Chinese Hotpot
Hot pots allow food to be cooked at the table. It consists of a central funnel, which is filled with burning charcoal, surrounded by a moat in which hot stock is placed. The pot is placed in the centre of the table and guests cook small pieces of meat and vegetables in the hot stock. Once these are all cooked and eaten, the stock is served as a soup. My family has two hot pots made from brass; they are both older than me. Restaurants though often use stainless steel pots as they are cheaper and lighter.
Hotpot and World Culture
My vision of life in multiculture is like eating Chinese hotpot. People of all races and believes sit around a table with the hot pot put on the middle. While the hot pot is kept simmering, some cook pork and others lamb, some fish fingers and others leafy vegetables, some tofu or dumplings, all in one broth sharing with one another. Everyone can choose what she/he wishes to eat as long as the pot and fire are shared along with the good company, which togetherness ensues, soothing their hearts and further warming up their affections for one another.
Of course, when one person is allergy to something, or hate certain food because of religion, such as Muslin can't see pork cooking with other food together, western people can't see dog meat mixed with lamb and beaf in the hot pot, unhappy quarrel will break out.
Such as those tiny people in Lilliput and Blefuscu island, they were permanently at war because of the differences over correct way to eat a boiled egg, from the rounded end according to the Blefuscudians, or from the sharp end according to the Lilliputians.