Introduction

In recent years, hotpot has become increasingly popular globally, and hotpot chains and restaurants have become a staple in many Asian countries. Growing up in China and Southeast Asia, I’ve been able to experience hotpot restaurants and chains in China that are more authentic, as well as more popular chains like Haidilao in Singapore. I’m interested in exploring not only my personal experiences with hotpot but also the cultural significance of this traditional Chinese cuisine and how sharing food at the table has been popularized and adopted worldwide.

Sharing a meal has always been a way for people to bridge cultures and build community, and that is especially true in Chinese culture. A traditional Chinese meal is served on a round, rotating table, with large portions of each dish. People seated around the table then help themselves and each other to each dish. In Western society, this type of food-sharing culture is often labeled ‘family-style’, and is growing in popularity due to various benefits such as the ability to try a wider variety of dishes per meal, and an overall sense of closeness due to eating the same dishes together.

Hotpot truly embodies the idea of togetherness and community through food-sharing culture. Hotpot is traditionally served in a large metal heated pot placed in the middle of the dining table. The pot can be separated into multiple sections to allow for different broth flavors to accommodate different preferences, for example, spicy and non-spicy options. Then, different raw ingredients are shared amongst diners to cook in the broth. This type of dining creates a unique experience where all the diners can contribute and participate in making the meal, creating an even more inclusive family-style dining experience. In this way, it’s no wonder that hotpot is becoming a staple of Chinese food globally, and can be studied to see the rise in popularity of regional Chinese cuisines and food-sharing culture.

Figure 1. Hotpot Table Set Up

This image shows an authentic hotpot table set up with broth in the middle, and an assortment of meats, ingredients, sauces, and side dishes.

History of Hotpot and Sharing Culture in China

Hotpot is also an interesting food case study since its origins and history can be traced back over 1000 years. There’s actually quite a bit of debate on where hotpot originated, but since there are so many regional variations of the dish, it’s plausible that it has multiple origins. While it’s widespread that China is the location where hotpot originated, some claim that hotpot was invented by Mongol horsemen, who used their helmets as pots and ate around the fire to keep warm. Others claim it originated from the municipality Chongqing, where boatmen invented the dish as a convenient and cheap meal (Koetse 2018). Hotpot can also be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), where the dish is documented to have been enjoyed in the imperial court. Interestingly, although hotpot seems to be a dish that was widely enjoyed by the working class as a cheap meal, there are multiple accounts of hotpot being enjoyed by emperors and commoners alike. Due to its communal nature and use of Chinese spices, hotpot became a staple in which Chinese food culture could be centered around. This can be seen as food nationalism as explained by Alejandro Colas as a way of forming identity through food (Colas, 2018). Over time, hotpot spread to other parts of China and the world. For example, Sichuan Province is famous for its spicy, peppercorn and chili infused hotpot, while in Guangdong Province, hotpot is enjoyed with seafood and vegetable-based broths (Ji and Ma 2018, 2). Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia have also developed their own variations of hotpot, adopting the same communal pot with different flavors to suit local tastes.

Hotpot continued to gain popularity throughout Asia, and in the 1980s and 1990s the dish found its foothold in the United States when Chinese immigrants opened traditional hotpot restaurants (Xu and Wang 2019, 93). In my opinion, hotpot is not only special due to its communal nature, but has also enjoyed its popularity due to its versatility. With its wide range of potential flavors, ingredients, and spice levels, any flavor palette can be accommodated.

Commercialization of Hotpot

One of the reasons why hotpot has become more globally widespread is due to the commercialization of the dish and the popularity of hotpot chain restaurants. I’ll be introducing two such hotpot chain restaurants: Haidilao and Little Sheep Hotpot.

Haidilao

When I think of hotpot, I think of Haidilao. When I lived in Shanghai, Haidilao was a popular, fast-food-like chain restaurant where my family would often go for extended family gatherings and friendly dinners. Later, when I moved to Singapore, there were multiple branches of Haidilao restaurants open, and it would be a popular late-night spot amongst high-school students. Now, a Haidilao branch just opened in the Westfield UTC mall in La Jolla and is a hot foodie destination for UC San Diego students and La Jolla residents. From my research and from my personal experience, Haidilao is by far the most popular hotpot franchise on a global scale.

