March has barely turned the mountains of the Qinling Range green, but Tianshui,     1     small city at the foot of the Qinling Range has already exploded in popularity for its spicy hot pot, or malatang. In recent days, Tianshui has welcomed approximately 40,000 visitors daily.

The     2    (explode)in popularity of the local spicy hot pot in Gansu is closely associated     3     the local eating habits. The local northwestern Chinese cuisine primarily     4    (consist)of boiled beef and mutton, as green leafy vegetables are hardly found in Gansu or its cuisine. In places like the Hexi Corridor, if one attempts     5    (find)leafy greens, the best option would be to visit a Sichuan restaurant.

However, the local spicy hot pot restaurants also provide diners with     6    (variety)vegetables to choose from. In places like Tianshui,     7     cuisine has been influenced by Sichuan and Chongqing traditions, the hot pot’s flavor     8    (enrich)using bean sauce and Sichuan peppercorns, adding a spicy fragrance(香味)to both meat and vegetables.

The history of Gansu’s spicy hot pot is     9    (relative)short. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was merely known as spicy noodles, later     10    (develop)to achieve its present form.

Chongqing is famous for its hot pot. There are tens of thousands of restaurants specializing in the hot, spicy dish to choose from, but if you’re looking for the most impressive one, go to Pipa Yuan,     1     giant restaurant situated on a large hill. It covers an area of 3, 300 square meters, and most diners require directions to find their     2     (reserve) tables.

Because of its size, and the fact that it     3     (place) on a steep hillside, diners can take up to 30 minutes from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill     4     one of the 888 tables available. However, that doesn’t seem to affect the     5     (popular) of this place. In fact, despite the massive capacity of the restaurant, you can’t     6     (possible) find a table without reservation.

As you can imagine, cooking several tons of hot pot every day     7     offering it to thousands of diners require a massive staff. It is reported that it     8     (hire ) hundreds of waiters, tens of cooks, and dozens of kitchen staff, as well as over 25 cashiers so far. At Pipa Yuan,     9     (serve) time can be a bit long, but the fresh ingredients, the mild spices, and the view from the hill can hold the patience of     10     (tourist).