Mei Mei encourages 'dumpling disloyalty' to spread the love this AAPI Heritage Month

Sure, the team behind Mei Mei Dumplings wants people to have their own creations: a fried lemongrass pork dumpling, for instance, or a cheddar-scallion potato offering.

But this May, for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they also want Boston-area dumpling lovers to try dumplings made by other local Asian-owned restaurants. And they’re incentivizing that exploration with a campaign they’re calling Dumpling Disloyalty.

“We always say that dumplings make the world go round,” said Annie Campbell, managing partner at Mei Mei. “But this Dumpling Disloyalty campaign is intended to encourage our fans to support as many Asian-owned businesses in Massachusetts as we can, just to spread the dumpling love.”

People who buy dumplings from eight Asian-owned restaurants and send their receipts to news@meimeidumplings.com will get Mei Mei merch and a gift certificate for their next Mei Mei order.

“We had our first completions this past weekend,” Campbell said. “Folks came in — all excitedly — and have already been eating their Mei Mei dumplings as a result. So we love seeing everyone posting on social media. It's been really fun to see all of the pictures rolling in from all the different businesses across the state.”

All kinds of Asian dumplings will do, from bao to gyoza to shumai to samosas.

“Pretty much every culture has a dumpling,” said Campbell. “I grew up with [an] Italian grandmother's ravioli as the closest thing to a dumpling for me.”

And while ravioli, pierogies, and chicken and dumplings are all wonderful, Mei Mei is keeping this promotion to Asian-owned businesses this month.

The national coalition Stop AAPI Hate reported more than 11,400 hate incidents against Asian Americans reported in the United States between March 2020 and March 2022.

“We don't want to speak lightly about these incidences of hatred that have been displayed in anti-Asian racism,” Campbell said. “My business partner Irene [Li] speaks up a lot about this and really has great messaging and great support and holding space within the community for folks to sit with that and kind of wrestle with it and speak out against it and be a safe space. So we try to be a very welcoming place at Mei Mei, welcome everyone who wants to come in. And the dumplings are, you know, the way forward for us. They're the things that keep us connected to our community.”

Mei Mei itself, which started as Chef Irene Li’s food truck in 2012, has gone through a transformation in recent years. During the initial COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, it closed its location in the Fenway and pivoted to offering packaged dumplings and virtual cooking classes. They have since opened a space in South Boston, where they make dumplings and offer in-person cooking classes.

“We have been manufacturing dumplings like crazy, and we've been so thrilled to welcome folks back into our space for our classes,” Campbell said. “It's been wonderful to be able to share and make dumplings with our guests again.”