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Posts: 1630

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Q: Dumpling prep……why?

Simply stated...why do grandmothers/grandfathers and mothers/fathers spend so much time (with a cutting board on the floor in most cases) pulverizing and chopping beef into what we commonly know as "minced meat" in an effort to make dumplings? Don't they know it can be purchased in any supermarket?

10 years 9 weeks ago in  Food  - China

 
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Posts: 879

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1. Because what else are they going to do all day?

 

I encounter the same thing when I visit my girlfriend's family (they live in a small village). Every mundane task becomes an occupation and talking point for the whole family. If someone goes outside to look at a carrot, everyone does. They will stand around talking and pointing, then eventually wander back to the house, having exhausted the carrot watching.

 

It's what hobbits call "the simple life".

 

2. Because making mince by hand is 1 or 2 yuan cheaper.

 

I've no doubt that, during most of Mao's reign, working all day to save 1 yuan was absolutely necessary. The behaviour has become deeply ingrained, and like most things, Chinese people don't question why they do it.

 

When visiting my girlfriend's family, we always stop at a shop on the way and buy "presents" for them. Usually almond milk and rubbishy but well-packaged snacks, selected randomly by my girlfriend, and totaling between 100 and 200 RMB. The price seems arbitrary to her. But when we later have to go and buy a couple of mantou, she will argue over 5 mao in change.

Hulk:

EXHUASTED THE CARROT WATCHING

OH MY GOODNESS I'VE NEVER FELT TICKLED FROM LAUGHING SO HARD UNTIL NOW

KLRGETKWGLHGEAEFSDAJQET4HBKWYRBSFDDKASJGFLK HAVE AN UPVOTE YOU'VE SAVED MY LIFE

10 years 9 weeks ago
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Scandinavian:

yesterday. was at a supermarket with wife, mother in law and grand mother in law. It was one long debate about carrots. No this carrot is too big, this is too soft, this is too many carrots, we need more carrots, this carrot has the wrong color.

 

We didn't actually buy carrots, replace the word carrot with "any item in a supermarket", we bought a lot of other things and the decision time on each item meant I lost track of time. I did pick up some beers, I did have a lengthy internal discussion that the beers where all not big enough, not strong enough and I certainly didn't get enough beers. 

10 years 8 weeks ago
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10 years 9 weeks ago
 
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I know that part of dumpling preparation and the actual cooking of them as well, is also about spending time with family. It's not really about the act itself. Spending a couple of hours together, talking and preparing food is part of the CNY tradition. But @Samsara's first point is also true, what else are they gonna do?

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10 years 9 weeks ago
 
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@brother1818, 

i spent the last number of CNY with friends preparing dumplings.

it was a great social occasion in that we spent several hours chatting about many different topics (and NOT using moblies )

Despite the fact that my dumplings were rubbish when compared to those of my Chinese friends, it was a good day, similar to preparing Christmas dinner at home. 

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10 years 9 weeks ago
 
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Dumplings are a social food : you need lots of people together to do them. And people talk to each other ^^ The side effect is lots of yummy food in a relaxed atmosphere. I've fond memories of "dumplings parties" thrown by Chinese students when I was at the university.

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10 years 9 weeks ago
 
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Every day, every week, every year. For a couple of hours, we have the sound of an old (ish) woman next door punishing the chopping board. When we make dumplings, the preparation part is done as easily as possible, then the assembly process is everyone around the dinner table filling dumplings. I do ocasionally hand mince meat. It has.two advantages, I can pick a piece of meat without too much non-meat on it, the stuff the supermarkets sell is often looking like 500g% fat. I can mince the meat into the granularity needed for what I am cooking, eg if the meat is not the central component of a dish, finely minced allows it to better give off it's flavor. We do of course have a mechanised way of doing this. Handchopping for 250 dumplings would not fly for me.

Hulk:

punishing the chopping board... lmao

10 years 9 weeks ago
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10 years 9 weeks ago
 
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love dumplings,love china 

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10 years 8 weeks ago
 
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