Hotpot

Throughout the world, different places have their own regional foods that they are well known for. When visiting Philly, you almost have to try their Cheesesteaks. Chicago and New York have their own Claims on certain styles of Pizza, and New Orleans is know for several creole/cajun dishes. When you go to Lexington NC, you have to try the Barbecue. (The Official editorial position of this Blog is that that Lexington style is the ONLY true kind of Barbecue. )

Well, Chongqing is well known for a dish called "Hotpot". XiXi took us all out to a local Hotpot Restuarant, this one seemed pretty upscale to me. Basically, they have a Boiling Pot with various spices, etc that is heated in the middle of the table. In this picture, the Red portion in the middle Is the "Spicy" Part, and the part on the outside is the less spicy part. You can't tell from the picture, but all of this is at a rolling boil. They bring out numerous types of raw food, vegetables, meats, dumplings, etc. and then you place them in the "Hotpot" and then fish them out with Chopsticks or a scoop when they are fully cooked.

Most of the locals we saw eating there had a giant pot with only the spicy part. They must have cast iron stomach linings, because I tried dipping a corner of a cooked piece of meat in the spicy part, and it took a few minutes for my mouth to cool down. The locals would just put the stuff in there to cook for several minutes, and I'm sure eating something soaked in those spices would make some of the biggest Hot sauce/Hot wing fans I know back home give up.

It was good, but you definately need to try and hone up on your Chopsticks skills before going. For a very nice restuarant, it was very affordable too. XiXi just split the bill between all the families, and each of us paid 120 RMB, which is around $15 US, and that was including all food, drinks, a dessert made from Sweet Potatoes (See the little round cakes in the picture above) and a generous tip.

In a few years, I could see something like this becoming a popular type of restaurant in the US for big social get- togethers, something similar to the atmosphere in Japanese Steakhouses. I bet the spices would have to be toned down just a bit though... And I'm certain the prices would go up. :)

Of course, all the excitement was a bit much for Madelyn. She fell asleep sitting on my lap. (Yeah, the culture stuff is neat, but we know the main reason people are reading the blog is for cute pictures of Madelyn.)