1. Huǒ Guō
Hot Pot - a Sichuan specialty
“Là, là” is a challenge,
a call to spiciness.
The waiter will beam at you,
in his mind he’s planning
your medical needs.
The hot pot before you bubbles now.
Toss in your meats and vegetables,
swirl it all around and crinkle your nose
as the spices nip your olfactory-
drowning in the seethe of hot oil raw
white lotus peeks at you.
Soon your time is up. Pick up the chopsticks.
Open your mouth, expose your tongue,
eat-numbness stings you a thousand times,
curse that broiling broth, the menu
without pictures, the glass of warm water,
China, and that grinning waiter!
Don’t touch your eyes, let the tears
and snot drip free during
this first coughing fit.
Reach for that bottle of Snow Beer,
gulp down your embarrassment,
pat dry your forehead and release
your death grip on the beer bottle
before you dare to try again. Later,
wadded tissues and small plastic trays
litter the tabletop. The oil stains on your shirt
will take time to fade and new taste buds
will grow. The word spicy is now an ache,
a mountain of knives in your belly.
Wear this experience around your neck,
a tooth you pulled from a tiger’s mouth.