No one knows when hot pot was created, but everyone knows it is the best choice of Chinese in winter.
Even quite a distance away from those hot pot restaurants, the fragrance in the air, and images it conjures, will slow your steps.
A large collection of soups are at your tongue’s service, which can set off different tastes of dishes.
The most popular soup, also the cheapest one, is “yuan yang guo” (the hot pot is separated into two part, which is like the mandarin ducks that always appear in pairs).
The advantage of this soup is that one side of it is very hot while the other is not, which can satisfy different taste among a group of friends.
The delicious “suan cai yu” soup (pickled Chinese cabbage stewed with fish) is a specialty of Sichuan dishes as well as the hot pot.
Although these soups are tasty, they are only good for a short time because continued heating creates harmful byproducts.
A bowl of seasoning, sesame oil with diced garlic, chili sauce of all levels, will make the boiling sliced pork and beef, mushroom and green vegetables nice.
Why not have a try?
（Shanghai Star 12/25/2000）
