Alyssa Horrobin
Food has a way of bringing people
together.
Maybe it’s a “hey want to grab dinner
sometime?” and then you’re sitting across
from someone at a restaurant on your first
date, poring over the menu so you don’t
make the wrong decision.
Perhaps it’s Christmas dinner at
Grandma’s house with the extra leaf in the
table and candles that only get brought out
once a year and the same food traditions
you’ve had since you were a kid.
Even something as simple as trading
lunch on the schoolyard bench or people
watching with your friends at the mall food
court.
One of the best community food
experiences I’ve ever had is something
called hot pot. It’s a Chinese meal that can
differ completely in taste depending on
what city in China you’re eating in, but the
concept stays the same.
The preparation is a flurry of activity,
the kitchen full and everyone chopping up a
different vegetable or meat. A soup base is
made (spicy or mild, depending on who’s
eating it and what they prefer) and poured
into a large pot in the middle of the table
that sits on a hot plate. Then you just add
water to the pot and place the different
plates or containers of food around it on the
table.
Here is the best part. Normally, the
busyness of a meal ends when the
preparation for it is finished. But when
everyone sits down to eat hot pot, that’s
when the fun really begins.
The soup stays on a continuous boil or
simmer through the whole meal, which is a
non-stop food frenzy. You pick things from
around the table and put them in the soup.
When they have cooked to your liking, you
put them in your bowl and eat them. This
process is repeated by every person around
the table at the same time until everyone is
full. Oh, and did I mention this is all done
with chopsticks? Spoons are for the weak.
The beauty of this meal can be found in
two factors. First, you can literally put
whatever you want into the soup. Each
person participating can choose or bring
their favourite vegetables, herbs or meat.
You simply take what you want from the
communal pot.
The other factor is that this meal is a
true experience, and one of my favourites.
The almost competitive participation in hot
pot leaves no time for anyone to be on their
cell phones and yet takes too much time to
pull an ‘eat and run’ as you rush out the
door. It’s more than just eating, it’s creating
and spending time together.
In China, whenever a group of friends
or family gets together, hot pot is the go-to
meal.
I tried it for the first time about a year
ago and have since then jumped at every
opportunity that comes my way to take part
in this very interactive meal.
If you have never experienced hot pot, I
hope you make the time to take part in it or
create your own someday. There is
something to be said about such a
fast-paced meal that can somehow also
cause you to slow down and enjoy good
food and the people around you.
And like myself, you’ll be able to say
you’ve eaten soup with chopsticks.
Tell us on Facebook about your adventures with food this month,
or tweet us @thehubWE #foodmatters
December 2017/January 2018 - The HUB 7