I have arrived back in the States! Overall, I would rate the trip positively, though like an olive in a cupcake there were moments of unexpected misery amidst this otherwise frosty cakey treat. Stay tuned for those salty posts.
The highlights of any business trips are always been those moments when I can escape the overcast skies of meetings and engineering reviews to hang out with friends. In Beijing, the friends of choice are Charlotte and Josh.

Charlotte and Josh both grew up in China so they speak great Mandarin and dig the Chinese culture. More importantly than all that, they are both truly wonderful people. I was first introduced to them through Mika who, incidentally, is moving back to Beijing this summer and will certainly find herself on my list of favorite people to visit while overseas.
The night before my flight to the states I met up with Charlotte and Josh and we made dumplings!
Charlotte taught me how to fold the dumplings her way (above), and Josh showed me his way (below), which he described as a much simpler technique used as a desperate means of trying to keep up with Charlotte’s expert speed.

Here’s my MSPaint representation of how to fold a dumpling.
Special thanks to Charlotte and Josh for welcoming me during my trip.
Here’s an Animated Gif of Charlotte, Josh, as once again I setup my camera wrong with its delay setting.
Oh the joys of laughter!
Oh how I wish I had been there! I can’t wait to move back so that I can partake in these awesome evenings too! Tell your company to keep sending you back!
Okay, I found that diagram a bit confusing, but know it is for Charlotte’s method. Basically, it looks (from the photo) like you pleat the edges a bit. How does Josh make his version? They look rather like nice tortellini – And to make this post complete, where is the recipe????
Oops! I realize in looking back that the side views are confusing. Basically you’re just pushing and manipulating the open ends, the inside remains a little pocket right from the first step.
Yes, you pleat one side of the dumpling so that it curves into a C shape. I’ll have to see if I can get the recipe from Charlotte. They were amazing!!
Thanks! Looking forward to making some!