Today I traveled to Chicago’s Chinatown for some dim sum and touristy shopping. I’ve never been (although I’ve been to Chinatown in San Francisco) so I was quite excited. And I’ve never had dim sum so all new experiences wrapped up into one glorious afternoon. Dim sum, or a light meal or brunch, involves various items usually served in a small steamer basket. Dim sum is Cantonese for “touch the heart,” which is kind of cool.

I met my friend in the little square of shopping gloriousness and bought a few things. I fell in love with Lucky cats when I visited Epcot. Lucky cats (or Maneki Neko) is a common sculpture or statue that is believed to bring good luck to the owner. Various colors also symbolize different areas in which luck can be bestowed. Pink isn’t a traditional color but is associated with love. I also have a little white one at work and indicates purity (I guess purity in my work in this case?)

I also got a table soy sauce pourer, a few pairs of chopsticks and some kickin’ rice bowls. I couldn’t decide between the two patterns so I got two of each.

Afterward, we headed over to a dim sum restaurant. It was packed but we didn’t have to wait long. They turn around the tables really fast. We went with someone who dines on dim sum often so they pretty much ordered. I don’t know any of the names but out of all of it, I only didn’t like one thing, which was the squid. I loved the fried spinach roll and something filled with barbeque pork. It was all very tasty.

Although it was St. Patrick’s Day, I definitely had a cultural experience—even if it wasn’t the right culture for the occasion.