On Sale Now: Issue 2 of Above the Fold!

Stories about the many dumplings unique to the United States—and the makers dedicated to preserving their traditions under increasingly challenging conditions.

Here she is!! Complete with a cover illustration of Hawaiian-style dim sum by friend of Above the Fold Helen Quinn

Excited, nauseous, thrilled, freaking out, ultra jazzed—in a nutshell how I feel about pressing send on this email, which means that after nearly a year and a half of obsessive research, so very many incredible conversations with dumpling makers based everywhere from Boston to St. Louis to Nebraska to Houston to *both* Portlands (Oregon + Maine), an elaborate dumpling survey hatched over many Google Meet sessions with Dumpling Club’s Cathay Bi, and one carpal tunnel flare up from designing an entire publication on a laptop, we are live on Issue 2 of Above the Fold!

(Also, while I have you, some additional exciting news in Above the Fold-land. Renee Eliah’s Issue 1 essay about her mother’s bourak—and the significance of Assyrian food culture—was nominated for a James Beard Award! Consider this your nudge to read (or re-read) it.)

So, without further ado—here’s what’s now, officially, live and for sale:

• Issue 2, all by its lonesome! (Scroll to learn more about what’s inside)

Behold the Above the Fold(er)

• A special limited-edition Riso extravaganza, that doubles as a fundraiser for the Undocumented Women’s Fund. $40 will get you:

  • A copy of Issue 2

  • 2 Riso prints

  • A Riso-printed folder

  • A cheeseburger dumpling recipe card

  • An “America Runs On Dumplings” bookmark

• A “Dumplings of the USA” map, which *also* doubles as a fundraiser for the Undocumented Women’s Fund

Note: Map + Folder quantities are extremely limited (I only have 50 of each) so if you want one, act soon!

Stories from Issue 2 will start rolling out in this newsletter this summer. Also, I’m starting to explore launch events for the first time, and if I make that happen, I’ll of course report back here.

Issue 2: What’s Inside?

Issue 2 shines a light on dumplings unique to the United States, and, more specifically, the incredibly diverse and passionate makers devoted to keeping their traditions alive during increasingly challenging conditions. This includes:

• Personal narratives around Massachusetts’ unexpected relationship with crab rangoons, American-Chinese dim sum experimentation in San Francisco, and how one maker’s empanadas double as a thesis on what it means to make South American food in America.

• Tracing the century-long history of the American-Chinese egg roll, invented in New York—and the many innovations it’s since spawned.

• A detailed examination at what it takes to operate a domestic dumpling business—from startup costs and pricing to shipping headaches, labor, customer expectations, and more

• A multi-spread package exploring the dumplings unique to regions of the U.S., including Filipino-influenced pepperoni bread in Virginia Beach, Pastelitos in Miami, Peking Ravioli in Boston, Toasted Ravioli in St. Louis, Mincemeat Empanaditas in New Mexico, Osage Meat Pies in Oklahoma, and much more

• A guide to the best dumplings in Queens, the dumpling capital of America

• Recipes for homemade Chef Boyardee-style ravioli, as well as cheeseburger potstickers

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  Above the Fold was created by Leah Mennies.