一个人在中国吃火锅的完整流程

What does 锅底 (guōdǐ) mean in Chinese hotpot?

Walk into a hotpot restaurant in China and the first question is always about the 锅底 (guōdǐ) — the broth base. The word literally means “bottom of the pot”: 锅 (guō) is a cooking pot or wok, and 底 (dǐ) is bottom or base. You choose one base or combine two in a divided pot (鸳鸯锅, yuānyāng guō). The decision matters: a spicy Sichuan base and a mild tomato base produce completely different meals.

The clip walks through the whole solo hotpot process step by step: choose the 锅底, scan the QR code to order (扫码点餐), pick your condiments (调味料), and then manage your cooking time by ingredient. The presenter explains that Northern Chinese typically prefer sesame paste (芝麻酱, zhīmájiàng) while Sichuan diners go for an oil-based dipping sauce with sesame oil (香油) and garlic paste (蒜泥). The solo dining note is also real: in China, eating alone at a restaurant (一个人吃饭) is increasingly normalised and the clip actively encourages it — “一定不要害怕，你可以勇敢地去尝一下.”