ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT

I use to be able to eat loads when I went to a buffet.  Really, I could.  In the olden days I could make about 4 – 5 trips for hot food before I even consider dessert.  I was in heaven in a buffet.  When I lived in Vancouver the first thing I noticed was that there weren’t many Chinese all-you-can-eat places.  In fact, the rage there was all-you-can-eat Japanese food.  Which, funny enough, is kinda lacking in Toronto.

Anyways, over the years my food consumption has changed.  I don’t know if it’s age or that I truly am watching what I’m eating (which I doubt), but I can’t do all-you-can-eat like I use to and it’s sad.  It was my parents 40th Wedding Anniversary today, yup they made it to the 40th mark, and they decided to go to a buffet to celebrate.  I took barely 3 trips to the hot buffet and I had to call it a day.  I didn’t even load up my plates like I normally do.  And, I just could not stuff another morsel in my mouth and if I did then I was endangering the room, little room, that I had left for dessert.  Sadness.

I wonder why I can’t consume the way I use to.  Perhaps I need to be a bit more strategic the next time I hit a buffet.  Starve myself and then gorge when I get there.  I just feel like if I’m going to do buffet, I should eat epic proportions so that I get my worth.  I know, I’m strange. 

DIM SUM

I like dim sum – Chinese brunch – but I don’t have it on a regular basis.  I usually go with my parents and this is what we had the last time we went, yum.

     
     

My favourite dim sum item is the har gow (steamed shrimp dumpling) and the spare ribs with black bean sauce, which I can proudly make myself (not the har gow, just the spare ribs).  My favourite dessert at dim sum has got to be the steamed cake.  That’s the best way I can describe it.  Its the little muffins above – but normally they don’t come in muffin format.  It usually comes in a cake slice, a nice big cake slice.

I’ve recently become very addicted to the steamed cake.  I need to learn how to make it.  It’s not really sweet, but it’s moist and just yummy!  My second favourite dim sum dessert is the mango pudding with carnation’s milk.  And then finally, I love the tofu dessert.  Especially when it’s freshly made.

If I have a craving for my cake, or any dim sum item, I can go to my local T&T (great Chinese grocery store nearby where I live) and get some.  Saves me the time and effort of going to the restaurant where it’s crowded and noisy.