Duck Hot Pot in Taiwan!

Yesterday (1/18), we flew from Beijing to Taiwan. After arriving at the airport and going through customs, we took the bus to Taichong. After that, we waited for 30 minutes at the bus station, and then took the bus to our apartment in Taichong. 

By the time we arrived at our apartment in Taichong, it was 10pm, and we were all VERY hungry. 

After dropping off our luggage, we went outside. Even though it was late at night, a lot of restaurants and stores on the street were still open. 

One of the restaurants that was still open was a Huo Guo restaurant. There, we got to eat a delicious dinner of Duck 火锅 "Huo Guo", also known as "Hot Pot".

QUICK EXCERPT ABOUT TAIWAN...

In Taiwan, restaurants and take-out meals are very different from the ones in America. The restaurant and take-out meals taste almost like home-cooked meals. The meals are reasonably priced, so many Taiwanese eat outside instead of cooking at home. There are also a wide variety of meal choices.You can find many restaurants that serve healthy food and lots of vegetables. My family loves to eat vegetables, so a restaurant in Taiwan was the perfect place for dinner!

The Huo Guo restaurant was small, loud, hot, and crowded. There were about 10 tables in the restaurant. We found a table at a quieter corner near the back of the restaurant (we later found out that this quieter corner was actually right in front of the bathroom).

Each table was round and had a hole in the center for the hot pot. The waiter came to our table and put burning coals in the center.

Next, the waiter brought the Duck Hot Pot! Inside the pot was soup with duck, raddish, herbs, and lots of ginger. The pot was boiling, and the hot coals helped to keep it boiling.

We added the fried tofu (uncooked) to the boiling soup!

After we added the fried tofu, we added in Dan'o, a type of green vegetable.

In just a few minutes, the vegetables and tofu were cooked and ready to eat!

The Hot Pot was hot and delicious.

When we finished the tofu and the vegetables, we added in more tofu. We also added some mushrooms in. It was delicious!

When we finished our meal, our plates were empty, but our tummies were full. :)

We enjoyed our refreshing hot dinner. It was just perfect for a winter day in Taiwan.

Our family eating Hot Pot (I am taking the photo)

We are looking forward to eating another meal of Duck Hot Pot in Taiwan!