Dumplings are My Feelings
There are not many things you can offer me that will be more of a comfort food than dumplings. My life journey with dumplings started with a cruise and has continued into my adulthood.
When I was around five, we had just moved into our home in Vallejo. My aunt from Miami came to visit. She was a colorful character that I had met once in Hawaii and it was always a good time being around her.
My parents were busy putting things together and my grandma was busy with my little brother. My aunt turns to no one in particular and says she wants dumplings. My grandma tells her to sit down and be quiet. She rolls her eyes and asks me if I want to go with her. Of course.
The next thing I know we are driving across the Golden Gate bridge headed to Chinatown. This is not a short drive from Vallejo, but from a young age, I was led to believe that the right dumplings were worth it. She was right. The dumplings we had that afternoon were different from the usual ones I’d come across. My love for this finger food grew from there.
I only come across these dumplings when I’m in the city. Outside of San Francisco, it’s either the frozen variety from Costco or the dried-out ones you receive at a chain restaurant. Some people didn’t even believe me when I tried to describe what a beautiful, juicy dumpling was.
The only thing that came close to satisfying my craving was the beef eggrolls my dad made. I curse myself every day for never learning how to make them.
Fast forward to 2015 when I’m reading The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook He explains that the reason why there’s only like one spot that has them now and why they’re usually frozen and never fresh, it’s too time-consuming. The dumplings of the ’80s were too hard to sustain for the growing Bay Area in the aughts.
Now that I’m in Southern California I gave up that I would ever find somewhere that would give me my fix. Earlier this year I found Jiayuan Dumpling House. I was skeptical about an establishment that claimed to make them from scratch.
I was wrong. I am now addicted. I make up excuses to continually go back, including tonight. They are the dumplings of my childhood. My favorites are beef daikon and tofu & spinach. My mother’s favorite is corn and chicken.
I got my love of bite-size food from my mom. She loves finger foods and she loves dumplings. Whenever I’m having a hankering for dumplings, she’s with me for the ride. I think about them today as my schedule is packed, I’m on a conference call while simultaneously writing this, and I have so many deadlines to meet by the end of the week.
Dumplings are my comfort food. Popping one into my mouth creates an explosion that calms me and brings me back to center, at least for a little while.
