February 6, 2025 • 15 mins
In this episode of the Conversations with Your Chinese Auntie Podcast, I share my thoughts on the importance of community and mindfulness in a busy world. I draw a vivid parallel between the bustling atmosphere of a dim sum restaurant and the distractions in our lives. Through this analogy, I explore how we can stay grounded and present amidst chaos by building connections, practicing mindfulness, and caring for our physical, mental, and spiritual health.
I also describe various dim sum dishes and encourage listeners to experience them with loved ones. I hope you enjoy the podcast.
Sign up for my newsletter on my website.
Follow me on Instagram.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to the conversationswith your Chinese Auntie Podcast.
I am Patricia Petersen,your Chinese auntie.
You can also call me YiYi.
In this podcast, I have interesting,compelling and thoughtful conversations
with BIPOC folks Black, Indigenous,People of Color folks about life.
(00:23):
My intention for this podcast isto give voice to People of Color
and learn more about their lives.
Sometimes I also talk to delightfulnon BIPOC folks who have a lot of wisdom.
When I record the podcast,I imagine I'm having tea.
And dim sum with my guests.
I hope you enjoy it.
(00:49):
I am an early riser, , I usually get upat 4 a. m. I don't mind getting up early
as I have time to think, process the day,and think about what I get to do today.
For example, today, I have the day off.
So I'm going to go to the pottery studio.
I'm going to take our dogBailey for walks and adventures.
(01:12):
And then tonight I have a meeting.
I love the quiet moments in themorning, because this is also
the time when I think about myclients, what they're going through.
I think about my friends and It'salso the time I allow myself to
process what is going on in the world.
(01:35):
So this morning I was up at3am and this is what came to my
mind when I was puttering aroundand then when I was at the gym.
So I invite you to come yum cha with me.
Yum cha means drink tea and yum cha isa Cantonese tradition of breakfast or
brunch involving Chinese tea and dim sum.
(01:59):
The practice is popular inCantonese speaking regions.
Now, even though my dialect, my ancestorswere Hokkien, much of my childhood
was spent in Chinatown, surroundedby grandmothers who spoke Cantonese.
That's one of the reasonswhy I love dim sum.
(02:19):
So, imagine this.
We are at a dim sum restaurant.
The air smells like toasted sesame oil.
Fresh minced garlic, ginger, withsubtle scents of cooking wine.
As you enter the restaurant, you can alsosmell the sweetness of different desserts
(02:42):
like Dan Tatt, Hong Kong style egg tarts,steamed custard buns, and almond pudding.
We sit down at a tablenear the restaurant.
Now remember, this is the prime spot,as that's where the carts come out,
so we get first dips on fresh dim sum.
(03:04):
The lady server comes by andasks what kind of tea we want.
I order Pu-erh, which is atraditional black tea, as it is
believed that Pu-erh helps to digestthe food we are about to consume.
And following traditional etiquette,the person closes to the teapot,
(03:27):
pour tea for guests first, beforepouring his or her own cup.
If the pot is running low on water,you take the lid off and rest it on
top or on the side of the teapot.
This signals to theserver we need hot water.
The server comes back with tea.
(03:50):
Different servers pushing steam heatedcarts start coming out of the kitchen.
They look at us and they yell inCantonese, Do you want what I have?
And I yell back, What do you have?
We take a look, and from thesecarts, I order har gow, siu mai, char
(04:11):
siu bao, and cheung fun to start.
I will talk about these foods later.
All the food come inseparate bamboo steamers.
You take a moment to look around therestaurant and tune in to the sounds.
You see tables filled with familiescoming together to enjoy a meal.
(04:37):
At the other corner, there aretwo people conducting business.
And on the other side of the restaurant,three generations are celebrating
the Matriarch's 90th birthday.
Everyone is talking andlaughing, and it's loud.
Often you hear carts pushing behind you.
(04:57):
You can hear the chefs cooking inthe kitchen, the knives hitting the
cutting board, and the sizzling fromthe wok while they make fried noodles.
