A Spreadsheet of Dumplings

My roommate and I have rated every dumpling spot within walking distance of our apartment in a shared spreadsheet. There are forty-one entries. There are columns for "wrapper chew," "soup factor," and "would bring my mom."

It started as a joke in January. By June, it was a full-time hobby. We've found a tiny Georgian place with khinkali the size of fists, a basement in Chinatown with the world's best pork and chive, and a Nepali counter where the owner insisted we try momos with a tomato chutney so good my roommate gasped.

The best part is the people. The Georgian chef now waves when we walk by. The Nepali owner asked to see the spreadsheet and gave himself an extra half point.

Our current number one is a cart that only appears on Saturdays. We're not telling anyone where. Some data is sacred.