Greetings from Beijing, where baozi are worth the wait in line

Jennifer Pak/NPR

To get the best food in China, I'm told you have to stand in line.

That's true for baozi — a fluffy steamed bun with filling. My go-to in Shanghai is dried tofu and veg.

I don't eat it often because I hate waiting.

But when I was assigned a story about Chinese breakfasts, I dutifully queued at a bun shop outside a Beijing park. I snagged baozi stuffed with their bestseller — soy sauce pork — also an eggplant and green pepper, plus one with pickled veg.

Juice from the fillings stained the buns. That's an indicator of a good bun, Beijing resident Samantha Zhao told me as she took part in a baozi-making workshop at a trendy shop called Bao Er Jiu. She was making the Beijing classic, juicy fennel pork baozi.

Bao Er Jiu also serves eye-catching pineapple-shaped buns, though the signature flavor is chocolate red bean — tasty and not too sweet.

If I pass this shop again — and if the line moves fast — maybe I will wait for baozi.