hot pot crazy

"Hot Pot" is a form of cook-it-yourself eating experience that usually results in really good food. However, the process of ordering the raw dishes is just a complicated process, and is even more difficult when language is an issue. I just wanted to pull my hair out after I finished ordering these dishes for lunch yesterday:

Conversation with Waitress who doesn't know a lick of English and Me who only has an elementary grasp of Mandarin:

Me: We want to order mutton and beef.

Waitress: Okay, sounds good. Which kind of mutton and beef do you want?

Me pointing at pictures in the menu: We want one of this mutton and one of this beef.

Waitress frowning: Aww, no, that's not good.

Me: Why not?

Waitress: That's too much food for you.

Me: Okay, we'll just have one plate of mutton then.

Waitress: oh, but that's not enough for three people.

Me: Okay, then we'll have a plate of mutton and a plate of beef.

Waitress: That's too much for three people.

Me: Well what do you suggest we get then?

Waitress: A plate of mutton and a plate of beef.

Me: But I just showed you a plate of mutton and a plate of beef and you said that was too much for three people!

Waitress: No, this plate of mutton is okay. But this plate of beef is for seven people.

Me: Okay fine, just a plate of mutton then.

Waitress: That's not going to be enough for three people.

Me: Well then why don't you just get us whatever you think is enough for three people to eat. Whatever amount it is, we want mutton and beef.

Waitress: Okay, I'll get you this plate of mutton and that plate of beef.

Me: Okay. Done.

Waitress: Would you like some vegetables? Mutton and beef alone isn't enough for three people.

And this is when I start pulling out my hair and pounding my head on the table. After another fifteen minutes, the waitress and I finally agreed on an appropriate amount of food for three people. And it was way too much food.

Mutton on the left, beef on the right, and peanut satay dipping sauce on the bottom.

Live shrimp! If I knew how to do it, I have a video that shows the shrimp were still moving.

In the center is the "hot pot" where you put all the raw food in it, mutton/beef/live shrimp, and cook it until it's ready to eat.

I am eating so much good Asian food that I think I will go into withdrawal when I return to the states.