I thought I read on a post somewhere to avoid hot pots or flame pots in China? Is that true? If so, is it due to sanitary reasons?

We had hot pot dinners several times while in Beijing. If you keep the water boiling and thoroughly cook your meats and vegetables, I'm not sure why there would be any problem.

Great, thanks OJudy. SOunds delicious!

As above, the water is boiling so no issue. But . . . ideally you should use a unique pair of chopsticks for handling the raw meat. Ditto for Korean barbeque. Or just stick your chopsticks in the water after raw meat handling.

I had hotpot several times in China & walked away only moderately impressed. It's boiled meat & therefore it's easy to make it tough. And the fat doesn't boil off. The peanut sauce gets tiresome. Be nice to have a selection of dipping sauces. I know, I know, I'm just being picky.

Ian

Ian,
You make a good point. Hpowever, each person can cook the meat to their desired "doneness". Well, worth a try. Where are these restaurants found? All over China or mostly in Beijing/Shanghai?

Xiaba Xiaba & Jin Shan Cheng (both franchises with multiple locations) in Beijing. And an unknown but very good restaurant in Handan.

Our hosts always LOVED hotpot & considered it a treat.

And re cooking: you have to really watch it to cook it medium & tender. And in a group table, that's hard because someone always throws in meat for everybody to pick at.

btw You can ask for a slotted spoon which helps to scoop, but you have to watch for the seasoning debris - unidentified meat or a whole fish etc.

More detail in my trip report if you need it . . . http://members.rennlist.com/imcarthur/china.htm

Ian

Ian,
Thanks for the tips and the names. I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report I had read before. It looks like you added more, so I will be anxious to catch up on your trip. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk about your trip. Really helps the rest of us!!