Only a few things in the world is as complete, perfect, and consistent as the Din Tai Fung’s Pork & Crab Xiaolongbao.

Someday I will write a Pablo Neruda-esque ode about it but I’m just going to be prosaic for now.

It’s a micro-cosmos onto itself—the amalgam of flaky briny crab meat and the rich fatty pork suspended inside the hot broth that will burst as your tear open the silky yet chewy wrapping like an amniotic sac.

It’s like a big bang of flavor and texture in your in your mouth.

I always look forward to the first one—I know the broth might burn my tongue but I can’t wait as I’m served the first stack and the seductive steam rises.

I gently cradle one on to the porcelain spoon lined with threads of ginger. I pour a bit of vinegar which spill throughout the exact 18 folds twisted into a golden spiral.

I use the chopstick to transport the saturated, aromatic infused dumpling, still in its resilient, almost translucent skin into my mouth as I’m smacking with anticipation.

The whirl of the folds

The squish at the bite

The succulence of stuffing

The crisp of the ginger

The scent of ocean and fat

It’s all synesthetic as I consume the dumpling with all my five senses.