Argentina's planning to erect a new waterfront tower, and it looks like it belongs in a skatepark. President Cristina Fernández posted the winning design on Facebook this week. It's wrapped in the same white and sky blue on Argentina's flag. And it's a quarter pipe.
Rexfeng
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Latin America's New Tallest Skyscraper Will Look Like a Quarter Pipe
Google Hangouts App Update: Free Voice Calls Over Data for Android and iPhone
Google has just announced better integration between Google Voice and their Google Hangouts smartphone app. Both iOS and Android apps can now make domestic and international calls through a Wi-Fi or data connection (like 4G). You can also receive calls if you have a Google Voice number. Calls to the U.S. and Canada are currently provided by Google free of charge from all countries where Hangouts calling is available.
What does this mean exactly?
- For the frugal minimalist, as long as you have a data connection like WiFi, you can now make and receive unlimited domestic voice calls using a basic Apple or Android device. You can pay for a cheap prepaid option as a backup, or simply go without any cellular plan. You can also use voice over data to complement T-Mobile’s $30 plan which offers 5 GB of 4G data but only 100 voice minutes (this plan isn’t heavily-advertised, but scroll down and you’ll find it).
- For the international traveler, as long as you have WiFi in a supported country you can call back home to the US for free using your phone. No foreign SIM card or even Skype account required.
- For the international caller, you can more easily use Google Voice’s discounted calling rates which have recently been lowered again. For example, rates to India (mobile or landline) and Mexico (landline) are only 1 cent a minute.
iPhone / Apple iOS. Download the Google Hangouts app and the calling functionality is built-in.
Android. Download both the Google Hangouts app and the Hangouts Dialer app. If you need help, here are directions straight from Google: Make calls with Hangouts on Android.
SMS text message support is also supposedly coming, first to Android devices “in the next few days” and then to iOS devices “soon”.
Google Hangouts App Update: Free Voice Calls Over Data for Android and iPhone from My Money Blog.
© MyMoneyBlog.com, 2014.
The Death of Adulthood in American Culture
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd,
but when they said, "Sit down," I stood up.
-- Bruce Springsteen, Growing Up
In the NYT Magazine, A.O. Scott reflects on the death of adulthood in American culture:
Tags: A.O. Scott TVWhat all of these shows grasp at, in one way or another, is that nobody knows how to be a grown-up anymore. Adulthood as we have known it has become conceptually untenable. It isn't only that patriarchy in the strict, old-school Don Draper sense has fallen apart. It's that it may never really have existed in the first place, at least in the way its avatars imagined. Which raises the question: Should we mourn the departed or dance on its grave?
AT&T won't activate WiFi calling until next year
DARPA's jetpack will help soldiers run faster, stronger (video)
Florentijn Hofman’s Latest Work is a Gigantic Bunny Gazing Up at the Moon in Taiwan
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, known for his large scale installations of animal characters, recently unveiled his latest work. Located at the Dayuan Town Naval Base in Taiwan, “Moon Rabbit” is an enormous yet adorable bunny that’s propped up against a grassy military bunker gazing up at the moon. To create the large-scale work, which is based on the East Asian folklore about a rabbit that lives on the moon, Hofman first created a wood and Styrofoam frame. And to achieve the fluffiness but also keep it weather-resistant the artist used over 12,000 sheets of Tyvek paper, a material normally reserved for home builders. Unfortunately, the bunny caught fire earlier today as workers were trying to disassemble it. But its counterpart can still be seen on the moon, or at least that’s how the story goes. (via Street Art News)
Every Final Smash In The New Super Smash Bros.
The most powerful moves in Super Smash Bros. are dramatic showstoppers—and you can totally watch them now, if you'd like.
Video Review: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Below is a video review of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II done by Untitlted Film Works in Australia. See them on Facebook here
Canon EOS 7D Mark II $1799: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon | Camera Canada
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Coca-Cola is bringing back the worst 1990s soda because the internet
If you're old enough to remember the nineties, you might recall SURGE, Coca-Cola's "fully-loaded citrus soda with carbos." Internally, it was developed under the moniker "MDK," or "Mountain Dew Killer." Externally, it represented everything that was the nineties in the US — JNCOs, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, pogs, and Kenan & Kel are just slivers of nostalgia compared to Surge. Consequently, it also didn't last more than a couple years into the 2000s. Remember this?
