Assisted cuisine

Mongolian style

I went to an amusing place for lunch today. As I walked into the Mongolian barbecue restaurant with my two colleagues, I was drawn by the four chefs, flipping piles of noodles atop steaming, giant hot plates. We were seated, ordered a round of hot tea, and immediately headed for the pre-stir-fry buffet. I started with the large, plastic bowl, moved past the red meats and pork and began creating my mountain of egg noodles. The raw, baby shrimp came next, followed by seasoned tofu, a mélange of raw vegetables, and a sprig of cilantro. The final part consisted of ladeling ginger water, chili sauce, and sesame oil. I was now ready to present my bowl to the chefs at the giant hot plates. I was taken aback by the sound of the gong and honorable cheers from the chefs as one man contributed to the tip jar. “Peanuts?” the chef chimed in. I quickly nodded affirmatively. A few short minutes went by and the steaming plate was in my hands. We were rewarded at the table with a simple appetizer and hot tea. As we sat down, the lines swelled at the front door. I wondered if they, too, anticipated the next steps as they passed the steaming hotplates.