I Rock My Hot Pot...

Last night I went for my weekly Wednesday night dinner to a hot point joint in my neighbourhood called "I Rock My Hot Pot." It was only the second time I've been for hot pot in China and it didn't disappoint. I have to admit, though, I still yearn for Korean shabu shabu which was far and away better than anything that I've had in Beijing.

Anyhoo, "I Rock My Hot Pot" has a condiment bar overflowing with oils and sauces and spices for diners to concoct their own dipping sauce which was really too overwhelming for me. I'm simple of mind and simple at heart sometimes and really I just longed for the wasabi/soy combo that we got in Korea. I made myself a garlic peanut sauce that had a variety of others sauces and herbs mixed in. I chose a mushroom broth that boiled rapidly in my own personal little hot pot. My friends and I split a mixed greens platter, shitake mushrooms, yam noodles, tofu paper,some root called Sukinyuku or something, and OSTRICH meat! Although it all sounds bizarre, it was delightfully normal and surprisingly palatable. I rocked that hot pot, that's for sure.

I've also been doing a little bit of cooking over the holidays which means that I have gained a dress size just in time for new year's resolutions! I had eggs benedict on New Years Day and I made a broccoli pasta bake with some leftover frozen broccoli and some chocolate chip cookies and banana bread to take into work.

For those of you curious, I'm planning on taking pictures (when I remember) of my lunches at work. The school gives us lunch that we pay 100kwai a month for (5 kwai a day which is about $1). Here's one pic of chicken drumsticks and a mushroom and bok choy stirfry over rice--that lunch was much tastier than some of the tofu concoctions that come my way!

Stay tuned...