HOT POT: divisiveness and togetherness. FEN JIU BE HE HE JIU BE FEN

3A recent twitter storm over hot pot has inspired me to recount my own hot pot experience. The twitter war has been over whether it is racist to make fun hot pot, or something like that. I have often surprised people when I told them I am not that into hot pot, especially since when I do go to hot pot I grab all the organ type parts and pig out. They assume that my whiteness or germaphobia is the reason why I wouldn't like it. It's actually that I dont understand the cost and hot pot, or shabu shabu or da been lo was introduced to me as an excuse to down all sorts of alcohol and the swishing of meat in broth was sort of an expensive side activity, like darts.

When I said to my wife I didnt understand the cost, she said, "That's cause you never tried to prepare it yourself. There's lots of little parts." Which brings me to the other way hot pot aka da been lo was introduced to me, which was an activity done at home as a party. I did have fantastic hot pot with childhood friends and teachers L Chan and M Li and live shrimp was involved. (That was probably the best hot pot I have ever had) But the hot pot moment that really stands out in my mind was the time me and my Si Hing tried to throw a hot pot party at the Kung Fu school, a grand attempt to bring FOB and ABC and various other flavors of Americans together into one blended thing...it was a happy night but we never attempted this again.

Si Hing: "We should get all the guys together like a lot of people do now and da been lo. Just get together to have fun. Have the kids and the adults. But we have to borrow the electric pot and buy these frozen fish balls etc. There is a lot of preparation."

The night of the grand event was actually the hour after the kids class. Americans showed up with girlfriends bearing gifts of Champagne and dressed up in clubbing gear while the children and I wore Kung Fu clothes, not realizing the level of formality the event had taken on.

As the preparations were being made one of the more suburban Jook sing ish kids started a rebellious chant of "We want food!" Which was emphasized by banging on the home made kids table which was a board on top of those plastic chair stools old ladies sit on the separate stems from leaves on the vegetables.

Sifu: Hey you guys know what you are doing?

We tried to explain hot pot aka shabu shabu aka da been lo to our Sifu and my Si Hing's father. "Such a thing will never work " He shook his head, "You guys are young and lack experience, step aside."

The  hot pot pieces were then all boiled at once and served to the kids basically turning hot pot into boiled dinner, (which is how much European food is made and served correct?) And then the adults formed a line and da been lo sort of became a soup kitchen, albeit tasty and home cooked.
The rebellion stopped, though some American women who had never before tried "Chinese Fondu" did not get the chance to experience this. In retrospect kids could have burned themselves if the hot pot would have been to be carried out. And in a way those Americsn girlfriends who probably by now, more than a decade later, have been to many a Chinese hot pot restaurant, got to experience something unique that night.

The kids ran around, conversation was made, nothing was actually shabued but everyone was fed and the champagne was opened.

It was fun, but I don't think a Moh Goon party like that was attempted except for lion dances where food was ordered or once for my birthday when again food was ordered and shots were put out for the lion to drink  and drunken kung fu was performed. But never again was home hot pot attempted at Moh Goon that I am aware of.

I wouldn't say it was a failure, it just wasn't what was envisioned. Of course as I am writing this my wife is now saying we should attempt to do home hot pot for New Year's eve.

Sure...what could go wrong?