Dumpling Day Shenanigans: Part I
This week’s blog post, written by our Marketing Intern Brenna McCarthy and Design Intern Abby Hirsh, is part one of a two part series on lessons they learned during their Dumpling Day shenanigans.
One of the perks of interning at Big Duck is interacting with truly passionate, opinionated people on a daily basis. While our views may vary on many topics, we can all agree on one thing: our love of food. Ducks will jump at the chance to chow down together, and this past Wednesday was no different.
It’s been months since the peanut butter taste-off, and we believed it was high time for another food-related festivity. After much debate, we decided on a theme: Dumpling Day! The next step was to figure out the logistics–where would the dumplings come from? How many would we get? What kind of dumplings did we want? And most importantly, who would pick them up?
This is where we, Big Duck’s faithful interns, came in; Abby saw the opportunity for an intern adventure and seized it. In no time, the “cheap dumpling tour” was born. It was decided that we would scour the city in search of the most delicious, wallet-friendly dumplings. We would taste test the treats on Tuesday, report back with our choices and then go snag the snacks for Wednesday’s Dumpling Day.
With the input of our fellow Ducks, plus a little bit of our own research, we compiled a list of the best dumpling places, conveniently located in nearby Chinatown. We took a page out of Scrooge McDuck’s book and cashed in our office swear jar at TD Bank. Our pocket change turned into dumpling dollars– a whopping 250 dumplings worth!
Money in hand, we hit the first stop on the Tour de Dumplings: Prosperity Dumpling (to be noted: also Abby’s dumpling joint of choice). In a space barely bigger than a shoebox, we placed our order and received our tiny bundles of joy almost immediately. Bargain-basement prices (only $1 for 5 dumplings) and quick service? What’s not to love!
Dumplings in hand, we dashed off to our next location: Vanessa’s Dumping House. Vanessa’s gave more of a sit-down-and-stay-a-while vibe–perhaps that explains our long wait time. We opted not to eat there, figuring we’d make a more objective decision in a neutral location: a nearby park. Armed with dipping sauces and napkins, we dug in.
After sampling each dumpling, we knew there was a clear winner, but we forged on with the tour. The final stop was Fried Dumpling, which made Prosperity Dumpling seem like a fifty-room mansion. Out of all our dumpling destinations, Fried received the worst reviews.
On our way back to the F train, we both rubbed our bellies in near silence– that is, until we passed a tiny bakery called Everything Frosted. Yes, we had just spent the better part of our walk grumbling about how full we were, but who can say no to a cupcake? Like the true intern companions that we are, we each bought a cupcake to share. Mine was Pink Champagne flavored, Abby’s was a Lemon Drop, and they were both to die for.
Officially stuffed to the gills, we returned to DUMBO and shared our results. For your viewing pleasure, Abby has designed a chart… and the winner is (drum roll please): Prosperity Dumplings!
Prosperity, with their perfect meat to chive proportions, had the juiciest, most mouth-watering dumplings of the bunch. Crispy in all the right places, mushy in all the others–the dumplings were irresistible. Vanessa’s dumplings were a close second, and not to be discounted. In my opinion, they were a bit too crispy–I prefer things on the soggy side. They were tasty, but they couldn’t top Prosperity. Fried’s dumplings were simply atrocious–perhaps it’s because they had such solid competition from Vanessa’s and Prosperity, or because our taste buds were tired. Either way, they didn’t stack up.
In an effort to make Vanessa’s feel less like a jilted-pageant queen, we decided to get our veggie dumplings from there the next day. (We’re too kind, we know.)
Do you have a favorite dumpling joint? Feel free to share it with us in the comment section. We interns love any excuse for an adventure; perhaps your suggestions will be included in our next food tour!