Haidilao was founded in 1994 in Sichuan Province, China. Ever since then, its popularity within China and internationally has skyrocketed. Now, the chain has over 1,500 locations across the world. Haidilao's international success can be tracked through their global offering report seen in Figures 2 and 3. The tables show the gross revenue increases from Haidilao restaurants and restaurant operations including their customer loyalty program. We can see from the tables that the gross revenue (in thousands of RMB) has risen from 5.7 million to 39.5 million from 2015 to 2021. While the majority of revenue remains in China, as that's where the majority of their locations are, the revenue and number of locations worldwide are growing rapidly.

To further understand the appeal and success of Haidilao, we can look at what differentiates the brand from other hotpot restaurants and experiences. Haidilao offers a unique dining experience due to its attention to customer service. Haidilao goes above and beyond in order to make sure each customer has a memorable experience, offering free snacks in their waiting room, providing professional manicures, fitting their customers with aprons to avoid splashes, and having hair ties, phone wipes, and an iPad menu. This creativity and diligence when it comes to employee management and customer service has allowed Haidilao to build a passionate and loyal customer base and has greatly contributed to the brand's profits and success (Liu and Jie 2017, 536).

Figure 2,3. Haidilao’s global revenue from their restaurant operations (excluding delivery and condiment sales) from 2015 to 2017 and revenue increase from 2020 to 2021

This table comes from Haidilao’s global offering report and shows the rise in revenue and growth of the chain throughout the years. This includes global revenue, so outside the United States where the locations are split into Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities.

Haidilao is by far the most popular hotpot chain worldwide and has succeeded in spreading not only the taste of traditional hotpot but also the hospitality and communal food-sharing culture that comes with it. As the chain becomes more and more popular in Asia and in Western countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, family-style food sharing may also become increasingly normalized.

Figure 2. Little Sheep Hotpot Logo

Little Sheep Hotpot

Little Sheep Hotpot is a popular hotpot restaurant chain that was founded in 1999 in Baotou, Inner Mongolia. Today, the chain has over 300 locations in China and the brand has spread globally, including to the United States, Japan, and Singapore amongst others. One of the standout reasons why Little Sheep Hotpot experienced such success within China is its use of innovative WeChat marketing strategies.

In China, hotpot was a dish that was already regularly enjoyed at home due to its simple ingredients and preparation. Therefore, it became the objective of hotpot restaurants to differentiate themselves from the traditional homestyle preparation and create a demand for a more premium experience. Little Sheep Hotpot succeeded in this by introducing its signature Mongolian-style lamb bone broth, as well as offering a large variety of specialty ingredients. The company later also maximized the Little Sheep brand by offering hotpot home kits and broth packages, even having Little Sheep branded thinly-sliced beef and lamb rolls that could be used for hotpot at home. The quality guaranteed by the brand was enough to create demand in the Chinese market for these branded products rather than generic produce. The success of Little Sheep Hotpot can also be attributed to the company’s marketing strategies on platforms such as WeChat, a popular messaging platform in China. The brand has a strong presence and focuses on marketing toward office workers, emphasizing the benefits of hotpot as fast food. The brand also offers membership packages and promotions, as well as regular interaction with its customers through small games and queries (Liang et al., 2016).

These strategies have made Little Sheep Hotpot a popular hotpot chain in China, however, it doesn’t experience the same level of success internationally as other hotpot chains like Haidilao.

Interview: Ria Isaac On Her Experiences with Hotpot and Family-style Meals

When writing and researching my topic, I acknowledge that as someone who has been involved with Chinese culture, foods, and customs my whole life, I wouldn’t be able to gain a holistic understanding of how hotpot and sharing food culture is perceived and experienced globally. Therefore, when crafting my interview, I went in with the goal to gain a better understanding of how someone who had little to no exposure to authentic Chinese culture and cuisine perceived a communal eating experience.

To get a wider perspective and better understanding of how hotpot is perceived, I interviewed my friend and fellow UC San Diego student Ria Isaac, who previously lived in the United Kingdom and currently resides in La Jolla.

