# Who has had xiao long bao? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014 "2014-07-13T19:51:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/21 "2014-07-14T15:58:35Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > Safety Warning: > [http://foodtrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/dumplingcomic.jpg](http://foodtrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/dumplingcomic.jpg) > > They aren’t really that bad. But do NOT dive into one with a full bite. Strange they neglected to mention you usually want to blow into the hole you just created. Even with the soup drained out, the inside may well be piping hot. And draining the soup out I’ve seen sometimes with xiao long bao, but almost never with shengjian where drinking directly from the dumpling seems more common. Of course after making sure it’s cool enough. 🙂 * * * Also, at the risk of hijacking, burning unwary foreigners’ mouths seems to be one of the primary objectives of chinese cuisine. I’m quite partial to hot pot (huoguo) but there are two traps to look out for: Meatballs are often hollow and have hot oil inside. And there’s a kind of tofu that’s like a sponge, so it can hold a lot more boiling liquid than you may anticipate. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/22 "2014-07-14T16:56:47Z")
I’ve had them. I don’t really see much of difference between the ones I’ve had at Din Tai Fung and other restaurants. I haven’t had a BAD one yet. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/23 "2014-07-14T17:00:28Z")
I’ve had them in Shanghai. I like them, but then again, I love almost any food that comes in the dumpling format. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/24 "2014-07-14T17:19:47Z")
Without ever consulting any online advice as to how to eat an XLB, I worked out my own method: Gingerly pick up a dumpling with your chopsticks and put it in a spoon. Nip a hole in the side of the dumpling, and tilt the spoon so that the boiling hot soup floods into the spoon. Blow on soup; drink the soup out of the spoon. Blow into the hole you made in the dumpling to try to cool off the lava-hot meatball inside. Dip spoon into vinegar/ginger sauce to anoint the dumpling. Eat dumpling too soon anyway and burn mouth. That’s for the first dumpling or two; after that, the remaining ones have cooled a little. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/25 "2014-07-14T17:35:33Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I lived in Asia for several years and ate them regularly. They’re ridiculously tasty, especially the ones at Din Tai Fung at Taipei 101. Ditto. Our first trip to Taiwan was a revelation, and we ended up eating at the original Din Tai Fung about three times. Now, whenever we go to a city that has a Din Tai Fung, we invariably drop in for an order of 10 XLB each and some of the fried pork chops. We had some pretty good ones in NYC Chinatown the other weekend, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/26 "2014-07-14T17:43:28Z")
I’ve not only had em, I’ve made em. The process is rather interesting. I’d prefer to leave it to the pros and expend my energies eating them. The best I’ve had were at Ding Tai Fung in Markham, Ontario. Delicious, fresh, and you can watch them make it in the window! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/27 "2014-07-14T17:54:08Z")
and there are so many cooks! it’s like a small army of them in a factory line. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/28 "2014-07-14T17:57:53Z")
I’m pretty sure that the “small juicy dumplings” at[this place I frequent](http://jengchirestaurant.com/menu/)are xiao long bao, at lest when comparing the characters on the menu with the wikipedia entry’s Traditional Chinese ones. They’re pretty good- every now and then, you get a gamy one, but on the whole, they’re really good. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/29 "2014-07-14T19:45:46Z")
Oh yes. There are a couple Din Tai Fungs in Los Angeles. Boiling your mouth raw is part of the pleasure. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/30 "2014-07-15T02:13:24Z")
We have a [dumpling truck](http://www.chirbachirba.com/) here in the Raleigh area that serves a juicy dumpling. They are amazing! Everything they make is amazing. It is not unusual for their line to be 45 min to an hour long. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/31 "2014-07-20T05:51:21Z")
Not only have I had them, but there is a dim sum place nearby which will deliver them directly to my door. 🆒 They are indeed an awesome invention. Never ran into them before moving to Boston, though. Places outside of Chinatown tend to call them “hot soup dumplings” on the menu, rather than use the Chinese name. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/32 "2014-07-20T06:09:31Z")
The gold standard is what is served in Chenghuamiao in Shanghai. Truly awesome. The Hairy Crab and pork version is the best. Din Tai Fung is okay but does falls short of the Shanghai baseline. (Note: Din Tai Fung in Bellevue really went to shit when another branch opened in Seattle and took away the best chef’s and managers). 沪江 Shanghai river restaurant in Vancouver make by far the best XiaoLongBao outside of China I’ve ever had. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/33 "2014-07-20T06:12:15Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > And now I’ve discovered a variation on this ingenious treat. “Pan fried pork buns”, which are a stouter soup dumpling that has been steamed and then pan sauteed so that they have crusty brown bottoms, like a pot sticker. They’re served sprinkled with black sesame seeds and chopped green onions. 生煎包 “shengjianbao”. These are tasty. And not only do you have to be careful about scalding your mouth, these often geyser out the juice all over your nice suit, expensive tie, or other article of nice clothing. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014/34 "2014-07-20T06:21:39Z")
I had some the other day for lunch at work (my wife fried up some frozen supermarket soup buns and these were leftovers). Eating something at work that sprays out scalding juice is a poor idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-had-xiao-long-bao/693014.md?page=1)