There are few better meals on a Prince Edward Island summer night than the communal pleasures of Japanese-style hot pot. Earlier in the week, SJ cooked a savory broth from the pork rib bones left over from his smoked BBQ dinner. This bubbled away on the dinner table, heated by a portable gas range. A visit to a Chinese supermarket in Charlottetown produced tofu and thinly sliced meats for the hot pot. SJ added pork belly slices from the freezer. On the table was Savoy cabbage and a number of other local farmers market vegetables. Bowls received spoonfuls of SJ’s sesame and miso based sauce. Wielding chopsticks, the diners cooked their preferences and added them to their bowls. Chopstick manipulation is not one of HG’s table skills, so SJ acted as HG’s waitperson. Hot sauces and other condiments lined the table. When all the meats and most of the vegetables were cooked and eaten, the broth had become enriched and savory. Time to add udon noodles. When cooked al dente they were added to the bowls with ladles of broth. HG gave his bowl a dash of Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce. Heavenly finale to a savory meal. Adding to the pleasure was red wine drunk in generous amounts.
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