a new experience ...

last night was a 1st for me. i was taken into a part of sydney that i have very little experience with and know very little about: chinatown.

my escorts were none other than glush, my army buddy from class, and the future minister of finance for japan, and the chinese girl who married an american foreign service officer. the locale was set, red chili restaurant, and the experience was going to be hot pot style dinner.

we get to the restaurant and have to climb through 3 stories of diners most - like 98% of them who arent speaking english and are asian (a very good sign) until we finally arrive at our table. our table sat 8 with 2 people on each side around and a giant square shape hole in the middle. the hole was filled after a while with a giant golden dish that was divided into two sections with liquid in each. on section had a clear broth with herbs and spices in it and the other side had a red broth with herbs and chilies floating in it.

the dish was placed in the hole and the heating element was turned on and the liquid came to a boil. in the liquid we were able to chuck anything we wanted in there. shaved beef, lamb, tripe (beef intestine), chicken wing, tofu, chicken heart, liver, kidney, any type of mushroom under the sun, bean curd, veggies of all sorts - and let the food poach in the delicious goodness of the hot pot broth.

i opted to stay with only the food from the hot side of the dish because the combination of the flavor and the heat made for a deliciously addictive dinner. then the funniest thing happened (it was later explained to me by glush and the chinese girl who married an american foreign service officer) i started getting loopy. conversations took on a silly tone and were hilarious in their nature. i was intoxicated (i only had 3 beers during the meal - for those who know me; thats not intoxicating) off of food. so what they explained to me is that a mixture of the heat, the green tea, and small amounts of alcohol cause a chemical reaction in your brain that releases a large amount of endorphins. it was awesome. i mean here a culture has stumbled upon (although the stumble has taken thousands of years) a natural, communal, safe, and fun way to get high with food!