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Post by ObertonGluek on Jun 7, 2006 9:52:50 GMT 7
I know these two animals are eaten as food in China, but I haven't yet read anything about a westerner actually trying them.
Has anyone here tried them? Are they quite pricey and a lot more rare; a Chinese "businessman" kinda meat or what?
If anyone has tried them, how do they taste?
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 7, 2006 10:19:30 GMT 7
No cat.
Many people eat dog. I ate it once because I wasn't told. I don't like it. Tastes like cheap mutton to me. Others may say differently. Don't know the price, it is all cheap here. I once refused to go into a restaurant that had a dog bisected down the middle hanging in the window. It is considered a 'warming' food, good for old people in winter.
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Post by Stil on Jun 7, 2006 10:58:16 GMT 7
Dog meat is very common where I live. More common than beef. I like it very much and we will often eat it at banquets. It is more pricey than than pork or mutton but still cheap. I haven't tried cooking it yet mostly because i find it hard to buy (the skin and paws are still attached) but I may give it a go this winter. I've had cat meat once in Guangzhou and I'll never knowingly eat it again. Horrible stuff, very gamy like pork left out in the sun for a week. As far as I can tell, it's not commonly eaten and the people around here won't eat it because they say it's not good for you. (maybe they shouldn't leave it in the sun for a week) Rat is much better tasting - really. There are all kinds of interesting things to try here. Bees, water roaches, snake is very, very good, worms, grubs, scorpions, spiders, pigeon on a stick, (I'm still eying Mr. Nobody's swallow/sparrow) varies testes. If it's edible (and sometimes even if it's not) it will be eaten here. Some of the more common foods are small eels, pig intestines, pig stomach lining, pigs blood (not like black pudding), pig, chicken and duck feet, well any part of a pig or chicken, thousand year old eggs (boiled eggs marinated in horse piss is what I was told) I like this too. There's a dish called kou rou that's reported to be Chairman Mao's favourite that is basically a mound of pig fat. Pretty good actually but maybe fattening I notice some foreigners have trouble if the head is served with a dish or even that pretty much all chicken dishes have bones in them. I don't know if this would bother you. I've eaten all the things I listed and the only one I won't eat again is cat, although I might have to be a little drunk to eat spider again as I have a small phobia. There are also plenty of vegetables and some fruits I've never seen and don't know English names for.
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Post by Stil on Jun 7, 2006 11:08:32 GMT 7
Btw, snack foods will blow your mind. Pieces of smelly fish in a bag, stinky tofu (smells like pig poo) are far more commonly eaten by students than say cookies.
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Post by acjade on Jun 7, 2006 11:45:02 GMT 7
Frog is werry delicious.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 7, 2006 12:10:32 GMT 7
Yeah, the food is cheap and the variety, plentiful. I eat anything that isn't a pet, endangered or raw, so I have to watch carefully when I eat at banquets. This is mostly because of my ethics, though, so if I stuff up, I don't care too much since I did my best. Except raw, which is for health reasons.
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Newbs
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Post by Newbs on Jun 7, 2006 14:33:59 GMT 7
stinky tofu (smells like pig poo) Not true, pig poo doesn't smell that bad. I was sitting next to a lady eating the stuff one day and I felt sorry for her, as it seemed to me that she'd just stepped in some dog poo before she came in. Urban myth but worth telling. A French diplomat and his wife were posted to Beijing and they took their French poodle with them. Out walking with the poodle one day when they felt hungry so went into a restaurant. Mimed actions to one of the waitresses to mind the dog then sat down to order lunch. Didn't know what was what so they just pointed to some items on the menu and hoped for the best. Soon the dishes came out, and the Frenchies found all the dishes delicious. Paid for the bill and then asked for their poodle. There were some puzzled looks from the waitresses and then a horrible look understanding came over the French couple.
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Post by Stil on Jun 7, 2006 14:49:57 GMT 7
Chou doufu tastes ok though it's just the smell of it cooking that's revolting. One bonus is that if you can get used to the smell, the toilets won't bother you at all.
Speaking of which, Og you might want to bring your best diarhea poo medicine with you and if you venture up my way into Hunan or Sichuan. Prepare for food a little spicier than in Liverpool.
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Decurso
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Post by Decurso on Jun 7, 2006 15:37:28 GMT 7
It seems like every 3 months or so we find ourselves talking about all the weird things we eat.no wonder.in 3 months it's very easy to eat a lot of weird new food.Had my first frog last night.Tasty but greasy.
I had dog a couple months ago.Didn't like it..tasted like spam.Northeners apparently don't eat cat because it tastes sour.Southerners will eat pretty much anything except cheese.