We are enjoying our meal, then the serverscome out of the kitchen again and yell.
Do you want some xiao long bao?
I also have feng jiao.
(05:19):
Chicken feet, anybody?
In this loud, distracted environment, wetalk, we eat, learn about each other's
lives, and share what is happening.
So this got me thinking.
With all that's happening in the world,how can we enjoy dim sum with each other?
(05:43):
With the sounds and the distractionin the restaurant, and stay grounded.
For many of us, it is ofteneasier to turn down the noise
when we are with loved ones.
We can better focus on each otherand get less distracted when we
are enjoying what we are doing.
(06:06):
So if the sound and noise of therestaurant carts, People talking loudly
and the smell represent the news,the pain and the grief in the world.
How do we stay grounded?
How do we stay present?
(06:26):
I believe we need to turn to community.
We need to sit down with eachother, share, talk, and process,
and we sit down, we slow down.
And we do things withintention and mindfulness.
For example, taking deep breaths.
And paying attention to thelittle things that bring us joy.
(06:51):
And then we also reach outto our people for support.
Talk to each other.
Say hi to your fellow runner on the road.
Pet a dog for regulation.
And check in with their elderly neighbors.
If you can, you are able to getcare such as seeing a massage
(07:14):
therapist or acupuncturist andtalk to your therapist regularly.
Remember the sounds, the noise, thedistractions in the world are just that.
You want to be informed of what'shappening but make sure you are
also taking care of your physical,mental and spiritual health.
(07:36):
We can be aware of what'shappening and take action while
still caring for ourselves.
It's not one or the other.
You don't have to sacrifice your physical,mental and spiritual health in order to
be an active participant in this world.
Everything can co exist.
And when you get overwhelmed,like we all do, take a break.
(08:02):
Now, if you can, and it is safe to doso, I invite you to close your eyes.
Imagine you're sitting atthe dim sum restaurant.
With your eyes closed, tune into the noise in the restaurant,
the trolleys, people talking,
(08:26):
something drops on the floor, andthen you'd start to notice the smell.
And you can also feel thesteam coming from the cots.
Now, notice your breath again.
Let all the sound and distractions go.
(08:51):
Next, imagine you're sittingat your kitchen table.
It is early in the morning.
You have a cup of coffee in your hands.
Take a deep breath.
What do you notice?
Perhaps you notice your mind is busy.
Maybe you're thinking abouteverything you need to do today.
(09:16):
Maybe you're thinking about, oh, yourchild has so many activities today.
You're thinking about whatis happening in the world.
What is happening with your family.
And then now take another deep breath.
Just like at the dim sum restaurant,you let all the noise, the worries,
(09:43):
the ruminating thoughts go.
Even if it's just for a moment.
Feel your body and emotions.
And remember that you are safe.
You are okay.
And just like the foodsat the dim sum restaurant.
(10:05):
How can you nourish yourself,
so you can stay present?
Take another deep breath,and slowly open your eyes.
Please go out and build community.
(10:26):
Be good to yourself, and reach outto your friends and go yam cha.
Now, I will briefly explainthe foods at Dim Sum.
If Dim Sum is new to you, findsomeone, maybe a few friends to go.
I believe that the more people atDim Sum, the better, because then you
(10:47):
can try a different variety of foods.
One of the reasons nourishes meis because I have memories of the
grandmothers in Chinatown feeding me.
I would walk by and one of themwould go, Come, come, I have some
char siu bao, BBQ pork bun for you.
And then, as I'm sitting outside mygrandparents shop, another grandmother
(11:11):
would walk by and go, Did you eat already?
I have some congee here.
And that's how theyshowed their love for me.
Okay, so what are some of the foodsyou can have at a dim sum restaurant?
Har gow, which is steamed dumplingscontaining a shrimp filling.
Shui mai, which is one of my favorite.
Usually there's a mixture of shrimpand pork, sometimes with mushroom.