Well, for better and for worse, Surge is back, thanks in part to an enthusiastic Facebook campaign "The Surge Movement." It's being sold exclusively through Amazon — $14 will get you a dozen 16-ounce cans, which equates to a dime for every shot of nostalgia.
The relevant J...
Canon's EOS 7D Mark II will ship in November starting at $1,799
Today at the Photokina imaging show, Canon announced the latest addition to its line of DSLRs: the EOS 7D Mark II, which features several improvements over its predecessor. The camera includes a native ISO of 100 to 16,000 and a 150,000-pixel RGB and IR metering sensor, and shoots at up to 10 FPS. It also features 60p full-HD capture, a 20.2 APS-C CMOS megapixel sensor, and a 65-point autofocus system. That'll go on sale this November, starting at $1,799 without a lens.
Canon also announced a few other new products, including the high-end point-and-shoot PowerShot G7 X, which features a 20.2-megapixel, one-inch sensor. It'll be going on sale in October for $700. Also part of the announcement: a lineup of new lenses. Canon announced a...
Steve Jobs unveils the iWatch
The analysis of the weak parts of Apple's recent introduction of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch at the beginning of this piece is good, but the real gem is the complete reworking of the presentation as Steve Jobs might have approached it.
Jobs: It's not easy being an engineer at Apple. (Laughs) How do you take the world's best phone and make it even better? (Cheers)
When we first launched the iPhone back in 2007, we didn't anticipate the central role it plays today-how it would touch every part of our lives. (Cheers)
Seven years later, our iPhones are the window to our world. Through this window I see my wife and kids. I see my friends, take care of work, and relax.
If this window is so important, what if we made it a little bigger?
(Steve holds out his hand and starts separating his fingers as if he's stretching an iPhone)
(Once they get really far, he grins and quickly pushes them back together)
Jobs: But not too big! (Audience chuckles) You still want to be able to hold it in one hand and fit it inside your pocket.
Our team of smart engineers have come up with the perfect size.
The heartfelt folksiness is pitch perfect. And the whole thing about the iWatch is amazing:
Jobs: The iWatch comes with a special sensor that detects your heartbeat. In addition to linking to Apple Health, it does something very special.
Something very dear to me.
I'd like to see how my daughter is doing. Instead of sending her a text, what can I do? I press this button twice, and... (Heartbeats echo in the auditorium)
You can't see it, but my watch is vibrating to her heartbeat. I can close my eyes and know that my daughter is alive, living her life halfway around the globe.
Not sure if Jobs would have approached it this way, but it made me actually want to get an Apple Watch. (via @arainert)
Tags: Apple Apple Watch iPhone Steve JobsTwitch chat malware is emptying gamers' Steam accounts
F-Secure has uncovered an unusual kind of malware that's spreading through Twitch's chat feature, which they're calling "Eskimo." The virus starts with a simple phishing scheme, claiming the target has won a phony raffle and offering a bad link to confirm. If users click the link, they'll be infected with the malware, which logs into the gaming platform Steam and takes control of the target's account. From there, the program empties the target's wallet and sells off any valuable items he may have bought or acquired through the service. Users are also reporting that more valuable items were being traded to an account called "Youni," the owner of which has yet to be tracked down.
AT&T To Get iPhone 6-Friendly Wi-Fi Calling In 2015
Not one Republican Senator voted for campaign finance reform
The entire GOP Senate caucus voted against Tom Udall's proposed Constitutional amendment that would have allowed states to set rules limiting campaign contributions, overturning the notorious Citizens United Supreme Court decision that found that money was a form of protected speech.
