Post by Chicago Jake on Jan 12, 2009 12:18:45 GMT -6
I don't normally read this forum, so I don't know if there are ever serious food discussions, or just attempts to make each other retch.
Whatever, this one is serious. We had a great Chinese dinner last night, called "Hot Pot." I'd never heard of this type of meal before my Chinese sister-in-law introduced it to me, but since then I've had it in Chicago's Chinatown (including last night), at her house, and in several cities in China. It was always excellent.
Basically, you get a big steel pot in the middle of your table, set on a portable propane burner. (In some restaurants, the pot is actually embedded in a hole in the middle of the table.) The pot is divided in two, and both halves are filled with broth. One half is spicy, the other is mild, but both are very flavorful.
The waitress brings small plates of raw food. Thinly sliced beef and lamb, chopped up chicken, noodles, vegetables, shrimp, fish, etc. You toss these into the broth, usually one or two at a time, wait a few minutes (it doesn't take long), and then fish them out with chopsticks or with little wire mesh scoops. You dip them in a variety of sauces, like sesame or ginger or garlic.
They generally charge a flat fee per person, so you can order all you like, and eat until you are stuffed. After you are done eating, some people like to drink the remaining broth like soup. I recommend taking it from the mild side. I drank a few spoonfuls of the hot side, and couldn't speak for about five minutes! (nobody complained about that)
It's pretty cheap, too. Our bill was less than $20 per person, and we were all stuffed. We drank the included tea, though; if you ordered beers it would probably be more.
If you get a chance to try this sort of meal, I recommend you give it a whirl. Especially if you can bring an experienced Chinese person with you to run the show......Jake
P.S. - and wear an old shirt! Mine had to go directly into the laundry when I got home.
Whatever, this one is serious. We had a great Chinese dinner last night, called "Hot Pot." I'd never heard of this type of meal before my Chinese sister-in-law introduced it to me, but since then I've had it in Chicago's Chinatown (including last night), at her house, and in several cities in China. It was always excellent.
Basically, you get a big steel pot in the middle of your table, set on a portable propane burner. (In some restaurants, the pot is actually embedded in a hole in the middle of the table.) The pot is divided in two, and both halves are filled with broth. One half is spicy, the other is mild, but both are very flavorful.
The waitress brings small plates of raw food. Thinly sliced beef and lamb, chopped up chicken, noodles, vegetables, shrimp, fish, etc. You toss these into the broth, usually one or two at a time, wait a few minutes (it doesn't take long), and then fish them out with chopsticks or with little wire mesh scoops. You dip them in a variety of sauces, like sesame or ginger or garlic.
They generally charge a flat fee per person, so you can order all you like, and eat until you are stuffed. After you are done eating, some people like to drink the remaining broth like soup. I recommend taking it from the mild side. I drank a few spoonfuls of the hot side, and couldn't speak for about five minutes! (nobody complained about that)
It's pretty cheap, too. Our bill was less than $20 per person, and we were all stuffed. We drank the included tea, though; if you ordered beers it would probably be more.
If you get a chance to try this sort of meal, I recommend you give it a whirl. Especially if you can bring an experienced Chinese person with you to run the show......Jake
P.S. - and wear an old shirt! Mine had to go directly into the laundry when I got home.