Funny side note.When I tried dog I ordered dog fried rice..with no cabbadge.Dog I can handle...cooked cabbadge is vile.
Dog and cat are far from the strangest foods one can eat here.
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Post by Dajiang on Jun 7, 2006 17:25:23 GMT 7
I had dog in a doggy bag once...
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jun 7, 2006 18:16:23 GMT 7
Went out to dinner with Beijing officials from the Ministry of Education - sat next to the head honcho that was here. The restaurant was a well-known dog meat place - and the dog meat was beautiful!! Very tender. The dog soup was also good. Other food we had that night included whole baby birds deep fried and very crunchy - head and all is eaten (no feathers). The honcho kept feeding me so I was obligated to eat. But it tasted fine.
After the banquet we were taken just outside to the dog-fight arena and again seated next to the honcho in the front row for the fights.
Interesting evening.
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Post by acjade on Jun 7, 2006 19:06:22 GMT 7
The kid's family serve dog meat when the grandparents are around and being honoured...eg. anniveraries and birthdays but don't eat it normally. I think what Mr. Nobody said is right on. Dog is considered as a warming ( kick start the qi) food for older people.
I never sampled it. Have had great and wonderful and beloved canine members of the family. But I didn't feel revulsion because they were eating dead animal. Ever seen a pissed Aussie down a steak in a pub? At least the dog meat was eaten with respect and gratitude.
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Post by uberzilla on Jun 7, 2006 19:31:33 GMT 7
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Post by George61 on Jun 7, 2006 19:36:02 GMT 7
Noooooo ooooo!!! Eat the dog! Eat the dog!!
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Post by joe on Jun 7, 2006 20:10:47 GMT 7
stinky tofu (smells like pig poo) Not true, pig poo doesn't smell that bad. I was sitting next to a lady eating the stuff one day and I felt sorry for her, .... I would too, but if ya can't afford the pig itself... Once upon a time I walked off the main road down the kind of side street that has cheap eats. Turned out to be crap restaurants, itty-bitty veg markets and a few butchers. A good sized dog lay on the path outside a shop, on it's side, skinned, with it's head submerged in a bowl of water. Dead, obviously. I ate dog once, knowingly. It was pretty good, so long as I didn't think too much about it.
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Post by con's fly is open on Jun 7, 2006 20:23:37 GMT 7
I had dog: what Joe said. Greasy on the bone, but quite good shredded. It's too expensive, though. I do NOT recommend turtle. In theory, sounds okay, but I very nearly
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 7, 2006 21:02:38 GMT 7
Turtle was fine. I don't recommend it since most are endangered. They even sell Hawksbill here, both as meat and as dried preserved animals which is against an international agreement and law that CHINA HAS SIGNED!!!!
Bastards.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jun 8, 2006 0:49:28 GMT 7
Sea turtle is delicious - much sweeter than other meats. The fat is green which is a bit interesting to eat, but tastes great. I have eaten it when attending banquets with Torres Strait Islanders - they have permission to hunt and eat turtles. Cooked in a cap mari (underground pit) with vegetables, pig, kangaroo and rice.
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Post by ObertonGluek on Jun 8, 2006 2:47:53 GMT 7
I must also add, that I'm quite the dog lover and very recently I was upset when the family dog died. She was a Shar Pei. A lovely pet who I still miss dearly.
I will try dog meat, but seeing a dead dog skinned and it's head in a bowl of water would upset me a little I think.
Cat? Well, I've never liked them, probably due to the fact that I'm allergic to their fur and never had the chance to actually be around one properly. No problem eating cat.
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jun 8, 2006 3:16:53 GMT 7
I've eaten dog once or twice and I have to admit it was pretty good. However, I'm still squeamish about the idea and wouldn't order it under my own power.
I found turtle completely disgusting. I won't go there again.
By the way, the stories you here about surreptitiously (did I spell this right after 4 bourbons?) using dog or cat meat as a ripoff are pretty much mythical. Dog and cat meats are considered gourmet items by many and are actually more expensive than pork or chicken.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 8, 2006 6:27:37 GMT 7
Yeah. More likely to substitute the other meat for dog or cat.
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Post by Nate M on Jun 8, 2006 18:56:09 GMT 7
Thank you all for reminding me why I am a vegetarian.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 8, 2006 22:40:19 GMT 7
Hey, Nate, don't knock the whole food chain just because it has a few kinks in it.
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Post by Nate M on Jun 9, 2006 4:09:11 GMT 7
Don't worry, I'm not. I'm just sticking to the best parts of it. Specifically, the parts that don't bleed, poop, or pee.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 9, 2006 6:21:07 GMT 7
Fair call. I think that food is like art. Something has to suffer for it to be good. However, it isn't going to be me.
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