Prior to moving to the United States, Ria lived with her family in London, where their primary eating style both at home and dining out was individual portions. At home, a typical meal would consist of one main dish, such as a roast, served with vegetables and some sort of grain. These foods would be portioned out into separate plates and she would be able to get seconds by going back into the kitchen to serve herself. Isaac also mentioned that most of her schoolmates had a similar food experience.

Ria detailed her first experience with food-sharing culture, in the form of eating out at a Korean barbecue restaurant. She said that it was her first time cooking her food at the table and having such an “engaging and interactive dining experience” with her friends and family. After that experience, her mom became fascinated with this culture of cooking at the table and eating more family-style meals, which slowly became incorporated into the Isaac family dinners. Although she made it known that eating out at Korean barbeque and Chinese hotpot wasn’t a regular occurrence, it did have an impact on the way her family served meals at home. Her mom bought an induction stove that could be used for both barbecue and hotpot and even when having Western food, it would be served on the table rather than divided into portions.

When I asked if she had ever heard of the hotpot chains Haidilao or Little Sheep Hotpot, her response was “I’ve only eaten hotpot once, and it was at Haidilao. It’s the only hotpot restaurant my friends and I have heard of.” She walked me through her experience, and she said it was unlike any other dining experience she’d ever had, as she experienced both a manicure and the famous Haidilao noodle dance performance. The meal made a strong lasting impression on her even though she was around 10 years old when she had it.

Something interesting that I noticed about both Ria’s experience of Haidilao in London as well as the new Haidilao branch that opened in the Westfield UTC mall is how as the brand adapted to suit Western tastes, the experience seemed more high-end than a typical Haidilao branch in Asia. While definitely not a budget meal, Haidilao isn’t considered to be fine dining by any means in Asia, however, in Western branches the locations come fully stocked with a bar and custom drinks in the waiting area and higher prices attached to the broth and menu items. While globalization has helped to spread different cultures and customs around the world, a common trend is seeing originally commonplace and budget-friendly foods turn into more expensive specialty cuisines.

We ended the interview by taking a trip down to the Westfield UTC mall and having a meal at the newly opened Haidilao restaurant where we had the full hotpot experience complete with Sichuan-style spicy broth and aprons.

Figure 4. Enjoying hotpot at Haidilao

From left to right: Ria Isaac, Sandiela Dimatulac, Lauren Jiang

Conclusion

Hotpot is an iconic food in Chinese cuisine, starting from the Sichuan Province and spreading throughout China, and now globally. Although hotpot has been changed and adapted to suit tastes around the world, the importance of communal eating and food-sharing culture remains at the center of the dish. This style of eating is becoming more and more common even in the Western world and strengthens the idea of food as a catalyst for bonding and community.

Throughout the journey I had researching, interviewing for, and writing this essay blog, I’ve also found a new appreciation for the century-old traditions in Asia of cooking food at the table and having a common, shared culinary experience with friends and family. Quantified by this diagram in Figure 5 of the feelings one might experience when eating hotpot using the KJ method of analysis, family-style eating, and hotpot is more than just eating a meal, it’s about having a meaningful and memorable experience.

Figure 5. Evaluation Grid Chart -- Warm atmosphere of being together (Chen et al., 2010)

The rise in popularity of hotpot is significant in spreading the joys and pleasures of my culture but is ultimately part of a larger picture of the globalization of food and food customs. Exposing people to meals like hotpot that embody food-sharing behaviors through franchises or chains, not only is it introducing new flavors and foods, but also introduces food-sharing behaviors in dining out and in homes. My hope is that this essay has inspired you to try to incorporate family-style eating and hotpot into your culinary habits, and encouraged you to explore Chinese food cultures. Lastly, here is a video tutorial on how to make homemade hotpot. Enjoy!

Bibliography

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Colas, Alejandro. Food, Politics, and Society: Social Theory and the Modern Food System. Univ of California Press, 2018.

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McDougall, James I. “Globalization of Sichuan Hot Pot in the ‘New Era.’” Asian Anthropology 20, no. 1 (2020): 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/1683478x.2020.1779970.

“Making Authentic Hot Pot at Home (2 Ways)” YouTube video, posted by "Joshua Weissman" March 16, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EApkyOBewEw&ab_channel=JoshuaWeissman.

Sharing is Caring: The Rising Popularity of Hotpot and Food Sharing Culture