Read the rest
Bottled Emotions
A design project by Taylor Kinser of Chattanooga, TN. Read the rest
Geometric Dichroic Glass Installations by Chris Wood
Artist Chris Wood works with colored glass to create colorful, prism-like mazes and mandalas of light installed vertically on walls. Her most common material is dichroic (meaning ‘two color’) glass, a material invented by NASA in the 1950s that has a special optical coating meant to reflect certain wavelengths of light while letting others through. At some angles the glass appears completely reflective, somewhat like a mirror of gold. Wood has constructed a number of different glass, mirror, and other light installations which have been carefully documented on her website. (via My Modern Met)
Larger iPhone 6 Plus Sells Out, ‘Record Number’ of iPhone Pre-Orders
I spent over an hour trying to order from the online Apple Store (4.7-inch, space gray, 128 GB) to no avail. The closest I got was a properly configured phone but a disabled “Add to Cart” button.
Gave up, went to the Verizon website, and successfully ordered there. I think. Verizon’s website is almost spectacularly convoluted and ugly as sin.
You’d think after eight years Apple would be able to deal with this. No surprise demand is high — the iPhones 6 are amazing, and bigger displays have been long-awaited — but the online store crapping itself so utterly is just embarrassing.
The Green Scene : Beyond Sushi, a Nutritious Alternative to White on Rice
Welcome back to The Green Scene, a series in which Eater Editorial Producer Kat Odell unearths delicious healthy restaurants throughout the city that endorse a sustainable lifestyle.
Photos by Kat Odell
It takes a certain amount of confidence to open a restaurant named Beyond Sushi and not serve fish. But, according to Dictionary.com, the definition of "sushi" is "cold boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar, usually shaped into bite-size pieces and topped with raw seafood or formed into a long seaweed-wrapped roll, often around strips of vegetable or raw fish, and sliced into bite-size pieces." So, technically, Beyond Sushi is serving, well, sushi. Just not the traditional fish kind that comes to mind.
Guy Vaknin and wife Tali are the force behind Beyond Sushi, the tiny two-year-old fast casual vegan eatery that specializes in fruit and vegetable sushi paired with flavored, tofu-based sauces. Over the last two years, the cafe, near the eastern outskirts of Union Square, has earned a following for its unique approach to healthy eats. Though patrons refuel on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, this, for a change, is not a salad place.
Prior to his Beyond Sushi days, Guy attended culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education here in New York and then went off to serve as executive chef at his father's kosher catering company, Esprit Events. Over a period of four years, he experimented with creative ways to operate the company's sushi station. In the kosher world you can't mix fish and meat, and in effort to offer an innovative approach to sushi, Guy came up with the idea of healthy fruit and vegetable-based bites. Thus was born the foundation for Beyond Sushi.
Although he was unsure how New Yorkers would respond to fish-free sushi, Guy threw open Beyond Sushi's 14th Street door on July 1, 2012. Initially, he put forth a vegetarian and mostly vegan array of vibrantly hued rolls, rice paper wraps, and individual pieces of fruit and vegetable-topped rice, each served with a complementary tofu-based sauce in flavors like white miso, carrot ginger, and toasted cayenne. But, after listening to customer requests for an entirely vegan menu, Guy reworked his non-vegan sauces to ditch the eggs and become totally vegan-friendly.
Pick up Beyond Sushi's menu and what immediately jumps out are the jarringly colorful rolls. These lilliputian pieces of art leave an impression thanks to the restaurant's melange of polychromatic fruit and vegetable cuts, alongside five different types of multicolored, seasoned rice. Depending on the dish, Beyond Sushi begins with organic purple barley, organic short grain brown rice, Chinese black forbidden rice (Dimes is a fan of this stuff too), organic rye berries, or red rice. The black and red rice is imported from China, while all other grains are grown domestically and sourced through Ace Natural. Some grains wrap rolls solo, while others are mixed into the house-blended six grain medley (red rice, black rice, short grain brown rice, rye berries, hull-less barley, pearl barley) that goes into rolls like the Sweet Tree (avocado, sweet potato, alfalfa sprouts with toasted cayenne sauce) and Mighty Mushroom (enoki, tofu, shiitake, micro arugula and shiitake teriyaki sauce).
