Lau - Vietnamese hot pot in the eye of Western people

The article in the Los Angeles Times had a very humorous sapo: When you're going out for hot pot, don't just invite any group of friends: First make sure your companions are reasonable, considerate, even empathetic diners, the sort of people who are good at trust games.

The culinary section of the Los Angeles Times has just published an article introducing the delicious dishes available in this city.
At the beginning of the article, the columnist had a very amusing way to start the article: When you're going out for hot pot, don't just invite any group of friends: First make sure your companions are reasonable, considerate, even empathetic diners, the sort of people who are good at trust games.

Why? When we gather around a hot pot, when we all dip our chopsticks into that boiling pot, use the same broth, thể should be a mutual understanding among the people to make sure no one keeps the hot pot for their own too long, no one puts in the food and then forgets, no one spices up the hot pot in their own way without caring about other people on the table. All of these etiquettes are required so that no spoils the flavor of the meal for the whole  group. That is the experience you can have with Lau ...

The article on the Los Angeles Times was so interesting and detailed that it was simply because of the Lau culture has not been a part of the Western culture yet. It’s hard to blame them since they have just known about Lau for a while.

The Los Angeles Times said that enjoying Lau together was one of the purest forms of the "sharing" form that appeared thousands of years ago in the nomadic tribes from the East. At that time, the ancients often put together the food they earned, like meat, fish, vegetables ... to cook together in a large pot.

The large pot of food will be shared among the members of the tribe. Los Angeles Times said that Asian countries like Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand ... have their own "version" of the Lau culture. Each country features different recipes and ingredients, giving different flavors for the Lau.
The Los Angeles Times asserted that being together around a pot of Lau is a fun experience, "that’s why recently in the Lau restaurants in LA, customers usually have to wait for hours to be served. "

The way of eating Vietnamese hot pot is to put food in the pot and wait for the food to be cooked, and then dip the food into its appropriate sauce. It’s like a way of preparing the food for yourself and for people sitting at the table.

The Los Angeles Times says there are many hot pot restaurants in the city, and each has its own style depending on where the owner is from.You can invite friends there for lunch or dinner. Since Lau is a meal for people to sit together for a little longer than usual, so it is a chance for everyone to have more time enjoying something together.

The ingredients of Lau usually include beef or seafood, along with a variety of vegetables, including banana blossom, pineapples, tomatoes, herbs, taro etc. The broth is made by stewing different kinds of bone for hours for savouring the best flavours.

The Los Angeles Times thinks that the broth  used in Vietnamese Lau is strong in flavor which is the advantage of the dish comparing to other similar kinds of hot pot. During the meal, each sip of hot pot later is different than before.
As Westerners are not familiar with the way of eating Lau, the columnist guided in the article to every detail like the dinners had to wait until the meat, fish, vegetables, and potatoes were ready to eat.

Famous hot pots in Old Quarter area

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