Morning steam, slightly different
Walking through Taipei in the morning,
there are moments when a different kind of steam gathers in front of soy milk shops.
Commuters pass by.
Bicycles creak.
At the storefront sit large stock pots and stacks of bamboo steamers.
Inside them are what people call xiao long bao.
But they look quite different from the thin-skinned ones seen in tourist districts.
The skin is thick and soft.
Closer to a steamed bun than a soup dumpling.
I slowed my pace and thought about why.
Morning xiao long bao may not be a dish, but a staple
At specialist restaurants, xiao long bao is clearly a dish.
Thin, unleavened skin.
Soup as the main event.
Its value exists in the brief moment after steaming.
At breakfast shops, the role is different.
They sit alongside soy milk, youtiao, and shaobing.
Chosen the way bread is chosen.
The dough is fermented and soft.
Some juice is absorbed into the skin.
It does not spill.
This is not deterioration.
It feels like an adjustment toward something that can be eaten every morning.
If these were thin-skinned,
they might no longer belong next to soy milk.
Softness may be designed for soy milk
Morning at a soy milk shop always includes liquid.
Hot soy milk.
Sweetened versions.
Sometimes salted soy milk.
Breakfast-shop xiao long bao clearly functions with that liquid.
The soft skin holds a bit of moisture in the mouth.
After that, soy milk follows easily.
If the soup-filled dumplings from specialist shops were placed here,
they would likely clash.
Liquid meeting liquid would disrupt the rhythm of the morning.
Seen this way, the softness is not compromise.
It is an invention for breakfast.
Practicality you can support with your hands
These morning xiao long bao can be eaten without a spoon.
Chopsticks are used, of course.
But many people lift them together with paper or a tray,
or lightly support them from below with their fingers.
They are not gripped.
They are handled almost like tools.
The thick skin and reduced soup make them less likely to tear or drip.
On a busy morning before work,
there is little room for careful handling over a spoon.
This ability to be supported by the fingers
is another function unique to breakfast shops.
Designed to be eaten quickly
Another thing stands out.
They can be eaten quickly.
Without soup, there is no need to wait for cooling.
No need for caution.
Lift.
Bite.
Swallow.
Move on.
Restaurant xiao long bao is a small ritual.
Breakfast-shop xiao long bao is closer to a task.
But that task-like quality is likely why it continues every day.
It moves in sync with the rhythm of the morning city.
The flexibility of the name “xiao long bao”
Though they share the same name,
the breakfast version and the specialist version are almost different foods.
In Taiwan, this difference is not forced into strict categories.
They may also be called tang bao,
but even that is not rigidly defined.
This looseness may be part of the appeal of Taiwanese food.
Rather than narrowing definitions,
roles are prioritized.
Midday xiao long bao and morning xiao long bao.
Tourist xiao long bao and everyday xiao long bao.
Because the name has space in it,
these soft ones have a place.
It functions quietly in the morning city
In front of a Yonghe soy milk shop,
I pass someone carrying a plastic bag.
A small amount of steam escapes from inside.
For them, this is not a special dumpling.
It is like bread.
Something that is there every morning.
Without that softness,
the city’s morning might feel slightly drier.
As I step away,
the traffic light at the intersection changes.
Only the steam seems to linger near the corner.
