“狗不理”包子

18　“狗不理”包子　Goubuli Steamed Stuffed Buns

Tourists who visit Tianjin(天津)can't miss the famous local snack called Goubuli Steamed Stuffed Buns.Made with half-fermented flour dough，each bun is shaped like chrysanthemum and contains juicy meat stuffing.More than 100 years ago，there was a peasant family named Gao(高)，and the father gave his son an infant name Gouzi(doggy，狗子)when he was born.

When Gouzi was 14 years old，his father had someone take him to Tianjin to begin an apprenticeship in a food shop to learn how to make steamed stuffed buns.Because he was clever，hardworking，and focused in preparing buns，Gouzi quickly became on expert at his trade.

After finishing his apprenticeship，Gouzi set up his own food shop to sell his buns.Due to his excellent skill，the reputation of Gouzi's buns grew daily as more and more customers went to his shop.

Gouzi was so busy making buns in his shop that he did not have time to talk to his customers.Thus some people made a joke，saying，“Gouzi sells buns and takes no notice of his customers.”As days went by，people habitually called him Goubuli instead of Gouzi.Furthermore，they even named his buns as“Goubuli Buns，”which literally means“Gouzi takes no notice of his customers.”As“goubuli”refers to his buns，its meaning went even further suggesting，“Even dogs are not interested in steamed stuffed buns.”Unexpectedly the unique name greatly promoted Gouzi's business.

As his goubuli business continued to expand，Gouzi decided to use a graceful trademark for his shop，rather than the nickname of goubuli，which sounded unpleasant.The new name was called“Dejuhao(德聚号)，”which means“virtues gathering.”In spite of the change，customers continued referring to Gouzi's buns as goubuli.

Governor Yuan Shikai(袁世凯)was greatly satisfied with goubuli Steamed Stuffed Buns.Once Governor Yuan went to the imperial palace，he presented the buns to Empress Dowager Cixi(慈禧太后).The empress also thought they were delicious and had her servants take a special trip to Tianjing to purchase goubuli buns.The special purchase greatly enhanced the reputation of goubuli Steamed Stuffed Buns.

Notes: 1)ferment 发酵 2)dough 面团 3)chrysanthemum 菊花 4)juicy 多汁的 5)apprenticeship 学徒身份 6)nickname 绰号