I got to try my first “hot pot” today. Here’s how this thing works: There’s a bubbling cauldron in the middle of the table with a few select vegetables and spices in it, depending on the tastes of the diners. The pot is traditionally heated with charcoal, but ours this day was with a propane canister. So, in the pictures, you’ll see the thick orange tube running to the burner under the pot. Once the pot is boiling, you put thin strips of meat (we had mutton and beef) or vegetables on ladles and dip it in the pot where it cooks for maybe a minute or two. You then can dip it in some more spices or sauce and eat it. We had this tasty sesame seed sauce.

We went to enjoy the all-you-can eat Hot Pot in appreciation of one of our co-workers, PT, who will soon be heading back to the United States for a permanent gig there.

(l-r)   1) The gang cookin’ and 2) PT (who is Vietnamese, not Chinese) takes a dip