Dance of Five Directions

The Dance of Five Directions is a particular set of dishes in Dynastic Dim Sum, where several courses of dumplings are prepared and served with five bowls of dipping sauces: Biting Sauce, Cyanese Sauce, D'Hennish Sauce, Pestle Sauce, and Ponzu Sauce.

The first course consists of cold spring rolls of thin-sliced vegetables wrapped in rice paper, the second of similarly-filled spring rolls that have been fried, the third potsticker dumplings, the fourth thin sliced beef either entirely raw or gently kissed with flame, and the last Stamped Cookies.

By tradition when the Dance is served, each guest will have one or two of each course, and will choose the sauces they prefer for dipping each, while imbibing Wines and spirits liberally. Serving such dim sum is tradition, particularly among younger Dynasts, as a way to assess friends and acquaintances: which sauce is selected consistently by a diner can speak to individual character and inclination, while assessing which sauce bowl is most depleted at the end can provide insight into the character of a friendship circle.