And there is no better place than a hotpot restaurant to get a sense of the Sichuanese. Most people don't eat hotpot because they like the food. They eat it because they like to play. The Sichuanese play. They gamble at mahjong, slurp tea, and eat hotpot meals that might last three hours.
Work can wait.
Maybe living on top of each other makes them more fun, or maybe it's the chicken feet. The Chinese word for hotpot, huoguo , literally means fire pot, and the meal begins when a boiling vat of water, oil, and spices is set on the table. A fire is lit under the pot and, self-service, diners cook vegetables, meats, and oddities. Children and foreigners cook in baiwei pots, a mild broth of tomatoes and onions. Sichuanese cook in lawei pots heaped with chilies and prickly ash.