IT WAS 1 A.M., but I couldn’t put my phone down. I found myself immersed deep in the endless scroll of TikTok, watching videos of people making tanghulu, a Chinese street snack of sugar-coated fruit. I was mesmerized as they gently dipped skewers of plump red strawberries into a pan of scalding hot, bubbling sugar. The fruit emerged encased in a glasslike coating, as smooth and clear as an ice rink moments after a Zamboni completed its run. Once the fruit had cooled, the cooks would take a giant