The Hot Pot

Appears in
Xi'an Famous Foods: The Cuisine of Western China, from New York's Favorite Noodle Shop
Xi'an Famous Foods

By Jason Wang

Published 2020

  • About

In the fall of 2018, “Hot Duck” Mania took over central park, with hordes of people crowding the lake to photograph a particularly striking bird covered in purple, blue, and orange feathers. The mandarin duck, typically found in East Asia, became the attraction in New York City for a surprising period of time.

It’s important to note (and you’ll see why soon) that the “hot” mandarin duck is only the male duck of this species. The female mandarin duck is actually pretty plain, with brown and white plumage. Visually, the two genders are completely different, but they’re complementary, like yin and yang.