Fondue up the Wazue
Last night we celebrated my wife's birthday over dinner at a restaurant that we'd never tried. Their whole theme was "fondue". For those who are unfamiliar, fondue is a hot substance generally made from cheese and wine. You're supposed to dip bread in it and be swept away by the amazing flavor.
That was how it started.
This restaurant took things a tad bit further than that. After the "cheese" course, we got our main meals which consisted of beef, chicken, and / or shrimp. It was very tasty. The only problem was that it was delivered raw. We had to put it into the hot oil or hot boiling water with wine in order to cook it. The problem with THAT is the fact that you're only given two of these little skewers, and each skewer doesn't neccessarily lend itself toward heavy loads (such as more than two pieces of meat or vegetable at a time).
Once you eat a piece of cooked shrimp, you quickly realize that there's no more food to eat unless you cook it. And again, you can only cook about two pieces at a time. As soon as they're cooked, you've gotta off-load those bad boys and let them cool for about 30 seconds. So you're not just eating, here. You're participating in a delicate scheduling balance of cooking and eating. And if you get off schedule ... well ... let's not even go there, ok?
The entire meal (which included a desert of - you guessed it - a chocolate fondue with fruit and marshmellows for dipping) took a full three hours. It was an experience to be sure, but not necessarily one I'd care to duplicate. Especially when you have seven people fighting for two small pots in which to cook your stuff.