YOUR SHANTUNG DUMPLING!

These Shantung Dumplings I bought at the store are lousy. The damned things either stick to the bottom of the pan or fall apart. Mind you, I am very fond of dumplings (餃子、水餃 'gaau ji', 'seui gaau'), Northern Style, as they are the perfect snack-dinner, and normally hold up well to barbaric white person treatments. These don't. I shall avoid this brand in future. Shantung Hand Art hah! Those Shantungers should be ashamed.
AND there's too much chive!

X你的山東手藝!

The best pork and chive dumplings (韭菜餃 'gau choi gaau') are probably Shanghainese. Which are not, to my knowledge, available premade frozen in Chinatown, at least I haven't seen them. And I am too lazy to learn how to make them myself, the only dumplings I do by hand are Cantonese wonton, because you cannot trust a Northerner to make those. Or the appropriate soup. But those likewise I usually buy premade. The cheap lunch counter to which I occasionally go on Stockton Street offers those for sale.
Decent folks whose enterprise I happily support.

No, I shall not mention the disappointing brand name. There's probably some one out there who swears by them; why, they're as good as his aunt's, and his mother-in-law can't even tell that they're store-bought, or they miraculously cure cancer and preserve domestic harmony. And by slagging them I prove myself irredeemable, stupid white man.


蒸餃子
['jing gaau ji']

Years back I would go to the DPD (一品香 'yat pan heung') opposite the International Hotel hole in the ground with a book, order steamed dumplings, and wait a good half hour for them to be ready. They were absolutely delicious. The Bund Restaurant in the middle of Jackson Street between Grant and Kearny also does exceptionally fine steamed chive and pork dumplings (韭菜豬肉水餃 'gau choi chyu yiuk seui gaau'), so even though the DPD is no more than a fond memory, I can still slake my cravings in the neighborhood.


上海飯店 BUND SHANGHAI RESTAURANT
640 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133.
415-982-0618


Mind you, even though I have parenthesized the pronunciations of the Chinese words, it won't help you if you ever wish to order them; my pronunciation is Cantonese, and the Cantonese understand something completely different under the name 水餃 ('seui gaau'). Mandarin speakers say 'shwei jiao'. Or call them 'jiao dzuh'. And the Cantonese seldom think in terms of red vinegar and hot sauce as the proper accompaniment.


U-Lee (有利飯店 'yau lei faan dim') which used to be on the corner of Jackson and Hyde Street was well known for their potstickers (餃子 'wo tip'), which are basically the same as "shwei jiao", but with a thicker skin that holds up to abuse better. They closed over five years ago after thirty years in business. Rent went through the roof. Their 'over rice' dinner dishes were decent and enjoyable.



AFTER WORD

Somebody asked me recently where one could find the best Kung Pao and General Tso's Chicken (宮保雞丁、左宗棠雞 'gung bou gai ding', 'jo jung tong gai'). My guess would be out in the avenues, at a place owned, operated, and staffed entirely by folks from Shantung.




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