Billions of Chinese eat hot pot, and for visitors to China, this is one dining experience that should be sampled not just for the food but for the culture surrounding it.
Some call it China’s fondue, as guests cook thinly sliced meats in a pot of boiling broth seasoned with scallions, mushrooms and ginger. Vegetables, seafood, rice and other items also get cooked, although the Chinese feel there is an art to cooking your own food at a hot pot and often follow a cooking order that begins with the meats.
Hot pots going back 2,000 years have been found by archaeologists, and China’s southern provinces often have at least one hot pot in a restaurant to appeal to the masses, which should include you, at some point.
