What are you eating?

[Buffalobiian]

I think I've had the opposite development.
Over the years, it seems that my tastes develop into more and more precision, hence I've had to lower the strong spices levels to enjoy a meal.

Mine's opposite to yours.

I don't think I can differentiate the differences in taste as well as I used to when I was little. I personally don't think my tolerance for hot foods has changed over the years, but those around me seem to think so, so perhaps it's been too gradual a change for me to notice. To me it seems they're actually going backwards on the hotness scale.

I don't have to add more spice to foods to enjoy them though. The only other change (besides increasing heat tolerance) is that I tend to prefer my food (noodle broths, pizza etc) saltier than my family members.

3 weeks ago, I found a little restaurant run by a french guy and his Korean wife.
Very simple menus, maybe a tad expensive for the quantity and the place.
But their Jiaozi are just exceptionnal. I was so surprised the first time I immediately re-ordered some after finishing the very first one. I don't remember ever having such a positive reaction.

Were they of the steamed/boiled or fried variety? I prefer steamed over fried as it retains its flavour a lot better, while the fried-only variety is too oily and masks the taste.

Around a year ago however, I encountered a method where they are lightly fried before being cooked in 1.5cm of flavoured stock (usually chicken). It combines the previous methods quite nicely - retaining much of its original flavour plus the caramelised aroma of pan-fried pastry.

The restaurant that did that actually sold them as "steamed" dumplings, funnily enough. I think their "fried" variety was actually "deep fried"...