For many of us I think the first time we try a food really affects our opinions of it. I remember the first time i had pot stickers. It was at a friends' house, and he, I, and another friend played rock paper scissors to decide who would stir the pot. I remember we did it three times in a row and every time the same friend lost. When he asked why he kept losing, i joked that it was because I was going college (meaning i was smart). while the other friend laid out the great line of "I just didn't know how to play." granted it's the definition of a "you had to be there" story, but still I fondly laugh when thinking of his very deadpan explanation of why he kept throwing out rock.
In college I remember eating at the cafeteria and quickly learning that their bad pizza still tasted better than most of their well prepared dishes. Indeed the amount of pizza and cereal I ate those first two years, it's a wonder I didn't leave college with heart disease or diabetes. But there were a few dishes they served I actually could enjoy. One such dish was their chicken and dumplings.
Why am i mentioning this? well because in Taiwan, both "pot stickers" and "dumplings" are the same food. Or rather they are called relatively the same thing in chinese, and when they say them in english they are both translated as "dumpling".
The "pot stickers" in Taiwan are either steamed or fried in restaurants, while they are usually boiled at home. They are usually filled with meat, which is normally pork, but sometimes can be shrimp, or any other meat. There are also vegetarian (usually cabbage) ones. A few chain stores offer curry, leek, and korean kimchi flavors.
While what we call "dumplings" in the west, here the equivalent are large buns that contain usually pork or cabbage. They are pretty tasty and both large enough and conveniently located in venders across the city, that just a few of them can make a nice makeshift meal if you are in a hurry. There are also large dumpling like buns that have nothing in them which for me are quite bland, but many Taiwanese swear by how yummy they are. Although i do like cooking up some egg and putting it inside the huge bun.
The picture above is of "guotie" meaning "pan sticker" (yes just trying to further confuse everything). they are basically extra long pot stickers however while i am not a fan of pot stickers I do like guotie. they are fried in a pan and i enjoy the crispy taste that gives the bottom and the wrapping is a bit thinner so they are not as chewy as pot stickers.
