I Made Dumplings at Mei Mei and It Was Worth Being a Third Wheel

Walking down Old Colony Avenue after sundown used to be a dicey proposition, but strolling into the brilliantly lit Mei Mei storefront reminded me that those memories of the old Southie have long since passed. I arrived late to the evening’s DIY dumpling class, checked in, grabbed a name tag, and received a plastic container of minced-pork filling. I quickly realized I was the only person flying solo and was directed to a table of six between two married couples—a seating arrangement that surely ruined someone’s symmetrical date night.

After introductions to charming pairs from Southie and Franklin, we surveyed our stations: water, pork mix, and a stack of delicate wrappers. Wine, beer, and cordial cocktails flowed swiftly as our instructor, Agnes—an architectural designer by day, dumpling enthusiast by night—began the tour. She pointed out the small dining area and a large window revealing the industrial kitchen, where we could spot “Hal,” a machine that can crank out up to 10,000 dumplings an hour.

Ready to begin, we learned the first step: priming the wrapper by tracing the heavily floured rim with water-wet fingers. Next came the crucial moment: depositing a “tater tot”–size dollop of pork filling into the center. This naturally sparked a brief, vigorous debate over the precise sizing of a tater tot, but once settled, it was time to fold.

Agnes wisely started us with the easy half-moon—simply folding the round disc in half and sealing the edge. The complexity quickly ramped up, progressing to the bellybutton, triangle, and multiple-pleats methods. While some students expertly executed the intricate folds, my attempts at the advanced styles mostly came out as deformed mutations of my half-moons.

Once our pork supply ran out, we moved to one of the 16 cooking stations and lightly pan-fried our creations, introducing water into the oil to achieve that golden-brown, restaurant-quality finish. Gathered around our misshapen masterpieces with wine in hand, I had to admit: Being the third wheel at dumpling class wasn’t so bad after all.

South Boston, meimeidumplings.com.

This article was first published in the print edition of the December 2025/January 2026 issue as part of a winter activities package with the headline: “The Great Indoors.”