SE3

Observation in Star Kitch

Food is a representative of culture, so we can understand a person by looking at what he/she eats every day. I am a Chinese, and I think the Chinese culture has been deeply rooted in my mind, so I like to eat Chinese food and will not be fed up with it. After I arrived at Denver, I felt that it was hard for me to have the American food in every meal. I think maybe culture effects people to have different taste. I have been seeking good Chinese restaurant in around this area since I found the food in Sodexho cannot satisfy me lung, and now I think I have been to almost all the Chinese restaurant in Denver. There is a Cantonese restaurant called Star Kitchen is really popular in this area.

This weekend I went to the Star Kitchen, which is located in 2917 W Mississippi Ave, to have morning tea and also do the observation. That restaurant is always a crowd of people at weekends, so I have to wait for about 20 minutes before I got a space to take note and had lunch with my friends. When I was waiting, I asked an American that why did they like to come over to have the Guangdong Morning Tea. He told me that the food in Star Kitchen is really cheap. You'll see college kids because it's inexpensive. Then there are those who want to eat faster, and those who just want to watch what they eat. Some groups of guys came in just because they like to eat so many of the different flavors (Jeannie Pierola). There are dozens of different kinds of Dim Sums for them to pick. The most important thing was that they were all very delicious and looked so nice. Actually, Americans have never seen most of these kinds of food before. Good dim sum chefs can turn one item into 30 different ones. They can be baked, deep-fried or steamed. The best dim sum chefs are the old masters of China. They do them so fast (Elissa Elan).

After we found our table, I noticed that there was an old couple sat next to us. It seems that the couple came here for the first time, because they were curious that why they did not get menus from the waiters. Actually, people didn’t have menu when they are having morning tea. The waiters put all the Dim Sums and food in carts and walked around. They stopped by at the couple’s table and show them the Dim Sums as well as explain the materials in those dishes. The couple was excited about these new kinds of food, and ordered many. However, in the observation, I found out that they are not willing to take the chicken feet, even though the waiter recommended it to them. Another table next to me is a Cantonese family. There are 10 people sitting together next to a round table. They ordered teamed BBQ Pork Bun, Egg tart, Egg custard volk bun, Steamed dumpling, Shrimp Dumpling, Sticky rice in lotus leaf, different rice rolls, chicken feet, spring roll and so on. The elders enjoyed staying with their family to have morning tea together. They just talked about the things happened around them recently, and enjoy the food and time. We thought they are loyal customers of the Star Kitchen, because they knew the manager there very well. I do understand that because the morning tea is a good medium to bring Cantonese in this area together. They are all from the same place, so it is easy for them to start a topic and make friends. In addition, a table not far away from us raised my attention, because a Chinese guy was tell his two American friends the culture of morning tea in Guangdong. He explained why Cantonese like to have morning tea, since it is so busy in the morning as well as some funny stories he had before. One of these two was very excited after she ate the shrimp dumpling, and like my friends, she asked the boy how to make it.

The morning tea plays a significant role in the food culture in Guangdong. Old Cantonese often mention that when people grew up early in the morning, their months feel astringent, so it is enjoyable to drink a cup of fragrant tea, lift their spirit, arouse the appetite and have different kinds of delicious Dim Sums. Morning tea is indeed an indelible mark of traditional culture in Guangdong. Guangdong morning tea has a close relationship between the Guangdong flourishing trade and it rapid economic development since ancient times. I heard an American questioned his Cantonese friend that, since Cantonese are very busy, why are they still willing to spend so long time in the morning eating in the restaurant? Actually, from the Cantonese’s perspective, the morning tea is regard as a social activity in their community. They believe the restaurant is a perfect place for them to chat with friends as well as stay together with families, because everyone feels extremely calm and comfortable in that kind of atmosphere. They are talking whatever they want to while drinking teas and eating delicious Dim Sums. What’s more, morning tea is also a time for businessmen to do business and exchange information. Others also want to get rid of the pressure on holiday by having morning teas alone.

Works Cited

Kriegler, Yun. "Dim Sum Finance: Tasty Morsels for Law Firms." The Lawyer (2011):                      10-. ProQuest. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.