Why those grains? They each contain health benefits way more potent than plain white rice. Purple barley is higher in protein and fiber, and also contains the same antioxidants as blueberries. Black rice is believed to help reduce blood pressure, and is a good source of fiber and iron. Brown rice has fiber, protein, plus vitamin B, while rye berries are also high in fiber and protein, in addition to phosphorus, iron and potassium. Finally, red rice increases blood circulation and contains monacolins, compounds which help to lower LDL or bad cholesterol.
Beyond Sushi's core menu is built off those grains. In addition to the set menu, which doesn't change, Guy frequents vendors like Stoke Farms, Heermance Farm, and BodhitreeFarm at the Union Square Greenmarket for inspiration to build his roll of the month and piece of the month. He also sources non-GMO tofu locally from Kong Key Foods in Long Island City. For September the roll is black rice encircling Dijon-crusted roasted celery root, cucumber, and peaches, then topped with red cabbage, cilantro, and celery, plus a Celery root purée sprinkled with mustard seeds. Similarly, September's piece of the month calls for black rice topped with peaches, mustard seeds, and that same celery root purée.
Considering that Beyond Sushi currently uses 80 percent organic ingredients and is moving toward totally organic, prices are affordable. Rolls cost $6.65 for eight bites, individual pieces run $1.15 each, rice paper wraps are either $5.29 or $8.73 depending on size, and hand rolls are $3.67 or three for $10.10. Beyond Sushi also lets customers mix and match with a bunch of combos geared to lunchers. Those who order to-go will also note the addition of a tiny squeeze bottle of sauce, which one is meant to administer to his/her liking. Patrons can boost sushi flavor with either soy sauce, the paired tofu sauce, or both. Those little squeeze bottles have become one of Beyond Sushi's signature moves: Affixed to the house-made vanilla chia pudding is a small squirt bottle filled with caramel sauce to enhance the diced cinnamon-roasted apples on top. All the other desserts are made in house too, and all use agave syrup in place of sugar. Agave also sweetens the black sesame avocado coconut cookies and the black bean sweet potato brownie, plus all drinks that are made on site, like the orange coconut juice and the strawberry kiwi yuzu juice.
Beyond Sushi's commitment to healthful eats also extends to a few grab and go sweets on offer. There are the self-explanatory vegan BadAss Power Cookies, vegan/gluten-free Milkless chocolate bars, and organic fruit and nut chocolate bars by Bixby. But one of the best and most creative products for sale is Beyond Sushi's new line of sweet and savory nut butters, aptly named Beyond Nuts, which are entirely organic and come in flavors like cashew coconut banana, and sunflower halva vanilla.
Part of Beyond Sushi's future mission is to become entirely organic. Right now the only reason Guy cooks with some non-organic ingredients is to keep prices down. Regardless, he's off to a strong start. Ten months after hitting 14th Street, Beyond Sushi expanded with a counter at Chelsea Market, and in about a month location three will hit Midtown at 62 West 56th Street at Sixth Avenue. As compared to 14th Street's 350 square feet, Midtown will occupy about 1,000 square feet with a focus on grab and go items for surrounding office dwellers. After Midtown, the West Coast — perhaps San Francisco or Los Angeles — could be next.
· All The Green Scene Coverage [~ENY~]
Apple reportedly spent more than $100 million on the new U2 album
Apple CEO Tim Cook and U2 frontman Bono made big news this week when they announced that the band's new album would be distributed, at no charge, to the roughly 500 million people with an iTunes account. But as Bono made clear on stage, someone had to make up the difference. "First you would have to pay for it," he told Cook, "because we’re not going in for the free music around here."
Activist Olive Garden Investors Want to Kill Unlimited Breadsticks
Gather ye breadsticks while ye may.
The Never Ending Pasta Pass's instant popularity may have spawned a black market, but the viral, carbo-loaded stunt apparently failed to impress a group of investors apparently willing to sacrifice the most Olive Garden–y thing of all for higher profit margins: One of 294 slides listing reasons why investor Starboard Value should take over Darden Restaurants Inc., "Breadsticks: Just One Example of Food Waste" slams the chain, because locations today "lack training and discipline," with servers trotting out "an excess of breadsticks significantly outnumbering the number of guests."
