Dessert Vendy Nominee Long Tzi Tang’s Yao Puts On A One Man Show

The finalists for the Dessert Vendy Awards came out the other day, and among the hipster trucks and carts was a non-flashy one from Chinatown. That would be Yao’s Long Tzi Tang (Dragon Beard Candy), which has its spot on Canal St. (btw. Mott & Mulberry). I was clued into this cart recently by Food In Mouth, which is great because I rarely walk that far down on Canal in search of lunch and never would have known it was there otherwise. Click through to see the sugary magic.They are clearly used to tourists (and bloggers) taking photos of them, as the woman beckoned me over to the side of the cart to get a better view of the candy making.

There was a lot of pulling and stretching involved by Yao, in a vat of what looked like powdered sugar. The woman was standing by the little vat of the nutty filling. It’s then rolled into little oblong shapes that look like cocoons, but (I’m guessing here) taste so much better.

The container of six is $3, which sounds expensive, but once you watch the process and the fact that they’re trying to make a living selling a single product, I think it’s fair. You might want to be hungry when you buy these because I learned that they’re best when fresh from the cart, and stick together and become hard if they sit. If you’re heading to the Vendy Awards on Sept. 25 (which are sold out), you can try this along with the four other nominees. I’m thinking the candy would taste delicious as an ice cream topping.

Yao’s Long Tzi Tang cart, Canal St. (btw. Mott & Mulberry)

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