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He skins Walking Mushrooms with care, tosses their stubby feet into a hot pot with an eye for balance and umami.

“It was a hot pot and it made a lot of sense. It was very intentional. We’re coming together again and not eating in isolated bubbles. We’re all sharing from the same plate again.”

Kota used to like the tan tan hot pot, which contained meats and vegetables.

"My dream job was to work in investment banking," says Sun Zhan as he prepares to start his shift as a waiter in a hot pot restaurant in the southern city of Nanjing.

I wrote about this in my book, an experience of eating hot pot with my old college friend and his family.