(11:34):
Cup in a dumpling wrapperand top with crab roe.
Char sui bao that'sone of my top favorite.
Fluffy white buns containing alittle bit of a sweet barbeque pork.
Cheoug fun, usually containshrimp, barbeque pork or
(12:00):
other meat and vegetables.
It is a wide flat rice noodles.
Xiaolongbao, they are soup dumplings.
Remember Anthony Bourdain, hedescribed them as pillows of happiness.
They are thin wrappers arefilled with pork and a rich soup.
(12:22):
They are best enjoyed hot.
And then chicken feet, feng zhao.
I know for a lot of people itsounds a bit, , I'm not sure.
But they're pretty yummy.
They are deep fried and thenThey are braised with a sweet
fermented black bean sauce.
(12:42):
Ah, so good.
Egg tart.
They are sweet, rich, filledwith custard in a flaky pastry.
And they originated from MacauI hope you can find someone
this weekend to go for dim sum.
(13:05):
Go yam cha.
Be good to yourself.
Thank you for listening today.
If this podcast means something toyou, it would mean so much to me.
If you'd be willing to take 30seconds to do these three things.
First, can you please followor subscribe to this podcast?
(13:29):
Following helps you because you willnever miss an episode, as you can tell,
I don't release episodes on schedule.
So following helps you and thisway you'll never miss an episode.
To do this, just go to theconversations with Your Chinese
Auntie show page on Apple podcasts.
Spotify, iHeartRadio or whereveryou listen to podcasts, tap on the
(13:53):
plus sign or three dots in the upperright-hand corner and click on follow.
This is the most importantthing for the podcast.
While you're there if, you will be willingto give a five star rating and review and
share an episode, you loved with a friend,
I would be so grateful.
I appreciate you very much.
(14:16):
The conversations with your ChineseAuntie podcast is created and
hosted by me, Patricia Petersen,your Chinese Auntie YiYi.
And recorded on the uncededand ancestral lands of the
xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh(Squamish),and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh
(Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
(14:37):
Commonly known as Vancouver, Canada.
You can also find out more aboutme on my website patriciapetersen.
ca that's p a t r i c i a p e t e r s e ndot c a and do sign up for my newsletter.
(15:00):
I send maybe two or three out a year.
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to the conversationswith your Chinese Auntie Podcast.
I am Patricia Petersen,your Chinese auntie.
You can also call me YiYi.
In this podcast, I have interesting,compelling and thoughtful conversations
with BIPOC folks Black, Indigenous,People of Color folks about life.
(00:23):
My intention for this podcast isto give voice to People of Color
and learn more about their lives.
Sometimes I also talk to delightfulnon BIPOC folks who have a lot of wisdom.
When I record the podcast,I imagine I'm having tea.
And dim sum with my guests.
I hope you enjoy it.
(00:49):
I am an early riser, , I usually get upat 4 a. m. I don't mind getting up early
as I have time to think, process the day,and think about what I get to do today.
For example, today, I have the day off.
So I'm going to go to the pottery studio.
I'm going to take our dogBailey for walks and adventures.
(01:12):
And then tonight I have a meeting.
I love the quiet moments in themorning, because this is also
the time when I think about myclients, what they're going through.
I think about my friends and It'salso the time I allow myself to
process what is going on in the world.
(01:35):
So this morning I was up at3am and this is what came to my
mind when I was puttering aroundand then when I was at the gym.
So I invite you to come yum cha with me.
Yum cha means drink tea and yum cha isa Cantonese tradition of breakfast or
brunch involving Chinese tea and dim sum.
(01:59):
The practice is popular inCantonese speaking regions.
Now, even though my dialect, my ancestorswere Hokkien, much of my childhood
was spent in Chinatown, surroundedby grandmothers who spoke Cantonese.
That's one of the reasonswhy I love dim sum.
(02:19):
So, imagine this.
We are at a dim sum restaurant.
The air smells like toasted sesame oil.
