Cake, wine and porky parcels

So - kitchen work. Fingers get cut and arms are burned.

And often they all belong to me.



Shifts might come with their hazards but I'm quite lucky really.

I get to scoff plates of staff food whipped up by five-star chefs as the first orders roll in for service and taste trays of freshly baked cakes (okay, so they're not necessarily created for me but quality control is a great thing). I sample wine off the shelf and top baristas put unbeatable cups of coffee down before my very eyes to knock back whilst scrubbing saucers.

And last night a friend, a Chinese barista and accountancy student, made me a hundred pork dumplings.

They weren't all for me, of course, though I did my best. Each was a prettily pinched parcel of minced pork and seasoning (soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar), boiled in water until fat and puffy, then served in bowls with soy and chilli sauce and dark vinegar.

Chop sticks optional.

Depending on which part of China you're from, dumplings are eaten as a simple brunch or at special occasions.

In Auckland they're incredibly moreish anytime, but particularly on a dark, wet night.