Hot pot

Hello! Today, I am reporting LIVE from a Chinese hot pot restaurant where we will be enjoying a delicious meal.

I was greeted by a panda bear when I arrived at the restaurant.

"你好！" he said.

"你好!" I replied.  (你好 means "hello" in Chinese - I have been studying Chinese with Uncle Tibbs).

I was also pleased to see panda bear cushions on every one of the chairs in the restaurant. This is a very bear-friendly restaurant so far.

For those who have never visited a hot pot restaurant before, let me explain briefly what it is. You first choose a delicious broth and the server brings it to your table. These are special tables with a cooking plate built into it.

Let's turn it up to a roiling boil!

While the broth is boiling, the server has brought out all the ingredients we have selected for our hot pot. These can be vegetables, noodles, meat, and FISH!

One of the most important parts of the hot pot experience is the sauce. To my right here, you can see I've created a fabulous concoction of soy sauce, scallions, garlic, and hoisin sauce. There is no right or wrong answer here. You can put anything into your sauce.

It's important to keep the raw food plates and utensils away from the cooked items so they won't be contaminated. Add the raw items into the broth one by one until they are fully cooked. It usually doesn't take long since the meat is sliced very thinly.

That's a lot of food! My favorite item here are the FISH BALLS! Enjoy your hot pot!