another new year’s, another chance to make and keep resolutions

I had high hopes for 2010, but those days are over. I didn’t keep my January 1st New Year’s Resolutions. Not even for a day. When February 14th, Chinese New Year, came around I took the opportunity to edit and reinstate my resolutions. Here was New Year’s again! Another chance at success! Wake up at 6, run at least 3 miles everyday, and get out of debt entirely in 2010 turned into wake up no later than 9, don’t expand my debt any more than I have to, and if you’re not going to exercise, at least feel bad about it and take a multivitamin.

 

None of my Chinese friends make New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, they thought I was hilarious for making them and were shocked when I told them that January in the U.S. was the biggest time for new gym memberships because of people deciding to get in shape or lose weight. While I think this very Western mentality of constantly wanting to improve ourselves and our personal lot in life is admirable, I don’t think I have any chance of keeping a resolution I make simply because it’s a new year unless it’s something like eat a piece of chocolate everyday. That I can do.

A huge Chinese New Year tradition however is that of making jiaozi (饺子，traditional Chinese dumplings) at midnight on Chinese New Year (February 14th). One dumpling in the bunch is made with a gold coin inside. Bite into that one and you’re going to have luck for the entire year. Nate and I were fortunate enough to have dinner with my friend Yuki and her family. Her father was an excellent cook and made way too much food for us to ever finish. Later we all folded jiaozi together in the kitchen and I learned a new very simple cool way of folding them from Yuki’s mom. I’m still practicing, but I’ll try to make a video of that.

The only dish I didn't like was the boiled pig's feet (pictured below, top and center). That's just not my scene. Interestingly enough, my Chinese friend Susan who was also a guest at the Huang family house, told Yuki's dad that every dish he made was too salty and that her grandmother was a better cook than him. It was an uncomfortable moment but Chinese people (especially Susan) are blunt like that and sometimes downright rude. He nodded and accepted it as if fact. If you're a guest in America and you think the meal is atrocious even to the point that you'd rather eat your napkin than smell the food, you still keep it to yourself. I learned this lesson at my friend's 14th Birthday party when her mom brought out a huge, colorful cake to the table and I asked, kindly I thought, if it was homemade or store bought. She said to me in front of all my friends, "You are a very immature, rude girl and your mother didn't teach you any manners." Her face had turned the color of the crimson icing on the stale cake she'd made (or possibly bought) and she stomped out of the room and left her daughter to blow out the candles without her. Now there's a beacon of light in the dark world of bad manners...

 

-mk

breakfast bao zi

I wake thinking about this stuff and rarely forego buying some bao zi for breakfast on my way to work. This picture is of a bao zi stand near my office. I'm still searching for my favorite place. This lady makes the vegetable filling bao zi with a little too much garlic for my liking in the morning.

I can eat 10 of the rou bao (breaded bao zi dumplings stuffed with pork and onions) by myself.

-mk

nyc dumpling festival and eating contest highlights and recap

So, who knew the NYC Dumpling Fest was huge? I only heard about it last minute and we showed up to the Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Manhattan expecting 50-100 people and a dumpling cart or two. No. There had to be over a thousand people there even though it was raining and about ten stands selling dumplings from countries around the world (Mexican tomales, Italian gnocci, Chinese bao and potstickers, India dumplings, etc.). The festival was rockin-- Akon's album played over the speakers.

The lines for dumplings were insane. I stood in line for 45 minutes only to find out when I finally got to the front that I was not in the Chinese bao line like I wanted. I was in the whole wheat dumpling line. Who wants to wait in line for whole wheat dumplings? I don't anyway, but there was no way I was waiting in line again. It ended up being a good thing. They are actually really great. I think it's a new product-- Tang's frozen whole wheat potstickers available I know at least at Whole Foods. Try them and tell me what you think!

The largest whole wheat dumpling in the world weighing in at 786 lbs. was also on display at the festival.

Joe Menchetti (I've also seen it spelled Manchetti) won the dumpling eating contest for the fifth time in a row. I watched him stuff 53 dumpling in his mouth in 2 minutes. This was my first time to see an eating contest live and I found it kind of disgusting (see the short video we filmed below). I still can't get the image of the guy vomiting on stage out of my mind. The grand prize was $1000 for the men's and women's division. Here's a pic of the winner of the women's being interviewed. I can't remember how many she ate but I remember wondering how she could possibly fit them all in her stomach.

An interesting tidbit I picked up from the to star "athletes" who came in 1st and 2nd. Both of their scores were about 10 dumplings lower from years past. In their interviews, they attributed this to the fact that this was the first time that the dumpling were whole wheat and they were more difficult to eat. Good to know if you plan on stuffing your face.

-mary kate

nyc dumpling festival and dumpling eating contest

I just found out about the 6th Annual Chef One NYC Dumpling Festival tomorrow from 12-5pm! It's too late to register for the Dumpling Eating contest now which is a shame because I think I could have made a good run for the $1000 grand prize (or at least have beat Nate). Gentleman Joe (Joe Manchetti), the defending NYC Dumpling Eating Contest Champ, will be there to defend his title. He ate 66 dumplings in 2 minutes last year. Watch his ESPN interview on youtube. He refutes claims of performance enhancers (ha! not sure what those would be) and says that he's expecting a lot stiffer competition this year. It should be fun to see. Check out the festival deets here and maybe I'll see you there! 

-mary kate

how to fold chinese dumplings (jiaozi)