As I always like to point out, Chinese food in China is not the same as what you would find Chinese restaurants in America. One thing I discovered recently was a Chengdu version of hot pot. It does come with some appetizers.
Chengdu is the capital Sicuan, so the food is pretty spicy. The above was a really spicy version of noodles with ground park. This almost made me cry, but then there was this to counteract the chili oil at the bottom of this bowl.
This was sticky rice lightly fried and covered with sesame sides. This dipping sauce was something like a slightly sweet syrup. Then, it was on to the main dish.
Typically, the base soup is really, really spicy. However, since this is Changzhou and Jiangsu food is not very spicy, there was a very tame alternative for locals who don't want to burn their mouth. So, all in all, a new type of food in my standard dinner night out rotation.