Starboard says it wouldn't seek an end to the policy, but rather just conveniently halt breadstick delivery beyond an initial basket with one per person at a table unless otherwise instructed, thus making the famed "umlimited breadsticks" just a tad bit more limited seeming.
The stinginess, however, could translate to $5 million in annual savings, investors argue. At the same time, they're apparently all in agreement that not enough is being spent on salt: "If you Google 'How to cook pasta,' the first step of Pasta 101 is to salt the water," another miffed-sounding page notes. "How does the largest Italian dining concept in the world not salt the water for pasta?"
[WSJ]
Read more posts by Clint Rainey
Filed Under: stirring the pot, news, olive garden, the chain gang, unlimited breadsticks
Apple drives the internet insane with failed iPhone 6 pre-orders
Pre-ordering a new iPhone is never an easy process. You wake up at 3AM if you’re on the East Coast, stay up late on the West Coast, or simply eat your breakfast if you’re in Europe. But this year it has been an especially tricky process for Apple’s most loyal customers in the US. Apple’s online store in the US was down for two hours and 25 minutes, leaving customers who stayed up late rather frustrated. Online Apple Stores outside the US appear to have been unaffected by the troubles.
Some were able to sneak orders onto the US site or via the Apple Store app for iOS, but many have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations. Most are angry, others have given up, and some used humor to lighten the mood of those desperately refreshing...
GIF keyboards are coming to iOS 8 because Nicolas Cage GIFs are better than words
Some things are better said with a GIF.
What a gorgeous day it is:
LOL:
Damn, I dodged a bullet today on that exam:
This habanero hot sauce is threatening my life:
Fortunately for you, iOS 8 lets you install your own custom keyboards like PopKey, which lets you search for and paste in GIFs by keyword — and right inside your favorite messaging app. PopKey will include thousands of GIFs, but you will also be able to upload your own if you so choose. Note: iOS 8 automatically deletes old iMessages after a while, so you shouldn't have to worry about year-old GIFs clogging up your iPhone's storage like they currently do.
May the Cage be with you.
Owner of PBR in Talks to Sell Company for Almost $1 Billion
Tha's a lot of suds.
Big time food-industry investor C. Dean Metropoulos & Co. has been trying for six months now to cash in on its 2010 acquisition of Pabst Brewing Co., and The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that it may have a buyer. An insider says execs are in "advanced talks" with a group led by private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners for a deal that could value the company at "somewhat less than $1 billion."
Metropoulos bought Pabst — which came with Colt 45 and Old Milwaukee as an added bonus — for $250 million from the trust that used to run it, so this would make for quite the ROI. The source stresses the two's timing is unknown and "talks could still fall apart," but both sides have apparently been negotiating for a while. Someone should tell the white collars at TSG that once it goes down, for a dollar more, they could also celebrate with a well-whiskey shot.
[WSJ]
Read more posts by Clint Rainey
Filed Under: beer me, news, pabst brewing co., pbr
Yahoo was threatened with a $250,000-a-day fine for pushing back against surveillance
Today, Yahoo announced plans to release new documents detailing its legal fight with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) . FISC is best known for authorizing the NSA's widespread data collection orders, issuing its decisions in secret because of the confidentiality of the programs involved. Yahoo says it was involved in a multi-year suit before the FISC court, challenging the court's authority for "what we viewed as unconstitutional and overbroad surveillance," according to a post by Ron Bell, the company's general counsel. At one point during the proceedings, the government threatened to fine the company $250,000 for every day it refused to comply.
Threat of penalties raises the question: Can you be fined in the US by...
How to buy an iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be here in just over one week. If you're planning on picking up either of Apple's latest handsets, by now you probably have a good idea of which one you want. The decision might be easier than you think, but there's not much time left to pick — at least if you want to be guaranteed a phone on day one. Pre-orders start September 12th, and if history is anything to go by, availability of both devices will slip back by weeks sometime tomorrow morning. After that, you'll be stuck waiting in line with everybody else outside the Apple Store on September 19th if you must have iPhone 6 as soon as it's released. But if you're like us, you're getting too old for that game, so let's examine the best ways to get...
