Hot Pot Lunch and Hutong

After walking, walking, walking through the Forbidden City, we were all getting very hungry (as usual). Wanda told us we were in for a real treat. We were going to go to a lovely restaurant and have an Imperial Hot Pot lunch. Think fondue meets far east.

As we pulled up to the restaurant there was a large wedding party leaving which was good for us because they left behind some great candy for everyone. This restaurant was very elegant with beautiful artwork lining the walls and sculptures in every room.

Upon arriving at the table, each place is set with an individual hot pot. The servers fill each pot with hot broth and light a fire under the pot which vents through the chimney in the center. 

Once the broth is at a rolling boil, the meats, vegetables and noodles are brought out on platters and placed on the lazy susan.

From then on it is every man/woman for him/herself. All that is except Ken. One of the waitresses must have thought he was pretty cute because she hovered over him and cooked most all of his lunch for him. Next to the Peking duck this was my favorite meal in Beijing. When Wanda was choosing what we would order she asked if ceef, chicken and mutton were OK to order. I reminded her that the day before we were served donkey so why would she need to ask. Lunch was relaxing and wonderful and just what we needed after our long morning.


Following lunch we had a short stop in an area known as Hutong. This area used to be quite large but only a small section remains. It has been marked as an historical site so the remaining parts are being restored. Hutong is basically old Beijing style living. Visiting is somewhat like visiting a restored colonial village in the US. Our method of travel through Hutong was a bicycle powered rickshaw.

If you love thrill rides then this is the spot for you. The streets are just a bit wider that a car and filled with cars, motorbikes, bikes and rickshaws. It is like a rugby scrum on wheels. After traveling through much of the area, we found ourselves inside a residence compound. 

In this type of living there is a courtyard with four small homes surrounding it. The same family will occupy all of the homes in a courtyard with generations living in different houses. Everyone uses public toilets which are located on the main thoroughfares. Each house is about three room with a communal kitchen for the area.

The family occupying this area kept birds (and a large cat). The one pictured above is a mynah who could say ni hao ma. That is the Chinese greeting for "How are you?" Once we got him to talk he just kept asking us how we were. After surviving our rickshaw ride we told him we were hen hao - very well.

We finished our tour of Hutong and went in search of pandas!