Add this new 🥟 spot to your list

Happy Friday, Boston.

🚍 Heads up: Shuttle buses will replace Red Line service between Alewife and Kendall/MIT this weekend. The good news? The track work that’s getting done should *hopefully* remove a slow zone. Fingers crossed!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Sumner tunnel update!

• Beware the borg

• Chelmsford soda

Up first…

THINGS TO DO

Make way for dumplings!

Looking for something to do that isn’t just going out to dinner? Add Mei Mei’s dumpling-making classes to your list. They’re not only super fun, but you’ll also leave super full. Here’s what to know if you’re making plans to go:

🥟 Sound familiar? Mei Mei has been around for over a decade. The concept started as a food truck and turned into a brick-and-mortar restaurant, then pivoted to teaching virtual classes and selling dumplings at farmers markets during COVID. Fast forward to today, and they’ve opened a huge space in Southie that triples as a dumpling factory, cafe, and teaching space.

🥟 How’s it going? Pretty well! The new factory has only been open since January and sells over 15,000 dumplings a week. Their dumpling classes have been selling out quickly, too, so if you’re interested, book it ASAP.

🥟 What’s the class like? It’s only two hours long, but they pack in a TON. Our instructor showed us a slew of folding techniques — some of which are easier than others. Thankfully, the team floats around during class to help if your folds are looking rough. After learning how to properly pan sear and steam our dumplings, we finally got to try them. And no matter how they look, they taste like a hug.

🥟 It’s a little pricey, but a worthy investment. In-person classes will run you $88, but you’ll not only make a ton of dumplings to eat and take home, but you’ll also gain the skills to host your own dumpling-making party. But if that’s out of your budget, they also offer virtual classes for $33. You can book a class here. (And if you just want dumplings made by the pros, Mei Mei’s cafe is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.)

🥟 Want to see how the dumplings get made? Tap the link below to take a look inside Mei Mei’s dumpling factory.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚘 The Sumner Tunnel won’t be closed all summer. To make travel less of a headache, Mass. is cutting down the number of weeks the Sumner Tunnel will be closed for repairs. It’ll still be closed for most of July and August, but that’s half as long as originally planned. Just remember: The tunnel will still be closed on the weekends until it’s fully closed in July. And to make up for lost time, it'll be closed again in the summer of 2024.

🧑‍⚖️ Cheating doesn’t justify murder. At least that’s according to a recent Mass. Supreme Court ruling saying that people facing murder charges can no longer use their partners’ infidelity to reduce their charges. More specifically, the court ruled that a partner telling their spouse they cheated on them is insufficient provocation to justify lowering a first-degree murder charge to voluntary manslaughter going forward. So, “heat of passion” arguments are no more in Mass.

😅 Beware the “borg.” Short for “blackout rage gallon,” this new (and massive) drink concoction being toted around on college campuses is like Jungle Juice on steroids. A borg is typically a gallon jug filled with water, vodka, a caffeinated drink, water flavoring, and liquid IV. And while students may think the electrolytes somehow balance out the eight to 16 shots of vodka, doctors weren’t born yesterday, and warn that there is no safe method of binge drinking.

📺 The Boston Globe is getting a TV show! The newspaper will be expanding into TV news this spring with “Boston Globe Today,” a weekday show produced in partnership with NESN. The 30-minute long program will be hosted by veteran TV host Segun Oduolowu Monday through Thursday covering the region's biggest stories, from politics to pop culture. And Globe sports columnist Christopher Gasper will host a sports roundtable on Fridays.

ONE LAST THING

Chelmsford has a soda of its very own

What does Chelmsford taste like? Probably like a super sweet ginger ale.

At least, that’s what Chelmsford soda tastes like. The Market Basket brand ‘Chelmsford Golden Ginger Ale’ is a drink with a ton of local history. Boston.com’s Wickedpedia reports Chelmsford used to be the destination for ginger ale in the early 1900s, thanks to the Chelmsford Spring Company, later called the Chelmsford Ginger Ale Company.

The company was bought out by Canada Dry in 1931, which continued making the drink until 2003. Market Basket swooped in and saved the drink, continuing to sell the pop with help from Polar Beverages. Now you know.

🥤 Thanks for reading! Brb on my way to MB to try Chelmsford soda for the first time.

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