DUMPLING PICKS #014 outlines big and small, loud and quiet signals from Asia 🔮
Editor’s Note: From interior design inspired by bananas to the rise of ‘pingti everything’ in China, this issue highlights signals that reflect the spirit of the times in Asia. Thank you so much for sticking around despite my serendipitous publishing schedule 🤪 – Happy Weekend, Jess
Lighter Fare 🧋
Exploring creativity across Asia.
Singaporean Gen Z breathing new life into a family fishball business 🍢 A new luxury train itinerary in Malaysia 🇲🇾 Drooling over regional Indonesian heritage food here, also over what this Malaysian chef cooks at home 🤤 Fine dining tableware made from Hong Kong seashells 🐚 Interior design inspired by bananas 🍌 Bringing attention to forgotten ingredients 💭 Food for beauty: Introducing the Matcha Eye Serum 🍵 And by the way I’m making micro batches of ice cream in Asian flavours as a creative weekend project 🍨
Serious Stuff 🍚
Big factors influencing life, culture and business across Asia.
One of the many first steps in closing the gap between Hong Kong and China’s separate (transport, payment, digital, lifestyle) ecosystems 🚅 A survey shows, for the first time ever, majority of ASEAN favours China over the US ⚔️ Supplement safety fears in Japan 💀 South Korea is planning for wheat self-sufficiency for myeon 🍜, mandus 🥟 and ppang 🍞 Japan is protecting food from a particular geographic origin as intellectual property (really smart soft power move) 👩🏻🌾
China Special 🇨🇳
A tiny effort to decode China.
‘Lying Flat’ (躺平) is so 2020, the latest is ‘bland-dom’ (淡人), and comparing #浓人vs淡人 is hot these days 😑 Sleep milk powders for adults because Chinese people aren’t sleeping well (#睡不着怎么办 has over 75 million views on Xiaohongshu) 😴 An innovator of AI fashion design from China, who secured contracts with celebrities 👗 China’s growing pingti (平替) mindset, aka the seeking of cheaper/easier/lazier alternatives, is influencing not only retail but also driving the rise of ‘pingti travelling’ and ‘pingti jobs’ 💸
Thank You 🙇🏻♀️
Last but not least, thank you Michelle Koh for including 🥟 in this article for The Drum 🥁
“Common narratives we see today portray Asia as this monolithic giant, with media and brands fixated on its vast land, population, and market potential. While the macro aspects of Asia are undeniable, culture evolution often begins in small and intimate ways. From Jakarta's Sor Ride, which brings a creative dimension to an otherwise stressful local cycling experience, to Mumbai’s Noon, which centers on small batches of native ingredients foraged by local tribes – some of the most culturally impactful experiences aren’t propelled by grand market expansion plans, but rooted in local dynamics and passions.”
Jess Tang • DUMPLING