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Notes on the Entertainment of Xiaolongbao
Meat Juice Through the Lens Xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), were once meant to be eaten while still hot. The lid of the bamboo steamer would lift.Steam would rise.The air at the table would cloud for a brief moment. Before ... -
Notes on the Globalization of Taiwan’s Xiaolongbao
The 18 Pleats as a Shared Language Xiaolongbao, the soup dumpling , was once a kind of dim sum rooted in Taiwan’s street corners.It was small.It ended inside a bamboo steamer. Then it crossed the sea.Not only the taste, but the entire fo... -
Notes on Xiaolongbao in Taiwan
Steam That Learned to Travel Xiaolongbao is a familiar sight in Taiwan.When I walk through the city, the smell of bamboo steamers mixes into the air. At the entrance of a market.At a breakfast counter.At the corner of a night market. The... -
Notes on Xiaolongbao and the History Taiwan Inherited
AShanghai Xiaolongbao That Drifted, Settled, and Became Taipei’s Icon Pork soup dumplings, known once as xiaolongbao, appear too often in travel guides. Din Tai Fung.Airport food courts.Department store restaurant floors.Overseas branche... -
Notes on Roti Canai in Malaysia
A morning staple thrown into the air Mornings in Malaysia begin with a particular rhythm. Pap. Pap. It comes from a corner eatery, a mamak.A sound like a wet towel being snapped against a hard surface. A cook slaps a small piece of dough... -
Notes on Nasi Kandar Saddam on Jalan TAR, KL
New Nasi Kandar Queue in Front of SOGO At the corners of Kuala Lumpur, lines of people appear. Around SOGO on Jalan TAR in particular, pedestrians stop and the line stretches out. Among the sound of traffic and the smell of exhaust, only... -
Notes on Hameediyah, Penang’s Oldest Nasi Kandar
The Yellow Wall on Campbell Street I walk along Campbell Street in George Town, Penang.The daylight is hard. The air is thick.Cars and motorbikes pass without pause, and the shade on the sidewalk stays narrow. Then a yellow wall appears.... -
Notes on How to Order Nasi Kandar in Malaysia
A meal built with pointing and a few simple English words Nasi kandar shops can feel intimidating to travelers. Inside the glass cases, brown dishes pile up like small hills, staff move plates at speed, and orders proceed in Malay. Menus... -
Notes on Mamak Culture Born in Penang
A port air that does not let smells escape Penang carries traces of a port town. The sea is close. The humidity is high. Smells stay in place. Walking through George Town, I notice spices before I notice history.A pot simmering in the ba... -
Notes on Malaysia’s Mamak as an Outdoor Living Room
An Outdoor Living Room Left Under Fluorescent Lights At the edge of the city, the night does not go dark even after the shopping malls close and the bars finish their last orders.Fluorescent lights remain in small clusters along the road...
