Chengdu Hotpot, China
The reason for my visit to Chengdu was purely to visit the Wolong Panda Reserve. However heard many people say “You haven’t been to Chengdu until you’ve tried Chengdu Hotpot” and now I know why!
After a 32 hour train journey (even though it was a luxury train journey with nice beds and flat screens) I was still wondering why I never brought a cheap flight to Chengdu then I remember my other internal flight in China and remember why! They didn’t have the greatest of safety records, and the landing was by no means the best I have encountered, but I was warned! The rough guide actually advises you to take other means of transport over internal flights in China.
Anyway after meeting a Chinese English teacher who desperately wanted to make the most of us English to practice on decided to take us on a tour of Chengdu. For half the day we sat in a Chinese tea garden drinking many cups of tea. I mean free refills all day how can you resist?
And after that we didn’t need any of the Chengdu car hire companies courtesy of our new guide, so off we went round the back streets to get a traditional Chengdu Hotpot.
Yes that is a frog and worse its actually still alive! Chinese like their food fresh! The worst part of this dish was watching our guide dive in with his chopsticks and pull off the frogs head and eat it whole, to then spit the scull out. This is the delicacy. I did eat the frog but didn’t dare try the head on the second frog. The meat wasn’t too bad as you could wash down with a nice beer, but the skin tasted just like 9v battery terminals across your tongue. The actual organs were pretty horrid too.
The hotpot consisted of two half’s, one side for hot & spicy the other sweet & sour in a dish which looked pretty much like the yin yang symbol.
Other tasty ingredients consisted of ducks intestine, ox stomach, cow tongue and some other stuff which our guide couldn’t translate so im still puzzled today. What really worried me was that the two little pots of powder I was sprinkling on consisted of MSG and Opium!
All in all Chengdu was a fantastic trip especially to get to see the Giant Pandas, but due to our Hotel forgetting to book our train journey had a very unpleasant hour arguing with them as we had no where to stay! Everywhere else was fully booked which they found highly amusing.
I have to say I couldn’t wait to get to Shanghai after this!
Comment by Alex Ion on 5 October 2006:
I am not sure if I would be able to eat something like that. My biggest step was for sushi and I love it, but something like that .. eww sounds ackward.
Alex
Comment by Alex Ion on 5 October 2006:
I am not sure if I would be able to eat something like that. My biggest step was for sushi and I love it, but something like that .. eww sounds ackward.
Alex
Comment by Alex Asigno on 5 October 2006:
Yes i could lie and say it didn’t taste too bad… it was really horrid, and i have to say without the courage from nurmerous beers i don’t think i would have normally tried!
Comment by Alex Asigno on 5 October 2006:
Yes i could lie and say it didn’t taste too bad… it was really horrid, and i have to say without the courage from nurmerous beers i don’t think i would have normally tried!
Comment by Nanjabarwa on 28 February 2007:
Hi Alex,
I searched this article about Chengdu through google. I was born and raised up in Chengdu City. I’m very sorry that you had an unpleasant journey in Chengdu.
But I think I have to say Chengdu is not so bad. And Chengdu hotpot is not so horrid. Actually very few people in China eat frog, to say nothing of eating alive frog. And I must say a hotpot which is full of internal organs, is not a real kind of Chengdu hotpot. We prefer vegetables when eating hotpot.
Your blog is very interesting. You must have been to many places around the world. What a fascinating life!
Welcome to China again! And welcome to make an second visit to Chengdu.
Comment by Nanjabarwa on 28 February 2007:
Hi Alex,
I searched this article about Chengdu through google. I was born and raised up in Chengdu City. I’m very sorry that you had an unpleasant journey in Chengdu.
But I think I have to say Chengdu is not so bad. And Chengdu hotpot is not so horrid. Actually very few people in China eat frog, to say nothing of eating alive frog. And I must say a hotpot which is full of internal organs, is not a real kind of Chengdu hotpot. We prefer vegetables when eating hotpot.
Your blog is very interesting. You must have been to many places around the world. What a fascinating life!
Welcome to China again! And welcome to make an second visit to Chengdu.
Comment by Alex Asigno on 1 March 2007:
Hi Nanjabarwa, thanks for your comment.
The flight was pretty scary and the train journey was very long! But I loved Chengdu and the Pandas were amazing. To be honest I can’t wait until i can return I had an amazing time.
As for the frog it wasn’t the nicest thing I have ever tried eating 😉
Comment by Alex Asigno on 1 March 2007:
Hi Nanjabarwa, thanks for your comment.
The flight was pretty scary and the train journey was very long! But I loved Chengdu and the Pandas were amazing. To be honest I can’t wait until i can return I had an amazing time.
