On 06/06/10 09:58, Zhang Dawei wrote:

The diet of Chinese people gets its inspiration and roots from the
times of famine, when anything that moved and was vaguely edible
could be eaten, and often was.

Snake isn't all that bad, but too many bones in the ones I have
eaten.

Likewise, I found smoked jellied eel (the old London favourite) to be a
bit on the crunchy side but at least the bones are chewable.

Deep fried gutted frogs are loved by Chinese children because
the meat tastes a bit sweet. I can't eat them. The boiled blood tofu
was interesting, and also given to me because I said I liked black
pudding, but it seemed a bit tasteless to me, which is unusual
because where my wife comes from (Hunan), they like very spicy food.
I haven't had the fly maggots, but the bee larva I ate once were
pleasant enough.

The bee babies sound quite appealing. I suppose it's the mental image
that bees are fluffy and cute but flies are smelly sods that like turds
and rotten dead things.

I can't eat much seafood after have one-trial
aversion learning when I got severe food poisoning (needing
hospitalisation) after eating cockles bought in a pub in Selly Oak
many years ago. Donkey meat was all right, but I wouldn't choose to
eat it again, and the same goes for dog. The one food my Chinese
relatives were most surprised about because I liked it very very much
was "smelly tofu" or "stinky tofu":a very strong flavour. What I
can't understand is why they like this, yet can't abide the thought
of eating cheese, and, in particular, very strong blue cheeses (the
ones corresponding most closely to the stinky tofu.

I've heard of that - not had it though.

Tofu is made in
an extremely similar way to cheese (we've made both) except that the
starter is not cows, sheep, goats or other animal milk but, in rough
terms, a kind of soya milk.

They also can't understand why pigs' ears are usually only fed to
dogs in the UK: they are a delicacy and very expensive in China, and
they also like to cook and eat chicken feet (apart from the claws
which they spit out), bones and gristle and all.

I've had those. Not something I'd go out and buy, but if given, they
were quite passable.


As I said, one can understand their diet if one views it as being at
some point rooted in the history and cultural memories of famine
times.


I'm sure in olden times here a few slugs ended up in the stew!


--
Tim Watts

Hung parliament? Rather have a hanged parliament.