The hot pot is one of the most popular meals in China. The hot pot used to be preferred in winter, but recently it has been appearing on tables all year round.
The hot pot has delicious taste. There are two other important reasons for the Chinese to like the hot pot. The first one is that the hot pot is considered a great way to make new friends. People gather round the pot, chatting, eating, drinking and having fun. The other is that the hot pot is a "healthy meal". Eating the hot pot can warm the body and improve circulation (血液循环) in winter.
There are several kinds of hot pots in China with different soup. Two of the most popular hot pots are Sichuan hot pot and Beijing mutton hot pot.
Sichuan hot pot is famous for its numbing and spicy (又麻又辣的) taste, Because of Sichuan pepper— and other spicy things like chili, makes it different from other hot pots. Beijing mutton hot pot is regarded as the representative of the northern China hot pots. Mutton is its main part, and the soup is made from lamb bones.
When you eat a hot pot in a restaurant, generally, there are two types of soup bases: spicy and clear. A clear soup base has a quite mild (温和的) taste, which is made from sea food or meat bones. A spicy soup base usually has Sichuan pepper, which is spicy and salty.
If you have a mixed group with some who don't eat spicy food, there is a special pot with a divider（间隔）in the middle between the spicy and clear soup, which is called a double-flavor hot pot (鸳鸯锅).