Fresh minced garlic, ginger, withsubtle scents of cooking wine.
As you enter the restaurant, you can alsosmell the sweetness of different desserts
(02:42):
like Dan Tatt, Hong Kong style egg tarts,steamed custard buns, and almond pudding.
We sit down at a tablenear the restaurant.
Now remember, this is the prime spot,as that's where the carts come out,
so we get first dips on fresh dim sum.
(03:04):
The lady server comes by andasks what kind of tea we want.
I order Pu-erh, which is atraditional black tea, as it is
believed that Pu-erh helps to digestthe food we are about to consume.
And following traditional etiquette,the person closes to the teapot,
(03:27):
pour tea for guests first, beforepouring his or her own cup.
If the pot is running low on water,you take the lid off and rest it on
top or on the side of the teapot.
This signals to theserver we need hot water.
The server comes back with tea.
(03:50):
Different servers pushing steam heatedcarts start coming out of the kitchen.
They look at us and they yell inCantonese, Do you want what I have?
And I yell back, What do you have?
We take a look, and from thesecarts, I order har gow, siu mai, char
(04:11):
siu bao, and cheung fun to start.
I will talk about these foods later.
All the food come inseparate bamboo steamers.
You take a moment to look around therestaurant and tune in to the sounds.
You see tables filled with familiescoming together to enjoy a meal.
(04:37):
At the other corner, there aretwo people conducting business.
And on the other side of the restaurant,three generations are celebrating
the Matriarch's 90th birthday.
Everyone is talking andlaughing, and it's loud.
Often you hear carts pushing behind you.
(04:57):
You can hear the chefs cooking inthe kitchen, the knives hitting the
cutting board, and the sizzling fromthe wok while they make fried noodles.
We are enjoying our meal, then the serverscome out of the kitchen again and yell.
Do you want some xiao long bao?
I also have feng jiao.
(05:19):
Chicken feet, anybody?
In this loud, distracted environment, wetalk, we eat, learn about each other's
lives, and share what is happening.
So this got me thinking.
With all that's happening in the world,how can we enjoy dim sum with each other?
(05:43):
With the sounds and the distractionin the restaurant, and stay grounded.
For many of us, it is ofteneasier to turn down the noise
when we are with loved ones.
We can better focus on each otherand get less distracted when we
are enjoying what we are doing.
(06:06):
So if the sound and noise of therestaurant carts, People talking loudly
and the smell represent the news,the pain and the grief in the world.
How do we stay grounded?
How do we stay present?
(06:26):
I believe we need to turn to community.
We need to sit down with eachother, share, talk, and process,
and we sit down, we slow down.
And we do things withintention and mindfulness.
For example, taking deep breaths.
And paying attention to thelittle things that bring us joy.
(06:51):
And then we also reach outto our people for support.
Talk to each other.
Say hi to your fellow runner on the road.
Pet a dog for regulation.
And check in with their elderly neighbors.
If you can, you are able to getcare such as seeing a massage
(07:14):
therapist or acupuncturist andtalk to your therapist regularly.
Remember the sounds, the noise, thedistractions in the world are just that.
You want to be informed of what'shappening but make sure you are
also taking care of your physical,mental and spiritual health.
(07:36):
We can be aware of what'shappening and take action while
still caring for ourselves.
It's not one or the other.
You don't have to sacrifice your physical,mental and spiritual health in order to
be an active participant in this world.
Everything can co exist.
And when you get overwhelmed,like we all do, take a break.
(08:02):
Now, if you can, and it is safe to doso, I invite you to close your eyes.
Imagine you're sitting atthe dim sum restaurant.
With your eyes closed, tune into the noise in the restaurant,
the trolleys, people talking,
(08:26):
something drops on the floor, andthen you'd start to notice the smell.
And you can also feel thesteam coming from the cots.
Now, notice your breath again.
Let all the sound and distractions go.
(08:51):
Next, imagine you're sittingat your kitchen table.
