Play with Your Food

CHANG CHUN, China— Hot pot, as suggested by its name, is simply a pot of boiling water, seasoned or not, into which diners fling food, wait for it to cook, fish it out, and consume. I consider myself somewhat of a hot-pot connoisseur, having indulged in many delicious regional varieties, including the characteristically tasty Xi’an hot pot, the lamb hot pot of the Northeast, and the Sichuan duck-gizzard hot pot, known to be one of the spiciest foods on the planet. Yet, I continue to be impressed and surprised by the gusto and creativity with which the Chinese attack fine cuisine.

Case in point: Last Friday, a restaurant with an innocuous name and façade offered one of the most delicious and amusing culinary experiences I’ve ever had.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the restaurant was the electric trains—you know, little model trains that made adorable choo-choo noises. The whole environment, complete with oval stone bridges, frosted glass dividers, and delicate watercolor paintings, gave a quirky vibe, a mix of Eastern traditional decor and the Western industrial revolution.

The cars and cabooses chugged along tracks that circled diners’ tables, which were arranged in a big loop and named. Ours was the Beijing Station Platform #6. Each car carried a plate of food that diners could reach out and grab as the train passed by. With four looping tracks, and each vehicle carrying dishes with different prices, I counted at least 35 food options to hot pot, including five types of mushrooms (one, a cutely shaped species I’d never seen in America before). The food delivery method created an amusing, interactive buffet, a clever combination of eating and entertainment. I had never seen anything like it.

Even cleverer: the way the meal was marketed. Diners pay the base price, plus the cost of whatever dishes they eat. Because a waitress would arrive at your station and remove the empty plates, there was an urge to always grab more from the toy trains, which passed by with convenient frequency. All this encouraged patrons to completely stuff themselves. Which I totally did.

And, did I mention the hot pot itself was absolutely delicious?


Helen X. Yang ’12 is a Crimson news writer in Adams House.