As for the frog it wasn’t the nicest thing I have ever tried eating 😉
Comment by WJLiu on 21 March 2008:
Hi Alex,
I’m from Chengdu, too.
You have so many interesting things in your blog!
However, honestly speaking, in my 18 years of life in Chengdu, I’ve never seen that kind of hotpot food. >_<
Next time, don’t order that frog…the thing beside the frog, you see that lotus root, right?
That’s really good, so are mushrooms….I miss them, lol
Comment by Oriana on 15 October 2008:
Alexis, I think to go to Chengdu. Did you see any fishing activity there? Do you have any contacts? I am in the university in Brasil…
Comment by Oriana on 15 October 2008:
Alexis, I think to go to Chengdu. Did you see any fishing activity there? Do you have any contacts? I am in the university in Brasil…
Comment by Mark on 12 November 2008:
Hello Alex,
I must say I am getting ready for my third trip to Chengdu, and have eaten hotpot there, though I have never had anything like the frog you show served to me. Hot and spicy fish, yes, living frog no. Oh well, perhaps I will get a chance to get to the Panda reserve this time, it does sound interesting.
Comment by Mark on 12 November 2008:
Hello Alex,
I must say I am getting ready for my third trip to Chengdu, and have eaten hotpot there, though I have never had anything like the frog you show served to me. Hot and spicy fish, yes, living frog no. Oh well, perhaps I will get a chance to get to the Panda reserve this time, it does sound interesting.
Comment by wenyi xin on 7 January 2009:
well, I come from Chengdu. I want say there is only few people like eat frog, not all of the Chinese. I never eat frog before.
I hope you like my city, and welcome you go to Chengdu again.
Comment by wenyi xin on 7 January 2009:
well, I come from Chengdu. I want say there is only few people like eat frog, not all of the Chinese. I never eat frog before.
I hope you like my city, and welcome you go to Chengdu again.
Comment by Nick Basden on 3 July 2009:
Hi I’m planning on going to China this year (2009) 16th Sept – 30th Oct adn would love to meet up with local people – chat (imptove your English 🙂 – I have been an editor), take me to pl;aces, help me too – my Chinese is (soory) zero – but I’m trying to learn, show me round?
Probable route – Beijing, Xian (or kashgar), Kunming, Sichuan, Guilin, south coast towns, Hangzhou.
Love to hear from anyone.
Nick Basden
Comment by Nick Basden on 3 July 2009:
Hi I’m planning on going to China this year (2009) 16th Sept – 30th Oct adn would love to meet up with local people – chat (imptove your English 🙂 – I have been an editor), take me to pl;aces, help me too – my Chinese is (soory) zero – but I’m trying to learn, show me round?
Probable route – Beijing, Xian (or kashgar), Kunming, Sichuan, Guilin, south coast towns, Hangzhou.
Love to hear from anyone.
Nick Basden
Comment by Sam on 17 September 2009:
Hello!
I reed this artice just before my trip to China with my friend who’s from Chengdu (he’s only studying in north america). When I saw the frog’s picture, I was pretty horrified, but my friend was already looking for to eat one of those!
So once I arrived, I decided to try it (after a few days of tasting real sizchuanese food) i did eat the head (i hae the vid!) and even though I first thought i would throw up, I found out it was really deliscious1 You just have to keep in mind that it is just meet.. ahah.
Good, but weird texture 😛
Comment by Sam on 17 September 2009:
Hello!
I reed this artice just before my trip to China with my friend who’s from Chengdu (he’s only studying in north america). When I saw the frog’s picture, I was pretty horrified, but my friend was already looking for to eat one of those!
So once I arrived, I decided to try it (after a few days of tasting real sizchuanese food) i did eat the head (i hae the vid!) and even though I first thought i would throw up, I found out it was really deliscious1 You just have to keep in mind that it is just meet.. ahah.
Good, but weird texture 😛
Comment by K.Lo on 7 July 2010:
Oh my oh my oh my…
Comment by K.Lo on 7 July 2010:
Oh my oh my oh my…
Comment by Andy on 3 October 2011:
I am planning a trip to Chengdu and can’t wait. It sounds and looks absolutely brilliant!
😉
Comment by scheisse-egal on 1 July 2012:
i’m so sorry for Chengdu,that such a stupid traveler like the writer to visit this city.
even in heaven stupid people like alex will complain there is no MacDonners or KFC to eat.
Comment by fulan on 30 January 2013:
how the hell can you eat one animal alive?????!!!! also even if it is a frog you have no heart really, i love china but i hate how they treat animals
Comment by John Z on 14 February 2013:
Tourist thing. Most Chinese do not eat it either.
Many kinds of hot pot. This is not the typical one