English transcript

 

Want anything to eat? Prawn Dumpling? Bean Curd Rolls?

 

Chicken Feet? Pork Ribs?

 

You want Bean Curd Rolls?

 

(Thank you.)

 

"Yum Cha" origined from Guangzhou, China.

 

This cuisine then spread through the Guangzhou Province and other parts of the world,

 

and became a symbol of Guangdong culture.

 

Guangzhou people have a long tradition of Yum Cha.

 

There were four different standards of Yum Cha places back in Qing Dynasty.

 

The higher-end Yum Cha places would serve

 

mostly Qing officials who had plenty to spend.

 

While ordinary folks could only afford the

 

mid to low-end Yum Cha places around the city.

 

However, the Qing Dynasty was overthrown

 

after the Xihai Revolution.

 

The higher-end Yum Cha spots soon collapsed.

 

due to the lack of patronage by Qing officials,

 

while the mid and low-end Yum Cha spots combined together

 

and quickly developed into the modern day's Yum Cha,

 

which became an intergral part of Guangdong's culture.

 

Nowadays, in a cosmopolitan city such as Sydney,

 

Yum Cha has become a very popular cuisine.

 

People are quite familiar with Yum Cha

 

no matter whether they are Chinese or Australian.

 

It is very important for me to

 

spread the Guangdong culture of Yum Cha

 

in Australia and help locals understand

 

how Yum Cha works.

 

Nancy Chan is the owner of

 

Golden Globe Seafood Restaurant.

 

She has been working in the catering industry

 

for almost 10 years.

 

Since Nancy has catering experience

 

in both China and Australia,

 

She has valuable insights of Yum Cha culture

 

in both regions.

 

There are some differences in Yum Cha

 

between Australia and China.

 

In China, instead of using traditional food carts,

 

more Yum Cha places have started to use order sheets.

 

It is a new trend in the Yum Cha industry.

 

However, ordering sheets doesn't work in Australia.

 

but the result was not good,

 

as customers in Sydney usually come

 

around the same time in the afternoon.

 

While there are more Yum Cha options in China,

 

customers would go to Yum Cha at different times of the day.

 

Therefore, preparing all the food in the time period

 

and using food carts to distribute

 

is a more efficient way to cater in Australia.

 

That's why we are not using ordering sheets.

 

Indeed, the tradition of using food carts

 

is kept in most Yum Cha places in Sydney.

 

This tradition is slowly fading away

 

in areas such as Hong Kong and Guangdong

 

and is being replaced by using ordering sheets.

 

Most Asians, especially Chinese,

 

know what to eat when they sit down.

 

They can place their order quickly.

 

However, sometimes locals don't know the food.

 

That's why food carts are important here in Sydney

 

to show the actual food to locals.

 

Otherwise, sometimes they don't know the food and can't order

 

based on the names of the dishes on the ordering sheets.

 

That's another reason why food carts are still used here.

 

There are so many types of Dim Sum,

 

that even a traditional Cantonese

 

may not know every kind of Dim Sum.

 

However, there are Dim Sum dishes that are so popular

 

even most Australians would know their names.

 

There are four types of popular Dim Sum

 

we refer as the "Big Four of Dim Sum".

 

The first one is the Prawn Dumplings.

 

Some locals even know its Cantonese name "Har Gow".

 

The second one is Shu Mai,

 

and the other ones are Cabbage Dumplings

 

as well as Chive Dumplings.

 

No matter whether it's Chinese or Australian,

 

they all love these Dim Sums.

 

As for dessert, Egg Tarts are very popular.

 

People generally would know these popular Dim Sum dishes and their names.

 

They are the "Big Four of Dim Sum"

 

and the one Vajra (Egg Tart).

 

We also interviewed different people on the street

 

and asked them about Dim Sums,

 

They have similar answers.

 

(What's your favourite Dim Sum dish?)

 

My favourite would be Prawn Dumplings, Chicken Feet, the common ones.

 

Mine would be Shu Mai.

 

I think I like the Prawn Dumplings.

 

I like, I really like the tea

 

but I also like the Dim Sum and the duck.

 

Probably the Prawn Dumplings.

 

Other than the different varieties of Dim Sum,

 

there are many unique customs during Yum Cha

 

there are important table manners.

 

Firstly, customers rinse the utensils with hot water or tea before ordering any food.

 

This does not mean the utensils are necessarily dirty.

 

Some say it is only more mentally acceptable when eating for Yum Cha customers.

 

Secondly, when someone else pours tea for you,

 

the receiver should use the index and middle fingers to knock the table as a sign of respect.

 

This custom originates from the Qing Dynasty,

 

The Qianlong Emperor would go to Yum Cha

 

disguised as an ordinary peasant.

 

As he didn't want others to find out who he was,

 

he poured tea for his guards.

 

The guards needed to find a way to show gratitude.

 

Therefore, they used their fingers to knock the table

 

instead of bowing as a symbol of gratitude.

