Reviews: (by author)

Lin, Grace. Dim Sum for Everyone. New York: Dell Dragonfly Books, 2001. $6.99.

In Dim Sum for Everyone, Lin demonstrates the Chinese tradition of dim sum, an eating experience in which the customers choose appetizers from rolling carts. In this simple picture book, Lin shows the simple etiquette of eating dim sum. The customer points to dishes as the cart rolls by the table. She presents the most popular dishes such as turnip cakes, sweet pork buns, egg tarts, etc. She uses the Chinese word for father (ba-ba), mother (ma-ma), big sister (jie-jie), and little sister (mie-mie). In addition, Lin provides background information on the history of dim sum at the end of the book.

Dim sum was first a part of the traditional Chinese teahouses and became an important part of Chinese culture. It was brought over to the Western world in the mid-19th century and has been enjoyed by Americans for years. The Chinese who came over during the Gold Rush often assumed jobs in mining towns as cooks. Chinese cuisine has since entered mainstream culture.

Lin's book is more important for its cultural significance than its readability, which is most appropriate for beginning readers. The pictures, including the little silver dishes, are so accurate. She presents the dining scene from a high vantage point. This scene is representative of the dim sum experience with round tables, lazy susans, chopsticks, carts, etc. I also like this scene because the guests are multicultural, with different ethnic backgrounds represented. (The text on this page states, "Everyone eats a little bit of everything.")

The many different dishes are recognizable and mouth-watering. Even the empty dishes have traces of soy sauce on them. In order to fully appreciate and understand the book, I contend that the readers must have firsthand experience with dim sum. It is truly an experience that cannot be fully replicated on paper. However, Lin does an excellent job of capturing its essence.

Recommended by Virginia Loh.

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