In the bustling open kitchen of Good to Eat Dumplings, chef Tony Tung makes long, evenly stretched, generously filled Taiwanese dumplings. The bottoms are crunchy and golden, and the filling is unembellished but irresistible: a juicy mix of pork, shrimp and shredded cabbage, lightly perfumed with scallions and sesame oil.
Tung was born and raised in Taichung City, Taiwan, and when she started cooking at pop-ups in Emeryville, California, five years ago, she was surprised to find that so many diners outside of the Taiwanese American community were unaware of Taiwanese food. Oh, you mean Thai food!
Sir, no. It sounds discouraging, but Tung and her wife and business partner, Angie Lin, decided to treat every question, no matter how obtuse, as an opening. Maybe explaining their ingredients, techniques and flavors could deepen customers’ context and appreciation for Taiwan. Maybe the deliciousness of the food could leverage someone’s curiosity.