Hot Pot on a chilly day

Another new week. Fall has arrived in China. There was a nasty wind howling all day. Felt like a bloody windstorm and worse is when you're trying to hail a cab. It's a dog eat dog world in Beijing. Slightly disappointed with myself for not climbing "The Great wall" with fellow CIEE members. Though more adventures await.

Somehow I managed to jam pack my schedule, fun can still have priority. Over the weekend, Beijing stepped into a chillier flair. The scarves and mittens hae been pullet out. Currently kntting another one. Scarf #2! Lisa sometimes snatches my knitting and keeps it hostage for a few hours. I'm glad she enjoys her time with the yarn.

So...what to get for dinner ona chilly windy evening? The idea of pizza was thrown out, but then Devon suggested Hot Pot. How did that not cross my mind?

The hot noodles, boiled mushrooms, and mutton dipped into my bowl of peanut sauce was savory might I add. Oh and slightly addicting. Bite after bite we would reach into the bubbling broth to fish out noodles (we swear were reproducing), inoki mushrooms, and other delicious cooked meats. Our pot was split into two sides; veg and everything else in order to not conflict with Sarah's vegetarianism. I'm relieved that she could also enjoy the meal. There was a fear of what kind of soup base we were about to cook in. No need to worry, one can always get a water based broth. Thank Goodness.

I think the moment that made our evening was when the wait staff at the Hot Pot restaurant yanked me to help them be a translator. Why only me? Why not Sarah or Devon or Jane? Racial profiling I swear. Then again I was speaking Mandarin to our waiter.
"Sorry could you be our translator? We can't understand that table over there" (I look what appeared to be a round table filled with ....European tourists....they look like professors or on business)

I head over there and realized that they were German. Oh wonderful! Devon, Sarah and Jane decided to pop on over as well so we can help them order food.

"So what's everyone hungry for?"

"Anything is good...yah yah"

"Well let's go for something simple...veggie platters...we've got meat platters..."

Meat was chanted in unison.

I was about to order them a few bottles of water, but a man asked "Do they have beer?" (The first thought that fleeted across my mind was ..."oh how typical", reinforcing German stereotypes here)

So Sarah helped them order their beverage. Tsingtao beer has these giant premade steel pitchers of beer and Sarah asked for one pitcher. Since she only said "one", the men at the table began to exclaim "no no no...we need more"

"no no no no don't worry, it's a pitcher, it's huge!"-Sarah assured them.

Gotta love meat and beer.