Dim sum =? savory snack

[Benjamin Barrett]

For dim sum, the OED says "A savoury Cantonese-style snack; a meal consisting of these."

For savoury, the OED has one relevant definition:

adjective "3. Used, in contradistinction to sweet, as the epithet of articles of food having a stimulating taste or flavor."

I have a bit of trouble imagining dim sum as a "snack," but I suppose you can look at it that way. "Let's go by Mee Sum Bakery and get a snack to go…" seems plausible though a little odd. But at least egg custards don't fall into the category of "savoury." I think there are other non-savory dim sum dishes as well.

(The noun definition does not apply at all AFAIK: "A savoury dish (see A. 3); spec. a cooked dish, flavoured with appetizing ingredients, served at the beginning or end of a dinner as a stimulant to appetite and digestion.")

No entry for "yum cha." Will look at that later...

Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

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