Claire_Cultural Immersion

For my Cultural Immersion assignment, I wanted to 'immerse' myself in a cuisine entirely different from what I am used to rather than going to a religious service. So, when Fei invited me to her Hot Pot dinner I was ecstatic to try this traditional Chinese cuisine. Prior to my experience, Hot Pot was described to me as Chinese fondue.

Brian and I drove to Fei's friend's house, who is also from China, out in Miccosukee. We got a little lost and almost turned around and headed home, but then we found the beautiful brick house in the middle of an open field. When walked in we were greeted by Fei, five of her friends, and a table decorated with all of the different ingredients used for the meal. It worked out well with the small group we had because too many diners sharing one pot could lead to spills and longer cooking times. In the middle, there is literally a hot pot of simmering water, spices, some kind of soup broth, and pieces of meat. It is "hot" as in temperature and spicy! Around the pot of broth, Fei set our prawns, tofu, crab, quail eggs, sliced meat, mushrooms, seaweed, scallops, tripe, and a variety of fish rolled into balls.

Fei explained to us that hot pot is a very popular dish in China because it is a communal meal where everyone can contribute something. She told us that where she comes from many families cannot afford to buy a lot of food for themselves so joining forces with others is a great way to stay nourished and feed your family. Chinese hot pot has been around for more than 1,000 years! It originated in the north, and then spread to southern China during the Tang Dynasty. In time, regional variations developed with different ingredients such as seafood and the availabilities of different types of vegetables. By the Qing Dynasty, the hot pot became popular throughout most of China. Today hot pot is used in many modern homes, particularly in the big cities. We all sat down with our bowls and started picking out ingredients then dumping them into the pot. You have to keep an eye on each ingredient so it is not undercooked or overcooked when you eat it. Expensive and delicate ingredients, such as the scallops and quail eggs, are put into what looks like a mini strainer, hung on the side of the pot, and cooked individually. It is important to watch your food not only to monitor the cooking time but also making sure no one steals it! 

Mini strainer given to each person to cook certain ingredients and, of course, chop sticks!

Quail eggs!

One of the ingredients that looked the most interesting was the tripe. I had no idea what tripe was, but because I am an advocate for adventurous eating I stuffed a huge piece of it in my mouth. Fei and her friends giggled because it took me forever to chew. The texture felt like spikey rubber but after it was cooked in the broth it wasn't half bad! After I got the piece down they told me that tripe is the lining of the stomach of cattle. In fact, Fei's friends told me that a cow actually has eight different stomachs! I asked them why on earth do Chinese people use cow stomach in their dishes? Fer's friend responded, "We Chinese will eat whatever we can get, you know!" It made me think about my eating choices. Why on earth do I eat certain foods in my own culture? Fast food is just as rubbery as tripe I suppose! 

Tripe.

The great thing about hot pot cuisine is that you take your time in between bites while waiting for the food to cook. This leaves room for great conversation and also time for one to digest their food. Even though I was surrounded by mostly strangers, I felt right at home once I got the hang of using chopsticks and cooking each bite of food right there in front of me. Fei and her friends were so hospitable and made my first hot pot experience was an absolute treat. I'd like to try this out one day with a group of friends!