eat fries if fish has been fried in it. Anyways, we found a vegetarian dish for him and he almost ordered fried rice with egg in it because he didn't realize fried rice in Chinese dishes always included eggs. Luckily, through Canto, I was able to make sure he had a completely vegan meal. This act made me proud to be able to speak Cantonese and appreciate my upbringing. Weird that it did that, i know, but it did.

Lesson learned from studying abroad: appreciate my (somewhat knowledge) of Cantonese & Ireland is becoming a diverse place