Snake + Cake
There is a restaurant at 115 Xingfu Road in Shanghai called Lin Lin. Lin Lin specializes in fresh snakes. It's a small, divey place and in the little courtyard behind the kitchen there's a stack of cages that hold several species of live snakes.
The waiter walked us back there to check them out and we pointed to a few of the big ones he said were the tastiest. He put some heavy thick plastic gloves on and pulled them out. With strong scissors he simply cut their heads off, and threw the bodies into a bucket. The headless bodies writhed and wriggled as blood spewed out from the top. We licked our chops and went inside.
photo by Safety Scissors
The snakes came stir-fried in a spicy mix of vegetables, chili and oil. Tastes like frog.
We were happily eating away at this when we noticed at the other table there was quite a loud party going on. Red wine, snakes, and ... a birthday cake. The party was getting louder to the point of obnoxious. Then one of the drunken gentleman came over and toasted with us -- his English was decent, but obviously he doesn't interact with foreigners often. "My two friends, it's their birthday. They are policemen! Policeman birthday! hahah!" (I think he was quite proud that they were police ... at first I was like, so what's the point? Police need to eat too...)
Anyway, a few minutes later we were standing and toasting beer and wine with these guys, and singing happy birthday songs. Then came the cake. We were given big slices of chocolate cake with white frosting. We thanked them, set the cake down on our table, and continued to eat our snake dish.
A few minutes later, the gentleman came back, blushing, and said "you should eat the cake now (wink wink). It's time to eat the cake. We are eating cake now."
"Ah yes, we will, after our snake," I said.
"You should eat cake now. We eat cake together," he said.
So we did. Cake + snake. Yum.
People from The West are uptight about what courses to eat when. Dessert goes at the end. Count me as one of those people. Cake and spicy snake don't mix. Neither does red wine with spicy snake, or light beer with cake, for that matter. But now things were completely out of control and they were all mixed up together on our palates and in our bellies.
I have a Shanghainese friend who likes to drink chocolate milk with her spicy fish. Just the thought makes me ill.
We survived. Tummies full, we bid farewell to the birthday police and walked down to Logo bar and partied with Safety Scissors, Ben Houge, and Nosaj Thing.
Labels: snake
posted by Michael @ 4:19 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I really feel incredibly sorry not just for you and your frivolous decision to stop being vegetarian but also for the large number of non-thinking, non-environmentalists, utterly materialistic and non-darwinian people who support you.
This has nothing to do with survival, man is equipped with his mind/brain to survive. You're not starving in the middle of nowhere, you're a spoiled brat who consciously supports animal cruelty, especially in Asia where animals are brutally tortured before they die. What difference do you make from these torturers? How exactly are you doing this already-on-the-verge-of-destruction planet any good by priding yourself in consuming almost anything that breathes? Do you really believe you are actually contributing to the comprehension of human psychology (or better, human absurdity) by trying all this disgusting stuff (by the way, eating a carnivore is totally unhealthy, but I guess you don't know since you don't appreciate science and the origins of species...)? Let me tell you, dog meat is eaten in China because it is a long held belief that it is good for men. However, having been an animal lover all my life, I can tell you that animals like dogs, cats, horses and even pigs (pigs learn words, do you know?) are capable of offering their loving companion to people, they even help people with health and mental problems improve their life and this is your way of appreciating our animal relatives??? Why don't you eat your mother as well when she dies, save yourself some burrial costs and tell us about it in your fantastic blog, dude????? Now, that would be the number 1. taboo, right?
to VISITORS: Don't bother replying, I'm not going to visit this crap again, it ain't worth being read by a thinking being...Oh, and what I wrote applies to all animals so don't waste your time writing stupid things like "why is a dog different from a lamb?" If your sole purpose in living is trying almost every kind of food, then you've missed the point. You're slaves of your own stomach and do this planet no good. Truly, you should exercise voluntary extinction so that these abhorrent habits are not passed onto your children.
Indeed, there is no inhibition in most Asian cultures with the order of food to be eaten, or the combination. Well, to be sure, there are certain preferred combinations and orders but it is mostly up to the individual and not tied to table manners or rules.
The anonymous commentator above certainly needs to learn a thing or two about not imposing his views on others. By virtue of this principle, I'm not condemning his right to write what he wrote but merely expressing disagreement with his views and the manner in which they were expressed.
Note that I'm not replying to him, just making a remark about his insolence.
How can I take anyone seriously, who won't even sign his/her name?
Man, that was some good snake and cake! :P
To the anon. poster on July 7, 2009. If it disgusts you sooo much then why are you reading this blog. Nobody cares what you think. Apparantly you thought it was interesting otherwise you wouldn't have read it. Just because you don't think animals are food doesn't mean everyone else should. Long live meat! I think I'll have a steak for dinner. Get a life, go preach to someone who cares.
I am eager to eat deep fried bugs...
I will eat turtle if put in front of me...
I will eat durian fruit...
I will eat kangaroo meat...
Sweetbreads will only be like candy...
HOWEVER, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES, will I eat the thing that I have a clinical fear of, a snake. I am sure that in the psychology annals, under the heading of the name for "fear of snakes", is a picture of me. No snake bile for me, no snake blood, no snake fritters joining with my body chemistry. No sir.
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