A Beginner's Guide To Home Hot Pot While hot pot restaurants across Canada have had to put things on pause, this communal meal can be a cinch—and just as fun—to have at home. Amy Chyan Updated Photos by Carmen Cheung. Prop stylist: Catherine Doherty. Food stylist: Eshun Mott. Hot pot has always been at the centre of my Taiwanese family’s winter solstice, Lunar New Year and birthday celebrations. It’s a special meal filled with loud chatter and laughter, and its communal nature is a metaphor for family wholeness, as people gather at the table. While hot pot restaurants across the country have put things on pause due to the pandemic, hot pot can be a cinch—and just as fun—to have at home.