Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine. It is prepared as small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on a small plate. Dim sum is considered Cantonese, although other varieties exist. Dim sum dishes are served with tea and together form a full tea brunch. Due to the Cantonese tradition of enjoying tea with this cuisine, yum cha, which means "drink tea" in Cantonese, is synonymous with dim sum. Dim sum traditionally are served as cooked, ready-to-serve dishes. In some Cantonese teahouses, carts with dim sum are served around the restaurant; the original meaning of the term dim sum is debated. Some believe. According to legends, an unnamed general ordered civilians to make buns and cakes and send them to the front line, in order to express his gratitude towards his soldiers after battles. Gratitude in Chinese is 點點心意. However, the accuracy of the above account is not supported by any historical text; some believe this event happened in the Southern Song dynasty, which existed after the earliest historical record of the term was written, thus contradicts the notion that this event is its origin.
The earliest definite record of the term is the Book of Tang, in which dim sum was used as a verb instead of a noun. The exact quote is 「治妝未畢, 我未及餐, 爾且可點心」. In this particular context, although 點心 means "to touch heart", a more accurate translation is "to fill stomach". Texts used the term as a noun. For instance, the Record of the Northern Journey mentions 「洗漱冠飾畢, 點心已至」. Dim sum can be understood as "snacks" in this quote. In short, although its original meaning is unclear, the term has been used to describe small dishes since no than the Song dynasty; as stated in the etymology section, the term "dim sum" can be traced back to the Tang and Song dynasties, or the Eastern Jin dynasty if legends were to be believed. However, the history of dim sum dishes themselves is another matter. Dim sum is linked with the practice of yum cha, a much older tradition and can be conceptualised as a Cantonese tradition of brunch, it is believed that yum cha was associated with teahouses established along the ancient Silk Road which served as places for travelers to rest.
People discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks and this evolved into the modern yum cha practice. The modern form of dim sum is believed to originate in Guangzhou and transmit southward to Hong Kong, whose people over the centuries transformed yum cha from a relaxing respite to a formal dining experience. Thus, the various dishes of dim sum can have a longer history than the term itself. In Cantonese-speaking regions, yum cha is sometimes described as 一盅兩件, in which "cup" refers to tea, while "two pieces" refers to two pieces of dim sum which were bigger in size and could fill up one's stomach. Nowadays, however, it is common. Many Cantonese restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning, each restaurant will have its own signature dim sum dish, it is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises. For many in southern China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. More traditional dim sum restaurants serve dim sum until mid-afternoon.
However, in modern society, it has become commonplace for restaurants to serve dim sum at dinner time. A traditional dim sum brunch includes various types of steamed buns such as cha siu bao, rice or wheat dumplings and rice noodle rolls, which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, pork and vegetarian options. Many dim sum restaurants offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats and other soups. Dessert dim sum is available and many places offer the customary egg tart. Dim sum is eaten as breakfast or brunch. Dim sum can be cooked among other methods; the serving sizes are small and served as three or four pieces in one dish. It is customary to order family style; because of the small portions, people can try a wide variety of food. Dim sum brunch restaurants have a wide variety of dishes several dozen. Among the standard fare of dim sum are the following: Shrimp dumpling: Steamed dumpling with shrimp filling. Teochew dumpling: Steamed dumpling with peanuts, Chinese chives, dried shrimp, Chinese mushrooms.
Chive dumpling: Steamed dumpling with Chinese chives. Xiao long bao (小笼包.
Ambiortiformes is a group of prehistoric birds. The first species to be included, Ambiortus dementjevi, lived sometime during the Barremian age between 136.4 and 125 million years ago in today's Mongolia. A. dementjevi belongs according to all published cladistic analyses. However, the exact position of the species within this group has been controversial. Most analyses have found it to be either an unresolved member of the Ornithurae, or a more primitive member of Ornithuromorpha. One 2006 study, for example, found it to be more primitive than Yanornis but more advanced than Hongshanornis, or a member of the specific group containing both Yanornis and Yixianornis; the group includes at least Ambiortus and the supposed close relative Apsaravis. The results of a cladistic analysis published in 2011 indicate that Apsaravis and Palintropus are closely related
The Reluctant Widow is a 1950 British historical drama film directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Jean Kent, Guy Rolfe, Paul Dupuis and Lana Morris. It is based on the novel The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer, with the screenplay written by Gordon Wellesley and others; the screenplay concerns a governess who marries a British aristocrat, inherits his country house when he dies. The ongoing Napoleonic Wars see her become embroiled with a spy ring, it was shot at Denham Studios. The film's art direction was by Carmen Dillon. Jean Kent as Helena Guy Rolfe as Lord Carlyon Paul Dupuis as Lord Nivelle Lana Morris as Becky Kathleen Byron as Mme. Annette de Chevreaux Scott Forbes as Francois Cheviot Anthony Tancred as Nicky Peter Hammond as Eustace Cheviot Jean Cadell as Mrs. Barrows Andrew Cruickshank as Lord Bedlington George Thorpe as Colonel Strong Ralph Truman as Scowler James Carney as Major Forbes Allan Jeayes as Colonel Hector MacGregor as Sir Malcolm Torrens Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times, "except for the rather fine surroundings and some nice eighteenth century costumes, there is no more in The Reluctant Widow than a genteel invitation to doze".
Review of film at Variety