DELIGHTFUL LITTLE DUMPLINGS IN CHINATOWN

The best part of tea-time was neither the chicken bun nor the flaky charsiu turn-over, fine though both of those were. And even the cup of tea was good.
But both were cast into shadow because of the happy children during, and the splendid tobacco after.
You already know about the tobacco.
I've mentioned it often.

Let's talk about the children.

Normally I am ambivalent about children. I do not have any of my own, and other people's offspring, with very few exceptions, do not strike me as the precious little dumplings that their parents have told them that they are, and proudly advertised them to be.

[Exceptions being notably an ex-coworker's charming child, now in Hawaii with his mom and grandparents, and Anthony at one of the bakeries I used to go to years ago in Chinatown - a bright little boy at that time, now no doubt a college graduate.]

These kids were at the dim sum counter in Chinatown where I stopped around four o'clock for replenishment. Their parents were there, I believe, because of the new equipment. The place will henceforth also be selling frothy fruity tea-type beverages with tapioca balls, and hot egg-waffles.
These machines have complex instructions for use. In English.
The normal staff there are NOT fluent in English.
Certainly not in technical English.

"Put brass cock A over fitted conical nozzle B.
Rotate counterclockwise until the mechanism locks.
Plug the plug C in plug-socket D; when it is well and truly plugged, turn metal plate E to fit the levered brackets, and after engaging knob F, start performing an enchanting little dance with twirly ribbons and tinkling bells!"
Yes. I can just see them trying to make sense out of this.

But they have a relative who is fluent in English, who installed both objects, and demonstrated their use. His little son is proud that he too knows how to operate the devices - his father showed him how! Wanna see?
The smaller boy (Robert) wondered why they always had to eat hot food, especially on warm days. To which his mother replied that food was food, and it was not a warm day. Now eat these dumplings, AND the leafy green item which is also in your bowl.
She's right. It's not a warm day.
The tiniest child wandered around exploring while munching a hot dog roll. With avid curiosity she observed me filling my pipe. All of the kids were initially somewhat aghast at me, because white people do NOT talk Cantonese, and I had ordered my food in that language; they fell silent, briefly, when I spoke. But their cheerful vibrancy soon had them animatedly chattering again, and other than the fascination with elegant kwailo fingers carefully stuffing a dark kwailo substance into a bent kwailo object, evinced by the littlest one, they paid me scant mind.

[Brief interruption to mention food: A chicken bun (雞飽 kai bau) consists of a chopped chicken filling inside a hot steamed doughy bun. The filling will usually also have some ginger, black mushroom, and a sliver of Chinese sausage for extra flavour. A charsiu turnover (叉燒酥 cha siu sou) contains red barbecued pork within a flaky pastry crust. Frothy fruity tea-type beverages (珍珠奶茶 chanchyu nai cha, 波霸奶茶 boba nai cha) were invented in Taiwan. They are made by mixing tea, fruit flavouring, condensed milk, and a little ice, then adding large tapioca balls (珍珠 chanchyu: 'pearls'). Nowadays many varieties do not contain either tea (or coffee), and the most popular type is probably honeydew melon cream with balls (蜜瓜珍珠奶茶 mat-gwa chanchyu naicha), although some people really like mixed coffee and black tea bubble tea (鴛鴦珍珠奶茶 yuen-yeung chanchyu naicha). Note that Yuen-yeung (鴛鴦) is a combination of coffee and milk-tea very popular in Hong Kong, served either hot or cold, without the tapioca balls. Egg waffles (鷄蛋仔 kai dan chai) in the Hong Kong Cantonese world are eggy-sweet puff batter cooked in a special pan or press, served hot and eaten plain. They are very popular in HK, but only recently known in SF Chinatown. The dumplings that the smaller boy ate were wonton (雲吞 wan tan). The leafy green item that his mother also ladled into his bowl I cannot identify, but it may have been lettuce - Cantonese like the taste of cooked lettuce. The little girl was eating a hotdog baked in pillowy bread dough (腸仔包 cheung chai bau), which is a popular and convenient snack. Other tasty things I've had there are cocktail buns (雞尾包 kaimei bau) filled with a sweet coconut dough paste, and sesame seed balls (煎堆 jin dui), nice and chewy, filled with lotus-seed paste (蓮蓉 lienyong).
Dumplings, as in the title of this post, are dim sum (點心). They also have that.]


While I ate I could hear the kids behind me, interacting with each other, their parents, and an auntie. They were happy and even loud. But there was no indication whatsoever of them being spoiled or badly behaved, no evidence of selfishness or ill-temper. Just full of beans and very much alive. As well as attentive and respectful of their elders.
At one point one of the boys was explaining to his older sister (the girl behind the counter) that adults worked, which is why they were often tired. He was also tired, having practiced using one of the new machines, so maybe he should take a nap. Which is what old people who work often do.
This got the girl thinking, and within minutes she was negotiating with her father over suitable recompense - while the other three had been playing around, she had carried things, straightened the bakery trays, and helped out. Surely that required appropriate appreciation? She suggested that four dollars for ten minutes was adequate, she was even cutting him a deal!

She seemed fixated on the four dollars.
More work, no problem. Even another ten minutes!
But no less than four dollars. That amount is set in stone.

I'm guessing that something she really wants costs exactly four dollars.

There's reason to believe that when no-one was looking, her father gave her the money.
How can you resist the entreaty of a hard-working little girl, who is being so uncomplainingly useful?


Normally, by the time I head into Chinatown for snackipoos on weekend days, my energy level is low. Under those circumstances I may be grumpy, and before I've eaten noise can get on my nerves. But these children were such REAL human beings, and clearly sweet and intelligent, that it was loads of fun being in the same place as them and listening in.
They might even make one want to have kids of one's own.
Either that, or dawdle longer over tea.


When I finished loading my pipe I headed out onto Stockton Street.
Lit up, and wandered through the neighborhood with no set goal in mind, though upon finding myself near Yong Kee on Jackson, I stopped in to buy a couple of salted egg puffs (鹹蛋酥 haahm dan so), explaining to the uncle behind the counter that they were an excellent snack for later at the office.
Although now that I'm here, I don't think that I will be hungry enough.
I'll just take them home for my roommate, she likes them too.


Oddly, I'm still smiling.
Such delightful children.
And a lovely smoke after.


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