Hot Pot

 Taichung is famous for their "hot pot" meals. Last Saturday we went to a buffet-style hot pot restaurant with a few families from our church. It was a fun way to eat!

Step 1:
- Everyone claims their spot at the table with their own built-in hot pot and heat controls.

Step 2:
- A server takes orders for which soup broth people would like.

Step 3:
- Everyone goes to the refrigerated section where you take some tongs and load up on raw meats, veggies, blood sausages, seaweeds, mushrooms, fish balls, uncooked noodles, clams, and mystery foods.







Step 4:
- Then comes the concocting of your own sauce. In all of those tin pots are different sauce ingredients. There is a base paste that is specific to "hot pot" which must have some ground anchovies and spices, then there are other things to mix in such as soy sauce, vinegar, garlic soupy stuff, ginger tidbits, some herbs, some hot chili oily stuff, and I know there was something else...I just can't remember.

Step 5:
- Of course there is some rice and pot-stickers to load up on too. It wouldn't be a bonafide meal without them :)






Step 6:
- Return to the table to boil everything in the pots, dip in your personalized sauce, and enjoy.

Step 7:
- Repeat steps 3 through 6 as desired.

Step 8:
- Enjoy all you can eat ice cream buffet.

Julien's favorite hot pot food item were the clams. He loved how they opened up when they were cooked.