Yam cha!

It is nice to meet up friends especially if we have never met up since few years. However, the unpleasant aspect of gathering up with friends is the organising part. I have no idea how come I ended up being the organiser these days. Perhaps, people know I want to meet up with the friend who just have returned from overseas.

In fact, my friends and I only meet up when someone comes back from overseas. Those of us who are always in Klang never meet up. Normally a gathering occurs when someone comes home from another state or country.

Therefore, to inform some of my friends, I wrote in my msn messenger : "Yam cha at ......." Instead of getting replies from the friends I wanted to inform, my online friends and cousin responded to my announcement. They said they want to go... long time never had that.... why that venue.. etc. Just to pull my leg. ha! I said, "Sure, no prob. Come on over! :) "

I noticed that the definition of yam cha varies with people of different location. Litterally, "yam cha" means drink tea in cantonese. It's normally used for social gathering for people to sit together and drink tea. That picture that comes to mind with that definition is a group of elderly people sitting around a round table drinking chinese tea.

However, here in Malaysia, "yam cha" means drinking tea in the mamak stalls while gossiping and chatting away. If not, the next level of "yam cha" is doing the same thing in the upgraded "kopitiam" with overpriced food and drinks. Nowadays we have so many of this type of "kopitiam" from Old Town Kopitiam to Kluang Station.


Our last "yam cha" gathering

Another definition is based on the cantonese definition. For example, my cousin in Oz defines 'Yam Cha' as 'Dim Sum'. This is based on the culture over there, whereby the chinese have 'dim sum' for breakfast as found in the definition from http://www.china.org.cn/

The Cantonese-style breakfast -- Yam Cha, or Dim Sum is popular in Chinatowns around the world. Yam cha, literally, drink tea, is what Guangdong and HK people in particular do if they go out for breakfast in the early morning. But if a Cantonese friend invites you out to yam cha, allow plenty of time to enjoy it since it’s not to be rushed. Usually, it is a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Dim sum are little snacks, usually steamed, deep fried, or boiled, and the variety is enormous, hundreds of them, mostly savoury. Like ha gao, A steamed wafer-thin rice-flour wrapping filled with baby shrimp or minced shrimp and some minced meat. The skin of rice-flour is so translucent that the ingredients can be clearly seen.

Mmmmm... I really love eating "ha gao". However, it's rare to find nice ones in Malaysia. Normally, it is either too sticky, the skin is too thick or perhaps it just falls apart when you try to pick it up. But they have sweet sauce for you to dip the dim sum in... so when you have a so-so dim sum, just dip it in and drink down with tea! Ha!