 

A third important custom is that

 

when a teapot is empty and needs to be refilled,

 

The customer should open the lid

 

and put it at the back of the teapot.

 

This indicates that the teapot is empty and the waiter should refill it for you.

 

Most Cantonese follow these customs during Yum Cha,

 

as they are essential elements in Yum Cha Culture.

 

I don't really mind.

 

I think every Yum Cha place is very similar.

 

(It is more about being with friends?)

 

Yes, chatting with friends and having a good time.

 

I think most important is to be able to meet friends.

 

It is a platform for friends and family to gather and spend time together.

 

I meet many friends in different fields working in the Yum Cha industry.

 

Yum Cha culture is a profound knowledge.

 

Hopefully other than learning more about Yum Cha culture,

 

everyone will go and try different cuisine from around the world with their friends and family.

 

Traditional Chinese transcript

 

要吃東西嗎？ 蝦餃？ 鮮竹卷？

鳳爪？ 排骨？

你要鮮竹卷？

(謝謝）

 

飲茶是一種源自中國廣州的粵式飲食

後來傳播至廣東以至世界各地

成為廣東文化的一大特色

 

廣州人飲茶的習俗由來已久

在滿清時期的飲茶場所

滿清時期的茶樓是一種比較奢侈的飲宴

主要服務消費力較高的滿清官僚

而平民百姓普遍會在

比較簡陋的茶寮或茶館消費

而在辛亥革命後，滿清政府被推翻

比較昂貴的舊式茶樓

因失去了滿清官僚的消費而沒落

而比較便宜的茶館及茶居

在民國初期，迅速發展成為今天的粵式茶樓

成為廣州文化重要的一部份

 

而在悉尼這個國際城市

飲茶亦成為當地一種很受歡迎的飲食文化

不論是澳洲人或華人

飲茶對於悉尼的所有人並不陌生

 

最重要的是

把我們中國人飲茶獨特的廣東文化

帶來澳洲讓外國人認識這方面的知識

 

Nancy Chan

是悉尼金世界海鮮酒家的老闆

她在飲食相關行業已工作十年之久

由於Nancy對在國內飲茶

以及在澳洲開茶樓有相當的經驗

她對兩地的飲茶文化有更深入的了解

 

在國內跟悉尼(飲茶)有一點不同

現在在國內通常都用點心紙點菜

是一個新興的潮流

可是這個方法在澳洲行不通

因為澳洲的客人通常按時段來光顧

我們需要按時段來準備食物

對比國內的茶樓選擇比較多

澳洲的茶樓因為客人的分佈

需要準備的食物比較少

 

 

的確，在悉尼的茶樓仍保留點心車

這種傳統的方式反而在香港及廣東地區

逐漸消失，由點心紙代替

 

亞洲人，特別是中國人

他們通常來到就知道想吃什麼

他們很快就可以點餐

所以在澳洲為什麼需要點餐車

是因為外國人不太認識點心的名稱

所以我們需要推點心車讓外國人看

才知道自己想吃什麼

 

點心的種類多不勝數

儘管是一個地道的廣東人

也未必認識所有點心種類

不過有幾款比較有名的點心

連不少澳洲人也認識

 

我們茶樓一般有四大天王

第一是蝦餃

有些外國人也學會講

第二是燒賣

還有菠菜餃和韭菜餃

不論是中國人還是外國人

都認識和喜歡的

再加上蛋撻

這些都是所有人都認識的

就是四大天王加一大金剛

 

我們亦在街上訪問了不同的食客

他們亦有類似的答案

 

(飲茶最喜歡吃什麼？)

最喜歡還是蝦餃，鳳爪

這些比較普遍的

還有燒賣

 

我比較喜歡吃蝦餃

我很喜歡喝茶，點心很多都很喜歡

 

大概也是蝦餃

 

除了各式各樣的點心

飲茶期間亦有不同獨特的習俗

作為餐桌上的禮儀

 

首先，茶客會在點餐前

先用水或茶，沖洗碗筷

確保餐具清潔

不過亦有人認為

洗碗筷只是心理作用

並不代表不洗便不乾淨

 

另外，當別人幫自己倒茶時

需要用食指和種子敲打桌面

以作感謝

此習俗是沿自清朝時期

乾隆皇帝和侍從

微服出巡去飲茶

為免比其他平民發現

乾隆皇帝幫他的隨從倒茶

而隨從為了謝恩

便用手指敲打桌面

代表叩頭及謝禮

 

還有一個比較重要的習俗

就是當一壺茶需要加水時

需要把茶壺的蓋子打開

並放到後方

侍應便會把茶壺拿走並加水

 

這些習俗，大部份廣東人

都會在飲茶時遵守

亦是飲茶文化中不可或缺的元素

 

我沒什麼所謂

我覺得哪裏都一樣

主要還是跟朋友聊天

 

最主要是(飲茶)能作一個平台

藉此認識各界不同的朋友

 

飲茶文化是一門博大精深的學問

希望大家除了對飲茶文化有更深入的了解

亦會跟朋友或家人積極嘗試世界各種美食