Comm studies specialist. Personal experiences with ADHD and OCD. Will also be posting about lifestyle things like travels, how to find great deals, and building a house for less.
While researching speech delays and learning disabilities, we saw some studies about how non-dyslexic brains are usually more asymmetrical (the right side tends to be slightly bigger) while dyslexic participants had more symmetrical brains (the part that tends to be smaller usually handles tasks for reading and processing.)
It made us wonder if there were any studies on brain structure or task delegation and other learning disorders, anxiety, body dysmorphia, etc. Since right- and left-brained thinking were recently debunked, looking at it from social (extroverted) and analytical (introverted) neurotypes and how they thrive helped give us some new perspectives.
This is just going to be my status on certain days. I feel like it’s a part of having anxiety and (or) depression. Many days, I’m able to get through everything without an issue -- in part due to years of treatment. Other days, I can’t shake it and I still have to find that time to cry it out or duck out into a dark and quiet room.
I appreciate the family and friends that understand this, especially knowing that there are plenty of other things on our plates too. I just wish this was the norm, that people could say, “Some days suck and I just need a little time” without being told to snap out of it or being made to feel inadequate.
While researching speech delays and learning disabilities, we saw some studies about how non-dyslexic brains are usually more asymmetrical (the right side tends to be slightly bigger) while dyslexic participants had more symmetrical brains (the part that tends to be smaller usually handles tasks for reading and processing.)
It made us wonder if there were any studies on brain structure or task delegation and other learning disorders, anxiety, body dysmorphia, etc. Since right- and left-brained thinking were recently debunked, looking at it from social (extroverted) and analytical (introverted) neurotypes and how they thrive helped give us some new perspectives.
A step-by-step guide to hot pot (for those who haven’t tried it before...)
Hot pot is one of our favorite dinners out there. (Jess has been craving it a lot lately!) But whether you’re doing it at home or ordering at a restaurant, there’s an unspoken way of cooking hot pot ingredients to get the most flavor.
1) Hot pot is about savoring the experience
It’s not a fast food option, so don’t rush. If you go to an all-you-can-eat restaurant, you probably have an hour and a half to order everything you want. Just invite out some friends or do a one-on-one date, and have fun chatting while making the food!
It’s best to order what you really want in the first round as it might take a while to prep. This includes any hot pot ingredients, appetizers, and add-ons like bread, buns, or skewers. You can always order more down the line, including what you liked in the first round.
2) Try an all-you-can-eat place the first time
My husband stressed this as a huge “how to hot pot” tip, as he’s introduced plenty of other people to it before. If you’ve never had hot pot, you’ll want to see what you like by trying a range of foods. One of our favorite chains is Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot as they have a bit of everything. We’ve eaten at one everywhere from Seattle to Austin.
All-you-can-eat hot pot places usually run between $15 – $30 per person, but they are completely worth it, so go hungry!
3) Keep the experience sanitary
You’re working with raw foods, so keep meats and seafood separate from ready-to-eat foods like appetizers, breads, and cooked skewers.
Also, use separate utensils or chopsticks for raw foods. Anytime you use the chopsticks that you eat with to put raw meat in the pot, you still could get food poisoning as the hot water may not sanitize it completely. The hot water can still help clean any chopsticks or utensils, just don’t eat with them after!
4) Create your own dipping sauce
Most hot pot places offer the following options: sesame, hoisin, soy, satay, garlic in oil, chili paste, chili oil, cilantro, and green onion. You’ve probably experienced all of these before, but it’s fun to create a combined sauce — or use separate ones for different foods. My husband likes to mix them altogether, while I just prefer a combo of chili and garlic in oil with cilantro and green onion.
5) Wait for the soup to boil
More than likely, the soup base will be at the table before the other ingredients. But if they come all at once, wait until the soup is boiling before you add in any food. It keeps the food tender and cooks it evenly. Luckily though, it doesn’t take long to heat up!
6) Start with meat and seafood
These give the broth even more flavor and they cook relatively quickly. You can add in a few types at a time as most only need a few minutes to cook. They’re ready once:
Red meat (like beef and lamb) turns brown.
Poultry, pork, and fish turn white.
Shrimp turns pink or red.
The pot starts boiling again for other seafood.
7) Throw in some veggies
While tofu and vegetables tend to soak up a lot of the flavor, they take longer to cook. By this point, you’re likely not as hungry as when you started, so you can wait a little bit for tofu (fried, fresh, or frozen), mushrooms, bok choy, corn, and other veggies to simmer.
8) Enjoy some side dishes while they refill the broth
This may not be as much a “how to hot pot” tip as much as it is an intermission. If you’re running low on broth, the server can add some more and you can snack while you wait for it to boil again. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some Chinese croutons or a sesame bun, and maybe some Mongolian beef or lamb skewers that you ordered at the start.
9) Throw in more meat and then veggies
Before you add in noodles — which will absorb most of the flavor from the broth — go ahead and cook some more meat and veggies you might like. It will make the broth richer, especially if you just had it refilled.
10) Add in noodles
As you’re winding down, here’s a great chance to cook any noodles you ordered. They’ll likely expand in your stomach too, so at least you ate some of the more rich foods first!
11) Order dessert
(Okay, these are technically from 85 Degree Bakery, but you get the point...)
If we still have room in our stomachs, here’s the time where we order red bean buns, sesame balls, or even bubble tea. They’re not overly sweet and are a great way to finish out dinner!
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(I let my toddler play with my keyboard and now he’s my new social media manager...)
Our son tried to get us to go up a “3 & under” playscape, but hubby and I said that it wasn’t allowed because we’re too big. Then he convinced his (much too) young brother to climb it, and we scrambled up after them. He now knows that we’re liars.
Cherry on top: the restaurant employees got to watch our grown asses get stuck on a slide and a spiral staircase.
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