Hotpot 火锅

Ask a Chongqing person what their favorite food is and 90% of them will say “火锅怎么说?”, which translates to: “how do I say hotpot?”

This dish, supposedly invented a thousand years ago by the poor boatmen of the Yangtze, usually consists of a combination of oil, chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn and an array of ingredients that vary according to the bosses' secret recipes. For more on that, check out the mind-numbingly stupid film Chongqing Girl (重庆美女), where a pair of dimwitted hustlers try to steal a famous hotpot's secret recipe.

Hotpot joints go from super high-class to super dirty and, believe it or not, it's usually the ones belonging to the latter category that make up the annual hotpot top 40. This is perfectly normal since half the appeal of hotpot restaurants is sitting around with friends drinking, smoking and toasting the folks at the next table. This is simply more fun to do in a dingy hole with sweaty walls, a crate of ice cold beer at your feet.
To eat hotpot, simply choose from the meats and veggies on offer and throw everything in the boiling broth. Not everything is ready at the same time, use your judgment.