When artist Ashely García first started making earrings and key chains in the shapes of classic Panamanian gastronomy, she knew exactly what she needed to include in her repertoire: a bowl of the traditional stew sancocho; a bright yellow patacón, or smashed, fried plantain; and, “of course, siu mai, the favorite Chinese dish of Panamanians,” she says.
Over the past few months, Panama’s relationship with China has taken center stage in the rhetoric of the United States government. President Donald Trump’s administration has accused Panama of having its world-famous canal “operated” by China, and of Chinese soldiers patrolling within its borders. While these claims are not backed up by evidence, what is irrefutable is that Panama has a long history of Chinese culture within its borders, so much so that many consider dim sum a national tradition here.
The Chinese influence in Panama is “not so much about our customs, but about the food. It’s a part of us,” says Ms. García, who sells her work through her online store Versos del Pincel. Her siu mai pork dumplings, which in their edible form are a centerpiece of dim sum, can be made with personalized details like little chopsticks or a dollop of porcelain fish roe on top. “China has a huge place in Panamanian culture,” says Ms. García.
Why We Wrote This
Chinese food is a national tradition in Panama, adorning earrings and helping to fill eateries. Diners talk with a reporter about why, amid recent debate about who controls the important canal, dim sum is part of their culture.
Much like when the U.S. was building the western section of the Pacific Railroad, Chinese laborers were brought to Panama to construct an interoceanic railway between 1850 and 1855. They used picks, shovels, and machetes to clear swamps and jungles.
Courtesy of Ashely García
By the time tens of thousands of workers arrived here from the West Indies, Europe, and other countries to do the grueling, dangerous work of building the lock-based Panama Canal in the early 1900s, Chinese laborers who had stayed behind after the railroad’s completion were providing services to canal workers, such as laundry and food.
Before 8:30 a.m. on a weekday in late March, diners climb a flight of red-carpeted stairs with babies, briefcases, and gym bags, streaming into the ornately decorated main dining room of the Lung Fung Chinese restaurant. Waitstaff push around noisy carts filled with steaming silver tins brimming with dim sum treats: delicate sui mai, fluffy ham pao, and elegantly scalloped hakao.
This restaurant is so well loved in Panama City that it hosts local Lions Club meetings and even high school after-prom parties.
Ale Barria came this morning to have breakfast with her toddler son and his grandmother. She pulls open the heavy front door and pauses to let her son goo and gah at a smiling statue of Buddha sitting beneath a faux jade shelter. She grew up eating dim sum at least one weekend every month, and enjoys continuing that tradition with her son. “Yes, there is a sizable Chinese population in Panama,” she adds, noting Mr. Trump’s comments this year. “But they’re not spies or soldiers. They’re businesspeople and our neighbors.”
Waitress Susana Zhuo, who is refilling coffees this morning, was born in Panama City nearly four decades ago to Chinese parents who moved here from Guangdong province for economic reasons. She says it was relatively easy for them to integrate into Panama, in no small part because of the food and rich history of Chinese culture. It’s common to find Chinese dishes served in convenience stores in most neighborhoods in Panama City, she says.
“I consider myself Panamanian,” adds Ms. Zhuo. And dim sum “is as Panamanian as you can get.”
