One evening Xiaoyu and I went out to dinner with her brother. The restaurant had a kind of cool chic, that is, compared to anything else I had seen in China, which is admittedly very little. The Spicy Storehouse (for such was its name)was all clean white melamine tables, black bench seats, swirling ceiling decor and cool white drop lamps. Large screen TV's hummed silently beneath a sea of laid-back Chinese pop.

The Spicy Storehouse is a hot-pot restaurant. I have forgotten what the Chinese word is, but essentially, a medium flat steel pan sits on a heater in the middle of your table. Ours was divided in two. Different kinds of sauces simmer on either side. Spicy and not so spicy. All sorts of chopped veggies and meats are brought to the table, and then cooked in the sauces. The result is delicious, many, many times over. I am still thinking about it.

I would be remiss if I didn't post a shot of us in situ.