By: Xiaochen Su
Jolted awake at 2 am, I rushed into the hotel bathroom. The churn in my stomach had a certain culprit: a nondescript mom-and-pop hotpot restaurant down the street. I was being extra careful with boiling the thin slices of beef and checking to make sure that the eatery was patronized by repeat customers. Still, I was ensnared by the ingred…