The yum cha strategy

The problem with yum cha on a Sunday at The Sharkfin House is not the impossibly long queue of eager patrons blocking the sidewalk. No. The problem is the positioning of your table vis a vis the main kitchen and the other diners (herein refered to as "the competitors"), as well as the circuitous route taken by the waitresses as they push their food-laden trolleys around the restaurant. On Sunday, we were seated up in the mezzanine level with all the white folks. This, of course, meant that we were automatically offered a pot of 'generic' jasmine tea. It also meant a long wait for all the 'good' stuff as waitress after waitress attempted to unload spring rolls, chicken salad, and fried wontons onto our table. No thanks... It was the steaming bamboo-ladened trolleys that we were eagerly awaiting. Eventually they arrived and we had to nervously watch as the competitors from nearby tables first made their selection. The bamboo steamers were disappearing fast. I have noticed in the past that some, particularly sneaky and insidious, competitors would actually approach the trolleys rather than wait their turn at their table. Bastards. Queue jumpers. Totally un-Australian. Fortunately there were none of those yesterday. After an anxious wait, the trolleys finally arrived at our table, and I went crazy. Like a man possessed, I picked two serves of everything on offer (dumplings came in multiples of 3 and there was four of us). Our table was soon packed. Little steamers brimming with glorious, succulent morsels of dim sum, chicken feet and pork spare ribs occupied every inch of available space on the table and then some (thank God the steamers are stackable). As soon as we emptied one steamer, it was quickly replaced by another. And so it went; on and on for a full two hours...eating, waiting, watching and only half listening to the conversation at the table as I eyed off the competitors and the next approaching trolley. To some, yum cha is a relaxing, care-free and mindless way to enjoy lunch on a sunday. Ignorant fools.