Back From Beijing

Today is starting later than usual. The trip back from China was longer than expected, thanks mostly to a flight cancellation in Chicago. That meant the span of the day, from waking up in Beijing for our Sunday morning flight, to falling asleep in Albany was about 33 hours.

So, thank you for cutting me a bit of slack.

It was a fantastic trip. One of the most fortuitous parts of the journey was that on the very first morning I stumbled onto a local mom and pop dumpling shop that was so good, I decided to start four out of the five mornings in the city fueled by their steamed buns. And since we’re starting out late, I thought I’d tell the story in pictures.

The shop off fourth ring road right by Peking University.

The chive and egg bun, which was how I dipped my toe into their dumpling waters.

The sack on day two. Nine pieces cost less than $2

Spicy greens in the filling.

Ma po tofu filling.

The sack on day three was a bit more moderate. I needed to save room for Peking duck.

The meaty three delights.

Spicy noodle filling.

Greens and mushroom. Look how bright those greens are inside.

I said goodbye to the lovely couple on day five. He makes the dumplings. She sells the dumplings.