The XLB at Dragon Beaux (& Koi Palace and MY China) are a good example of the question behind Kauffman’s article. They use machines to form the dumplings, so the chef’s training and consistency drops out as an issue. They use high-quality ingredients, so to some degree the inability of the machines to produce thin skins can be forgiven. The dyed skins are a clever distraction from the dumpling’s lack of translucency. However, in support of the trend towards food voyeurism, the rainbow of spoon-diapered XLB provide a more passive, but perhaps more pretty, photo compared to the DTF “saggy XLB” action shot.