This Golden Spoon Is Currently the Ultimate Chef Fetish Object
Talk about gold-plating!
If you follow any chefs on Instagram or Twitter, you may have noticed a recent uptick of photos depicting this gold spoon, gleaming in its luxury presentation box like some sort of fairy-tale flatware. The limited-edition Gray Kunz Spoon is a 20th anniversary edition of perhaps one of the most underrated and universally used pieces of cooking equipment deployed by professionals, and now everyone from Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food to Underbelly chef Chris Shepherd seems to be stocking up on the gilded version. It was released last week and retails for $39, and its popularity has a lot to do with the guy who created it.
Gray Kunz, who helmed Lespinasse and Café Gray, has long since left New York — he was in Hong Kong last time we checked — became something of a legend among culinary professionals: a supremely talented chef who was seemingly disregarded by the dining public after winning everyone over with his food. (“He struck me as the first European-trained chef who really understood Asian ingredients, not just as an accent, but innately,” Ruth Reichl said. “You can’t learn this.")
His entry-level sauce spoon, which started selling in 1994 as the ideal instrument for plating and delicately handling ingredients in a pan, for example, is now used throughout the country in finer kitchens everywhere, sometimes by the dozen. Kunz spoons handle everything from humble sausage and grits to flipping fish filets sizzling in brown butter. The new one has elicited a pretty strong reaction.
Shit, I want the gold kunz spoon
— Ryan Doyle (@RyanJD0yle) September 2, 2014
All gold everything pic.twitter.com/CpCf3pz5pf
— james daniel bowien (@dannybowien) September 3, 2014
Repeat this to yourself: "I do not need a gold kunz spoon" @jbprince
— Jeffrey Stoneberger (@Eatmecookme) September 8, 2014
New spoons excite me http://t.co/ts2LzCDh7f
— johnny spero (@johnnyspero) September 9, 2014
Some chefs are, of course, a no-go on the gold Kunz spoon.
Kunz spoon upgrade I'd actually want: an included tracking device for when your 7th Kunz spoon inevitably gets stolen like the first 6 did
— Lazy Bear (@lazybearsf) September 4, 2014
Sorry, I like spoons as much as the next guy, but the phrase 'gold kunz spoon' is marketing speak for 'sucker (chef) born every minute.'
— Michael M. O'Connor (@solarfish30) September 10, 2014
I'll pass on the overpriced, spray - coated gold Kunz spoon.
Hit me up when they start bedazzling them.
— Brandon Baltzley (@BrandonBaltzley) September 4, 2014
Regardless, going to J.B. Prince to stock up on the Kunz spoon has become something of a rite of passage. That there's now a gold one that's gold PVD-coated, which has something to do with the condensation of gold into a vapor in a vacuum, gives the spoon an even broader continuum and adds to the legend. Plus, it's more durable than regular old electroplating, and it apparently goes through the industrial dishwasher just fine.
Gray Kunz Spoon Limited Edition (Gold) [JB Prince]
Read more posts by Hugh Merwin
Filed Under: spooning, gray kunz sauce spoon, j.b. prince
Aerial Adria: An Italian Beach Resort Photographed from Above by Bernhard Lang
Several years ago, Munich-based photographer Bernhard Lang vacationed at a seaside resort in Adria, Italy and was struck by the perfectly uniform arrangements of colored umbrellas used by each hotel. Last month he returned, this time by air, and shot for several hours on the coastline between Ravenna and Rimini. Lang is well known for his aerial photography of locations around Germany including coal mines, residential life, and industrial sites. You can see more over on Behance, and all of his work is available as fine art prints. All photos courtesy the photographer. (via This Isn’t Happiness)
Here Are 33 Different Kinds of Dumplings From NYC’s Newest Dumpling Paradise
Duck-filled dumplings from Dumpling Galaxy
Dumplings are one of those foods, like, pizza and burgers, that even when they're bad, they're still pretty good. But when they're good — made with care and high-quality ingredients — they are truly special. And people who have visited Helen You's Tianjin Dumpling, the eight-year-old Golden Shopping Mall stall in Flushing, know that she specializes in filling combinations found nowhere else. Now she's debuted the full-service Dumpling Galaxy at the much roomier Arcadia Mall, offering upwards of 100 different varieties of dumplings.
