We ate this, would you? (rc)

Tonight was our third welcome feast and our daring side showed itself in a way we've never even dreamed of! Take for example the above bucket of eels which proved to be quite tasty. Considering our typical diet, which many of you know has a vegetarian slant, this probably came as a total surprise to every system in our body. Willing to risk how we might feel tomorrow, we embraced tonight's cultural experience with open minds and a steady pair of chopsticks.


Some of the more recognizable foods were creatively blended with those not so easy to recognize culminating in an 18 course meal as diverse in color as it was in texture.

Eel, pig's tail, chicken kidney, coagulated duck blood, cow intestine, pig heart and pig lung are now on our list of new food experiences. Some resembled liver, others had a texture similar to rubber while others can best be described as slimy. The eel would fit into the slimy category, however it was one of our favorites. Of course, considering the list of choices what does "favorite" really mean? The rest of the dishes, although also unique, don't hold a candle to these. Well okay, maybe the shrimp complete with heads, beady little eyes, antennae, legs, tail and shell run a close second but they don't quite make the cut for new food experience. The meal also had its share of delicately prepared foods like this edible flower carved from a turnip.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the evening we came home happy and proud of ourselves for our bravado. Suddenly the chicken feet Tom tried 2 weeks ago don't sound quite so frightening to Molly, Dylan or me! I haven't learned how to cook like this yet but you never know what skills I may acquire in the next few months. Our vegetarian ways may be a thing of the past by the time we get home!