It is early in the morning.
You have a cup of coffee in your hands.
Take a deep breath.
What do you notice?
Perhaps you notice your mind is busy.
Maybe you're thinking abouteverything you need to do today.
(09:16):
Maybe you're thinking about, oh, yourchild has so many activities today.
You're thinking about whatis happening in the world.
What is happening with your family.
And then now take another deep breath.
Just like at the dim sum restaurant,you let all the noise, the worries,
(09:43):
the ruminating thoughts go.
Even if it's just for a moment.
Feel your body and emotions.
And remember that you are safe.
You are okay.
And just like the foodsat the dim sum restaurant.
(10:05):
How can you nourish yourself,
so you can stay present?
Take another deep breath,and slowly open your eyes.
Please go out and build community.
(10:26):
Be good to yourself, and reach outto your friends and go yam cha.
Now, I will briefly explainthe foods at Dim Sum.
If Dim Sum is new to you, findsomeone, maybe a few friends to go.
I believe that the more people atDim Sum, the better, because then you
(10:47):
can try a different variety of foods.
One of the reasons nourishes meis because I have memories of the
grandmothers in Chinatown feeding me.
I would walk by and one of themwould go, Come, come, I have some
char siu bao, BBQ pork bun for you.
And then, as I'm sitting outside mygrandparents shop, another grandmother
(11:11):
would walk by and go, Did you eat already?
I have some congee here.
And that's how theyshowed their love for me.
Okay, so what are some of the foodsyou can have at a dim sum restaurant?
Har gow, which is steamed dumplingscontaining a shrimp filling.
Shui mai, which is one of my favorite.
Usually there's a mixture of shrimpand pork, sometimes with mushroom.
(11:34):
Cup in a dumpling wrapperand top with crab roe.
Char sui bao that'sone of my top favorite.
Fluffy white buns containing alittle bit of a sweet barbeque pork.
Cheoug fun, usually containshrimp, barbeque pork or
(12:00):
other meat and vegetables.
It is a wide flat rice noodles.
Xiaolongbao, they are soup dumplings.
Remember Anthony Bourdain, hedescribed them as pillows of happiness.
They are thin wrappers arefilled with pork and a rich soup.
(12:22):
They are best enjoyed hot.
And then chicken feet, feng zhao.
I know for a lot of people itsounds a bit, , I'm not sure.
But they're pretty yummy.
They are deep fried and thenThey are braised with a sweet
fermented black bean sauce.
(12:42):
Ah, so good.
Egg tart.
They are sweet, rich, filledwith custard in a flaky pastry.
And they originated from MacauI hope you can find someone
this weekend to go for dim sum.
(13:05):
Go yam cha.
Be good to yourself.
Thank you for listening today.
If this podcast means something toyou, it would mean so much to me.
If you'd be willing to take 30seconds to do these three things.
First, can you please followor subscribe to this podcast?
(13:29):
Following helps you because you willnever miss an episode, as you can tell,
I don't release episodes on schedule.
So following helps you and thisway you'll never miss an episode.
To do this, just go to theconversations with Your Chinese
Auntie show page on Apple podcasts.
Spotify, iHeartRadio or whereveryou listen to podcasts, tap on the
(13:53):
plus sign or three dots in the upperright-hand corner and click on follow.
This is the most importantthing for the podcast.
While you're there if, you will be willingto give a five star rating and review and
share an episode, you loved with a friend,
I would be so grateful.
I appreciate you very much.
(14:16):
The conversations with your ChineseAuntie podcast is created and
hosted by me, Patricia Petersen,your Chinese Auntie YiYi.
And recorded on the uncededand ancestral lands of the
xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh(Squamish),and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh
(Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
(14:37):
Commonly known as Vancouver, Canada.
You can also find out more aboutme on my website patriciapetersen.
ca that's p a t r i c i a p e t e r s e ndot c a and do sign up for my newsletter.
(15:00):
I send maybe two or three out a year.
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