What's the reason for the expansive menu? "I started from there and couldn't stop," You tells Grub, explaining that unlike other standard-bearer pork and chive places around the city, she fills all her dumplings to order — that's almost unheard of, anywhere. Furthermore, she now plans to overhaul the menu every other year, which means Dumpling Galaxy's selection will only grow as expansively, like its name indicates, with age. But before that happens, here's a very necessary primer: a look at 33 of the most unusual, tastiest, and most unexpectedly sweet renditions on the menu.
Duck and Mushrooms
Duck, duck, shroom.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Unless they’re explicitly identified otherwise, you can bet you’ll be getting shiitake whenever you order a mushroom dumpling here. You prefers them for their beefy flavor. This one is a must-try.
Dried Octopus
Octo-dumplings!
Photo: Jason Crowley
Sure, dried octopus is popular throughout China, from north to south, but is typically used in soups. You loves its strong flavor, which needs little seasoning, and wanted to create a dumpling that would appeal to those who share her passion.
Hawthorn and Wood Ear Mushroom
Lend me your (wood) ear.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Americans probably don’t think dessert when they hear mushroom. But in China, hawthorn, tart red fruit, and white wood ear mushroom are used to make a popular dessert soup. At Dumpling Galaxy, the cooks deploy a heavier hand with the anise.
Pork and Bitter Melon
Bitter melon FTW.
Photo: Jason Crowley
“Certain people, if they don’t eat bitter melon they won’t eat this dumpling at all,” You admitted. “But if they like bitter melon, they eat it like crazy. They eat it for their health, but after eating it, everything tastes sweeter, fresher, and better.”
Strawberry Tang
Yes, that does look like yolk, but it's not.
Photo: Jason Crowley
It's a style of dumpling called tangyuan. Tang means soup, approximately, which is why the glutinous rice balls are cooked in and served in the soup. Only mildly sweet, this strawberry dumpling is made with a sticky rice wrapper and served in a rice-vinegar based broth.
Squid
Just don't call it "calamari."
Photo: Jason Crowley
Before cooking, the squid is soaked in Shaoxing cooking wine to temper its fishiness and tenderize the meat.
Traditional Steamed Seafood
Also, traditional pork!
Photo: King Yip
The traditional seafood actually pairs pork and chives with shrimp, a very popular combination in China.
Pork and Chives
Looks a bit fresher than your standard pork dumpling, don't it?
Photo: Jason Crowley
Everyone's favorite flavor.
Pork and Bamboo Shoot
It's the thinking man's "Pork and Chives."
Photo: Jason Crowley
The bamboo shoots add a mild, fibrous, and slightly crunchy touch to the traditional pork filling.
Fish with Pickled Vegetables
Who knew a dumpling could be so light and refreshing?
Photo: Jason Crowley
A standout. For this dumpling inspired by the fiery suān cài yú, You toned down the spice to train the focus squarely on the fish and pickled cabbage.
Eight Treasures
None of he aforementioned treasures involve gold.
Photo: King Yip
A traditional dessert of dried fruit and sticky rice, You’s eight treasures dumpling sports Chinese dates, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and other nuts.
Egg with Dill
Put some smoked salmon on this and you're golden.
Photo: King Yip
Despite dill’s popularity in Tianjin, you won’t find stalls hawking this combination as a breakfast special.
Beef With Tomato
The Sloppy Joe of Chinese dumplings.
Photo: Jason Crowley
As a kid in Tianjin, You savored countless bowls of beef and tomato stew. The two ingredients, she feels, always go well together. She created this dumpling to pay homage to her childhood and grandmother, whose cooking she was raised on.
Lamb and String Bean
The string beans are sautéed with a pinch of garlic before being mixed with the lamb.
