Snow & Hot Pot

It snowed! In the city of four seasons like spring, snow is a rarity. The boys have been hoping for it. So even though there was only a sprinkling, it seemed like a wonderland. My second born, who had already headed out to catch his school van, came back to our downstairs intercom to report the flurries. The skies poured forth all day, and it was pretty.

The cold weather has persisted, making it the best kind of weather for hot pot. Or should I say, that our family thinks hot pot is the best meal for warming your whole body on a freezing day. Normally we go out to one of several hot pot restaurants nearby. They range from open air venues with child-size square tables to fancy restaurants decorated with chinese lattice and red lanterns. What they have in common is a hole in the middle of their tables in which is set a pot of flavorful (spicy or sour) chicken broth. The hole's heating element is connected up to a gas tank which warms things up quite a bit. Once the broth is boiling the patron chooses from a variety of raw meats, vegetables, tofu, etc to toss in the pot, cook, and eat. Our personal favorites are:
curls of shaved goat meat and pork
pea leaves
potatoes
carrots
zuchinni
mushrooms
tofu skin
erkuai (are kwhy) (a rice flour subtance sliced in flat oblong pieces)
and some times rice noodles
As things cook, they are fished out with chopsticks and dunked in a wonderful dipping sauce made from a scoop or two of broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, scallions, and crushed peanuts and sesame seeds (some of the boys also like chili powder and fermented tofu in theirs). It is a fun, active meal. This time we had a special treat as some of our dear friends gave us an electric hot pot. Below are some pictures of hot pot on a cold night at home.