"Din Tai Fung with Farley Elliott" is Episode 337 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Din Tai Fung with Farley Elliott" was released on February 17, 2022.
"Tomorrow... with Farley Elliott @overoverunder" - @doughboypod
Synopsis[]
Food writer Farley Elliott (Eater LA, LA Street Food) and the 'boys discuss how the pandemic has affected the restaurant industry before a review of Din Tai Fung. Plus, a winter-themed Slop Quiz.
Nick's intro[]
"Taiwan is the first country that can watch."
This quote, delivered in Mandarin in a promotional interview for the ninth Fast and Furious film given with Taiwanese media outlet, TVBS, provoked a PR disaster for the man who said it, WWE superstar turned to movie star, John Cena. The seemingly innocuous acknowledgment of Taiwanese sovereignty stirred a massive backlash in mainland China, leading Cena to issue an emphatic retraction and apology (also in Mandarin). This gesture ignited its own backlash in the US, which saw the video statement on Weibo as a craven cave to the Chinese government in exchange for international box-office revenue.
John Cena
It's hardly the first China-centric free-speech controversy in the West. Sports fans saw the NBA and its stars cower in silence after China financially retaliated for then-Houston Rockets GM Darryl Morey's tweet in support of the Hong Kong protests. And while easy and fun to condemn celebrities for failing to speak up when their wealth is threatened by a totalitarian state, such is a feature not a bug of multinational capitalism.
Futurists of the recent past predicted the internet would lead to a global free-speech movement, whereas in reality, the opposite has happened. Nations have more effectively throttled communication by holding hostage the revenue of multinational corporations. Apple, publicly emphatic about its commitment to user privacy, but reliant on both Chinese manufacturing and China's enormous customer base, agreed to host user data on government-controlled servers as a cost of doing business in the region.
But while capitalism has been ruinous for freedoms, worker rights, and the environment worldwide, it has been an incredible boon for dining.
In 1958, Bingyi Yang, a refugee from mainland China, opened a cooking-oil shop with his wife Penmei Lai in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei. In 1970, the couple began selling xiao long bao (literally translated as 'little dumpling in a basket') out of their shop and by 1972 had pivoted fully to being a restaurant. The concept quickly grew long lines, and expanded locally, and, in time, internationally, opening a Tokyo branch in 1996 and a US outlet in the majority-Asian-American city of Arcadia, California in 2000. Today, the chain has 170 outlets in thirteen countries and is revered for its quality of food and service and its staggering consistency across multinational locations.
And while the geopolitical status of Taiwan remains unresolved and a public-relations third rail, the status of Taiwan's most famous restaurant export is above reproach: the rare chain to be awarded a coveted Michelin star.
This week on Doughboys, Din Tai Fung.
Fork rating[]
art via Solid Gold Art
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
5 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
6 forks |
| Farley Elliott |
|
5 forks |
| shared |
|
Spoonman's Bite of the Night went to the Truffle & Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao.
Mitch gives Din Tai Fung the elusive six fork rating, which had previously only been given to Bonchon Chicken.
These scores place Din Tai Fung in the Platinum Plate Club.
Slop Quiz: Ice Try[]
In Slop Quiz, Nick presents a food-related exam (pop quiz) and Mitch and the guest compete for superiority.
For this episode, the theme is winter. (This is considered the 2022 Winter Doughlympics.)
Nick offers a chain restaurant, and they have to guess whether the chain offers cube ice or nugget ice.
| restaurant | Mitch's guess | Farley's guess | correct | score (MM - FE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald's | cube | - | cube | 1-0 |
| Sonic Drive-In | nugget | - | nugget | 2-0 |
| Chick-fil-A | - | nugget | nugget | 2-1 |
| Starbucks | cube | - | cube | 3-1 |
| The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf | - | cube | nugget | 3-1 |
| Raising Cane's | - | nugget | nugget | 3-2 |
| Five Guys | - | nugget | cube | 3-2 |
| 7-Eleven | cube | - | cube | 4-2 |
| Circle K | - | cube | nugget | 4-2 |
| ampm | nugget | - | both | 4-2 |
Mitch is crowned the Ice King!
Roast Spoonman[]
Dolly Parton
| “ | Dolly Fartin' | ” |
–Daniel Schlosser | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | You make me squeal You make me squeal |
” |
–Mitch taking "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" back for the 'boys | ||
| “ | Give loose chicken back to the 'boys! | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | Farley: I would like to make a challenge to the both of you right now. Every time on this episode that you refer to an item of food as "good" (the most meaningless term in food), that we will tally it up and you'll donate $2 for every instance to the Independent Restaurant Coalition. Mitch: Fuck! The Doughboys' bank account is gonna be depleted! |
” |
–Farley's challenge | ||
The Feedbag[]
| “ | Have you ever had any misunderstanding or miscommunication when ordering food in another country? Or since I know Nick hasn't crossed an ocean, this can also apply to just visiting other parts of the US. | ” |
–Stinky | ||
| guest / host | miscommunication in another country |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
| Mike MItchell |
|
| Farley Elliott |
|
Photos[]