Beef with Carrots
Hell yeah, beta carotene.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Carrots are shredded and mixed with the beef, lending deft notes of sweetness and an appealing orange hue.
Tofu with Crab Roe
Calling all vegetarian crustacean enthusiasts.
Photo: Jason Crowley
For this dumpling, You uses a small amount of crab roe to accent the fresh, subtle, and “greaseless” tofu.
Mushroom with Eggplant
Another light dumpling.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Shitake mushrooms are mixed with Chinese eggplant, which is seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic and then steamed.
Pork With Preserved Egg, Pan-fried
The preserved egg has an almost cheese-like flavor.
Photo: Jason Crowley
These aren’t the guo tie you grew up eating at your neighborhood $1 dumpling store. Instead, they are made in the rarely seen style of Tianjin, cooked together so that a caramelized, very thin crepe forms.
Egg and Cucumber
For all of her egg dumplings, You scrambles them for the fluffy, tender texture.
Photo: Jason Crowley
The delicious diversity of You’s meatless dumplings was inspired by her desire to give vegetarians options beyond the basic chopped cabbage fillings.
Premium Seafood
Seafood blockbuster.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Two types of seafood highly prized in China, fish and scallop, are combined for this dumpling.
Lamb and Green Pepper
It's got a little bit of color.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Chopped green bell pepper is paired with gamey lamb for crunchy texture and mild flavor.
Pork with Corn
It's like bacon-corn chowder in dumpling form.
Photo: King Yip
Yes, Dumpling Galaxy is in the business of introducing westerners to the art of Chinese dumplings, but You doesn’t limit herself to traditional ingredients. Her years in the Northeast, where autumn corn is a religion, and deep “love for all vegetables” inspired this one.
Cod with Fish Roe
Looks matter.
Photo: King Yip
You uses fish roe in this dumpling not just for its texture and salty flavor, which complements the mild cod well, but because “it looks beautiful.”
Pork and Dill
Whoa.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Turns out the licorice-flavored herb is popular in Tianjin.
Preserved Egg and Pine Nut
Other than the dumpling skin, this one is totally Paleo.
Photo: Jason Crowley
“This is one of my creations,” You says. “One day, I was cooking with preserved egg and thought, why don’t I mix them together? So I added pine nuts and cashew. It’s a little crunchy.” Don't miss this one.
Shrimp and Yam
Yam bam thank you ... shrimp?
Photo: Jason Crowley
Chinese yam is a white tuber that's sometimes rare to find here, because it is difficult to cultivate.
Hawthorn and Nuts
Nuts for nuts: The dumpling.
Photo: Jason Crowley
This one pairs peanuts and sesame — both popular in Chinese sweets — with the crabapple-like fruit, a distant cousin of Mexico’s tejocote.
Lamb and Squash
Green squash, ground lamb.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Lamb and squash are a popular combination in her native Tianjin, You tells us. She uses a type of green squash popular in China.
Lamb and Celery
Celery squared.
Photo: Jason Crowley
You finds the flavor of Chinese too strong, so she uses a combination of Chinese and Western celery for this dumpling.
Fish and Lotus Root
Go ahead and eat the lotus (root).
Photo: Jason Crowley
You is devoted to lotus root for its “special crunchy texture,” which she felt would make a great complement to tender fish.
Assorted Vegetable
Dun du du duh du dudu dun duh du Bonanza!
Photo: Jason Crowley
A bonanza of vegetables are tightly packed into this dumpling, including bamboo shoots, bok choy, cabbage, celery, corn, mushrooms, carrots, and spinach.
Hot and Spicy Beef
Looks matter.
Photo: Jason Crowley
Another essential pick. For this, You seasons the beef with homemade chile oil and a little bit of cumin. While cumin is quite popular in Tianjin, as it is in much of northern China, the dumpling is actually most in demand among her Indian friends and customers.
This is where the magic happens. Photo: Jason Crowley
Dumpling Galaxy, 42-35 Main St., nr. Franklin Ave., Flushing; 718-461-0808
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Filed Under: one of everything, dumpling galaxy, dumplings, flushing