At the Fireplace Restaurant

A few days ago my Chinese teacher took me and my teammate out for a meal to send us off before we leave Rizhao.  She wanted to take us for a traditional style meal that mimics the way people used to prepare food in their homes.

There was a large table with a small fire underneath that directly heated our pot of delicious free-range chicken soup.  The restaurant is advertised for serving "green" (healthy) food, so in addition to chicken our soup also had some items to add medicinal value: ginger and goji berries.

It was a little smoky, but delicious and fun.  Thanks, Li Laoshi!

I nearly deleted this photo but persuaded myself to keep it for the sake of the "Pleasant Goat" wastebasket peeking out from behind the kindling.

Our teacher carefully washed the place settings in hot water before the meal.

The staff poured in the soup and lit the fire.

Even the chairs are a traditional style.  Love that fire!

Here's an interesting side note.  Many traditional countryside homes had (and some still have) a bed called a kang, which is a platform heated by a fire underneath.  The family can sit on the kang during the day and sleep on it during the night.  This can provide the only source of heat in an otherwise unheated house.

At the end of the evening, after eating most of the chicken, we boiled vegetables and handmade noodles.