Livin' In The Chonx

Tian Jin Bao Zi 天津包子
•    ~.5 RMB/bun

Another staple that has trickled down from Northern China, small shops that sell these dot every street.  But don’t settle for just any steamed bun shop, keep a look out for the Tianjin characters.  Tianjin is a city located north of Beijing and the most famous brand of steamed buns, Gou Bu Li* 狗不理, originates in Tianjin.  They can be stuffed with meat or vegetables, or for dessert opt for sweet red bean paste (Dou Sha-豆沙) or sesame seeds mixed with sugar.

*According to historians and oral accounts, the name of this brand comes from the story of an abandoned boy.  According to the story, a family found the boy in a dumpster and adopted him, nicknaming him “Doggy” (a reference to how lucky he was to not have been eaten by dogs).  The boy grew up to create a prosperous steamed bun business and soon he was too busy with the teeming business to pay attention to his old friends and customers.  Thereafter they referred to him as Gou Bu Li “The dog ignores [us]”.