(Ecns.cn)！The Chinese in general have a special passion for hot pot, a cuisine that combines vegetables and meat in an oily, chili-laden broth. The real attraction for some is that diners cook their own meal on a heat source right at the table. In some regions its popularity could be described as an obsession in that they don't so much live on it but live in it.
Here are two cities where hot pot is a daily essential.
Chengdu, Sichuan
The birth place of hot pot, Chengdu has been called "the city no one wants to leave." It also wears the food paradise crown in China, where spicy food meets a comfortable climate and creates an environment that is extremely friendly to the human body.
In the capital city of Sichuan Province, every activity seems connected to food- this is especially the case in winter, when a hot pot is a good ally against the weather. Almost all restaurants here offer hot pot. Guests are seated around a big table with a charcoal fire at its center, or individual ones in front of each diner. At least one pot of boiling broth is started. The group orders a selection of meats and veggies which arrive raw, on platters. One set of chopsticks is used to put the food in, and another to pull them out of the boiling broth. The cooked morsels are then dipped in soy sauce and chili if desired. What remains is a delicious soup.
This is the most common dining routine in Chengdu and the aromas of pepper and chili waft through the whole city. But its not all about food. Mahjong games always seem to be in progress alongside the Hot Pot booths of restaurants. The tea house is another place where locals entertain themselves. Chengdu is alive with entertainment and flirting, but at the end of the day, everybody goes home.
Recommended hot pot restaurants:
1. Spicy-hot Space
Address: No.85 Guanghuacun Street, Qingyang District.
Tel: 028-81707625
2. Shizilou Restaurant
Address: No. 2, Wannianchang Road, Chenghua District.
Tel: 028-84333795
3. Tanyutou Restaurant
Address: No. 256, Qingyang Shangjie Street, Qingyang District
Tel: 028-87777789
