Hot Pot is a meal particularly eaten in the winter. It originated in Mongolia, but spread all over Eastern Asia. It is over a thousand years old. In Cantonese it’s pronounced Da Bin Louh and in Mandarin it’s Hou Guo which means “fire pot.”   
 Hot Pot is a big pot over a fire that is shared with the family. You put food in it like fish, meat, vegetables and tofu and always a sauce. Depending on the culture you put different food in the pot or a different broth. Like in Hong Kong, which is where my dad is from, they have chicken base, beef, pork, fish balls and fish cakes, spinach, cabbage, watercress, tofu skin, shrimp, noodles and whatever you desire! When you eat Hot Pot you use chopsticks and a special spoon net to scoop up the food when it is done boiling. The spoon is usually made out of metal or bamboo.
 My family has Hot Pot many times throughout the winter since it’s warm and enjoyable. What I like about Hot Pot is the coziness of it and how many different kinds of food can go into it. Another one of my favorite things about Hot Pot is the special sauce my dad makes. It’s his own recipe and he even taught me how to make it. This is one of the few traditions I do on my dad's side and I’d like to keep this tradition going!

– Madeline Ko

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant