I love Beijing's...
Trip Start
Jul 21, 2008
1
21
22
Trip End
Aug 28, 2008
Beijing,
China
Saturday, August 23, 2008
There is a very interesting Beijing dining experience that everyone should try. It is called "going out for Hot Pot." These are restaurants that are sort of a Chinese version of fondue.
The restaurants are loud and busy. You enter and are seated at a table with a large sunken gas burner in the center. Immediately a server comes out and loudly drops your dinnerware on the table in front of you: a small plate, small glass, small spoon (the Asian ladel kind that you use to eat soup) and chopsticks. All these are wrapped up together in plastic wrap in front of you. "Sanitized for your health." Thank goodness!
Everyone opens their plastic with a loud POP.
Then you are presented with a menu. You pray for an English version or a server who can speak it...otherwise YOYO. (You're on your own.)
A variation on the Chinese menu tradition of "Column A" and Column B", you have two choices:
1) Pick an animal. This can be cow, pig, chicken, ox, octopus, goat, lamb, pigeon...just to name a FEW.
2) Pick the parts you want to eat. It is a "waste not, want not" approach here, so EVERY part is available. And I do mean EVERY PART. Eyes, ears, snout, trachea, gizzard, stomach, cheek, testicles, penis, head, neck, spine...take your pick.
Then a large metal bowl is brought to the table. In it is a devider. One side is not spicy, one side is spicy. Not Texas spicy, not even Mexican spicy. This stuff is hot enough to make the devil cry! It is HOT.
The pot starts to boil, and out comes your selections. You drop in the meat and the veggies you ordered. (I like lotus root the best!) It cooks pretty fast. You dive in with your chopsticks and enjoy! Just have plenty of some ice cold beverage to kill the heat!
So, y'all should try Hot Pot! It's tasty and sociable and very Beijing! :o)
