Location: Shenzhen, Huo Jiangjun Hot Pot (Yuan Yang Guo).
Travel note: I was reading an email from a French friend living in Paris this afternoon when suddenly Ah Hou messaged me on WeChat asking if I wanted to grab dinner. Of course I said yes! Ah Hou then invited Ethan, who brought his friend Johnson along, so it ended up being a dinner for four. Johnson works at Panasonic, and it was my first time meeting him. At first, I felt a bit left out as they discussed the panel industry and technical terms, but luckily Johnson turned out to be a huge foodie. We chatted about high-end teppanyaki spots in Taipei like Dafang, Shinbin, Ben, Honghua, HANA, and Hana... then moved on to Tainan's beef soup and eel noodles, and eventually Japanese and Australian Wagyu. Ah Hou even taught us the Hong Kong way to eat 'xiang ling' (a bit like tofu skin) – you drop it in the hot pot and take it out immediately to keep it crispy. Ethan shared his experience trying rattlesnake soup. Food really is the best conversation starter – we all clicked instantly! XD A very satisfying dinner, and the food here was great too. After nearly 200 gatherings last year, here's the first one of 2015! By Morgan, evening …
