THE PERSONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HOTPOT’S STEADY RISE IN POPULARITY
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Text and art by ESTHER XU
Why? Hotpot has started to mean more to me than just a delicious meal. It has also become a source of pride and a symbol of my cultural heritage. Dating a thousand years back to China’s Jin Dynasty, the concept of hotpot — pronounced huo guo in Chinese — originated from the culinary practices of Mongolian riders, tribes of nomadic horse riders who united under Ghengis Khan and conquered much of northern China while also controlling the prosperous Silk Road trading route. The concept is simple. A large pot of simmering broth, often with dividers to allow for several different broth flavors, is set on a burner in the middle of the table. The pot is surrounded by ingredients which are put into the broth and cooked, ranging from handmade noodles to countless rolls of lamb or beef. Each individual can also prepare personalized sauce to accompany their meals, resulting in a very customizable and flexible eating experience.
BLAST OF WARM AIR WELCOMES ME as I open the front doors leading into a bustling hotpot restaurant. Customers mill about, serving themselves at sauce stations, soft-serve machines and chocolate fountains. Light pink and green paper lanterns hang from the ceiling along with bright red slips of paper inscribed with auspicious Chinese phrases. The restaurant’s robot whirs past waiters with beeps and clicks, bringing meat and condiments towards a nearby hotpot table. Family hearth The restaurant was overflowing When we opened our first restauFor every family birthday or and busy to the point where you rant, we had no customers. We special occasion, my family goes wouldn’t believe that just a few years out to eat hotpot. The intimacy that ago, it had been empty and uninvit- had to advertise on the streets ing. and personally convince people to comes with sharing food from a single pot always draws us together. Whenever someone mentions Many of my fondest memories “Chinese food,” many immediately come eat.” are connected to hotpot — countthink of rice, dumplings, noodles and — AMY QIU, Fremont Haidilao manager less moments with my family jokdim sum. It’s no surprise, as all these ing around a delicious meal. We foods have bemake hotpot at home in addition to eating it in restaurants. Quick come mainstream Chinese cuisine. Yet, the first thought that and affordable, hotpot is the perfect comforting dinner to end a comes to mind when asked frigid winter day. Even the tedious cleanup afterward turns out to be tolerable about Chinese food is thanks to the lingering bright atmosphere from the meal, becomalways hotpot. ing yet another precious bonding opportunity for my family. A growing industry The American hotpot industry is quickly growing and becoming a trendy food among teens and adults in America. This year, Mintel, a world-leading market intelligence agency, estimated the hotpot market’s consumer spending compound annual growth rate to be 9.9% between 2020 and 2025. Mintel has also recorded that the number of hotpot restaurants in the world has reached almost 600,000 in 2020.
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48 NOVEMBER 2021
