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冬天到贵州，别急着看风景，先把饭吃了。
酸汤火锅一开，热气就把寒气挡在门外；活菜下锅，几秒起筷，新鲜还在；围炉煮茶，水一滚，人也慢下来……
在贵州，冬天不是“扛”过去的，而是在一顿顿热饭、热汤里慢慢过完的。跟着味道走进贵州，认识一个温暖、生动、值得慢慢体会的冬天。
冬日的贵州贵阳，湿冷悄然铺开。位于南明区市南路上的“研酸堂”内，炉火正旺，砂锅已热，它的主理人，黔菜研究人、推介人肖富文正准备用一顿贵州冬天最具代表性的民间火锅，迎接即将到访的俄罗斯客人。
Winter settles quietly over Guiyang, Guizhou, bringing with it a familiar damp chill. On Shinan Road in Nanming District, the stove is already glowing inside Yan Suan Tang. Its founder, Xiao Fuwen—a researcher and advocate of Guizhou cuisine—is preparing one of the region's most emblematic winter dishes to welcome a guest from Russia: live-ingredient hotpot.
“说起贵州冬天的第一顿饭，很多人会想到它。”肖富文一边整理食材，一边向贵州日报国际传播中心主播缇娅娜介绍。作为长期研究贵州饮食文化的实践者，他更愿意从生活经验出发解释这道菜：“活菜，讲究一个‘活’。”
“When people talk about the first meal of winter in Guizhou, this is often what comes to mind,”Xiao says as he readies the ingredients, explaining the dish to Tanya, an anchorfrom Discover Guizhou. Having long studied Guizhou's food culture, Xiao prefers to describe the dish through lived experience.“It all comes down to one word,”he says.“Alive.”
新鲜，是第一层含义。牛肉选用当天现切的本地牛肉，蔬菜则是最嫩的部分。第二层，是不过度烹饪。锅里不炖、不熬，只需在热油中轻轻一涮，便可入口。第三层，是让味道“醒着”，不靠重调味覆盖，而是保留食材本身的质感。
Freshness is the first layer of meaning. The beef is cut the same day from local cattle; the vegetables are chosen at their most tender. The second is restraint in cooking. Nothing is stewed or simmered—ingredients are simply swished through hot oil and eaten at once. The third is keeping the flavor"awake": no heavy seasoning to mask it, only the texture and taste of the ingredients themselves.
火锅开始前，先“润锅”。猪油入锅，慢慢化开，在砂锅壁上游走。“锅要养，香气才会出来。”他说，这样的“土砂锅”往往要用很多年，味道会一层层留下来，时间本身就是调料。
Before anything goes into the pot, there is a ritual known as"seasoning the pot."Lard melts slowly, coating the walls of the clay pot.“The pot has to be nurtured before the aroma can emerge,”Xiao explains. Such earthenware is often used for many years; flavors accumulate over time, making time itself an invisible seasoning.
活菜火锅的底味并不复杂。姜、蒜、糍粑辣椒，用猪油现炒，不加水，也没有汤汁。锅里只有油脂的温润和辣椒的香气。随后贵州本地牛肉下锅，几秒即起。“三分熟最好，再煮就老了。”肖富文提醒。
The base of the hotpot is deliberately simple. Ginger, garlic, and ciba chili paste are stir-fried in lard—no water, no broth. What remains is the gentle richness of fat and the fragrance of chili. Then the local beef goes in, lifted out within seconds.“Thirty percent cooked is best,”Xiao cautions.“Any longer, and it toughens.”
缇娅娜第一次尝试这种吃法。她夹起一片刚出锅的牛肉，入口，惊喜：“不辣，但很嫩。”蔬菜同样如此，轻轻一涮，脆嫩仍在。此时，还要搭配上一碗热腾腾的米饭。“活菜火锅便是贵阳冬季火锅典型的‘下饭菜’。”肖富文说。
It is Tanya's first time trying the dish this way. She lifts a slice of beef fresh from the pot and tastes it, surprised.“Not spicy—but so tender.”The vegetables are the same: a quick swish preserves their crispness. A bowl of steaming rice completes the meal. “Live-ingredient hotpot is a classic 'rice-killer' winter dish in Guiyang.”Xiao said.
火锅渐热，话也多了起来。围炉而坐，边吃边聊，锅气与笑声交织。对贵州人来说，冬天不是“熬”过去的，而是在一顿顿美餐中慢慢度过。
As the pot grows hotter, conversation flows more easily. Gathered around the stove, eating and talking, steam and laughter mingle. For the people of Guizhou, winter is not something to be endured, but something to be lived—slowly, meal by meal.
