If you’re like me, you had never heard of Bafang Dumpling (singular, not plural!) before the first American branch opened in the busy Puente Hills Mall in the City of Industry. And that does not speak well of our knowledge of global culinary obsessions. Just consider: Last year, Bafang sold 1.
2 billion (that’s billion with a B!) dumplings in its more than 1,100 shops in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. That’s not bad, not bad at all, for a chain started by a former math teacher who began making dumplings in his home to feed his students. He also worked as a car mechanic.
And was having little luck making ends meet, until it struck him that his homemade dumplings could be the answer. As the founder, known only as Mr. Lin, tells us in his online bio, “Potstickers were a favorite — a crunchy bottomed dumpling filled with flavorful meat and veggies.
Who could resist? They brought the kids so much joy. Smiles beaming over the steaming potstickers. With the mindset to create a better life for his family and his community, he opened the first Bafang Dumpling store in Taiwan.
..” That was in 1998.
And during the last 26 years, Mr. Lin’s concept has expanded logarithmically, turning into a publicly traded company — and the leading purveyor of fast food on the island of Taiwan. And why wouldn’t they be? The potstickers are “cooked on a griddle, allowing the bottom a delicious crunchy texture.
” Meanwhile, “the unique shape of Bafang’s dumpling resembles yuanbao, an .
