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Chinese Hot Pot!

Yin-Yang soup. Red broth is spicy. White or clear broth is mild
Yin-Yang soup. Red broth is spicy. White or clear broth is mild

Chinese Hot Pot! The menu is a list of food items that will go into the soup, plus other side dishes and drinks. Check the boxes of the ones you like, and that will be your order.

If I'm the one who will order, the items will be those I checked here. HAHA To be honest, I had to research the names of what I drew. Because normally I just show up to eat and my friends will order. They know better, and they eat more than meat and mushrooms.

Orders

  • Soup base. I like both the spicy and the mild mushroom-based broths.
  • Meat. Usually, beef and pork. The meat is thinly-sliced so they are easily cooked. I do not really know the difference when they are sliced like that. Maybe if I concentrate enough? The meat may also come marinated, but I prefer the plain ones.
  • Seafood. I love prawns, but I don't think I'll enjoy them together with beef in the same hot pot. Hmm, I'm not sure if I have ever tried seafood hot pot. I think I did? Many years ago. For some reason, I don't crave the seafood version.
  • Quail eggs. I like them; they burn your tongue in one bite. Hehe Might ruin the whole experience for you if you get into this accident lol Also, it's high in cholesterol (given its small size). So I am careful with it. I am careful with the red meat too. I try.
  • Tofu. Hmm silky tofu? No, rough tofu. Doesn't matter, I eat both. Absorbs the broth.
  • Corn. I can't enjoy corn as much as I used to.
  • Veggies. Leafy veggies. I've never eaten them in hot pots. Sorry. I checked them because they make the soup pretty. I reserve them for friends 🤣
  • Balls. I love lobster balls and all the other fish balls and steamed buns! There are some with cheese filling or soup filling. Same experience as with the quail eggs. Burnt tongue experience. HAHA Be careful. Ah, I'm not fond of crab sticks. I keep thinking of real crab meat, but this is fish, right?
  • Mushrooms. I eat most mushrooms. Mama used to cook all kinds of mushroom-based dishes for me hehe
  • Rice and noodles. I prefer rice over noodles in hot pot. Also, I seem to cannot eat this without rice.
  • Chili and the dip. They offer various dips. You can also make your own. I just go for the peanut with sesame oil dipping sauce.
  • Drinks. Coke, always. They have juice, tea and alcoholic drinks among others. But this is really for Coke. HAHA

Hot pot restaurants offer more food items than the ones in my little menu hehe. Happy eating!

A meal is a sign of friendship. - Fr. Ignacio (not verbatim, but close enough)

My experience with hot pot is unlike some people who grew up having it every weekend or making their own at home. I associate it with celebrations - of friendship, of endings, and new beginnings. Well at least my last 4 hot pots were for those events.

Jiang Nan opened a new branch near our home. First one I visited was in Makati
Jiang Nan opened a new branch near our home. First one I visited was in Makati
Leafy greens go into the yin-yang hot pot
Leafy greens go into the yin-yang hot pot
Soft serve ice cream. We ate a couple of times here already, we din't know they offered this 🤣
Soft serve ice cream. We ate a couple of times here already, we din't know they offered this 🤣
We order the same items. Always.
We order the same items. Always.
Coke and the peanut sauce. I'm not a fan of the XO sauce, but the peanut's 👌
Coke and the peanut sauce. I'm not a fan of the XO sauce, but the peanut's 👌

Illustration Notes

On trying digital:

Tools: Procreate • ESR Paper-Feel • ESR on Amazon

  • I used to do traditional drawings with color pencils, watercolors, and ink. This year I decided to do digital illustrations so I got Procreate. I thought I could do vectors with it hehe. I practiced a bit everyday, and also got tips from my friend, Ariel. Like how to fill in the shapes easily. Thank you 🙏

  • I also struggled drawing directly on the tablet's glass surface, so I purchased a paper-like screen protector. Helps me feel like I'm still working with real paper instead of tapping on glass. It's also magnetic so I can detach/re-attach it easily. 👌

On creating my first Procreate project:

  • Chinese Hot Pot is my first Procreate project. I used simple lines and colors. Used the default dry brush to soften the drawings and the default studio pen for the smooth details.

  • I was not used to drawing "large-sized" items. I tried drawing on actual grid paper and then tracing them on my tablet. Eventually, I practiced enough to draw directly without things looking too small or too crooked.

  • I also drew my own cat chopsticks holder 🤣 For the others, I searched for references from my own photos and from the net. JV and Duke reviewed my drawings HAHA I needed to change a couple of the food items because they were not that recognizable. One of them's a Chinese Jiang-nan fan so I better get things right 🤣 Thanks, guys! 🙏