Bizarre Foods with Amanda Woomer

I think we all know (if not LOVE) the show on Travel Channel with Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods. It's one of my favorite TV shows and after I got to meet him (very) briefly while working down in Disney World, I loved him and his show even more. Every time I watch his show, I ask myself, "Could I eat that?" and so far the only thing that I know I could never do is the fertilized chicken eggs in the Philippines. I like his philosophy of, "If it looks good--EAT IT!" and especially when I am traveling, I like to try and remember this each time I sit down to eat.

Well let me just tell you that living in China is definitely a culinary adventure. Everyday when I go out to try and find a place to eat, it is a difficult task (if they don't have an English menu) and so I have been reduced to choosing my meals based on the photographs of them on the menu and hoping for the best. The first time there was only one picture on the menu of some kind of soupy noodle dish with pork (which ended up being delicious) and yesterday was a major success with rice, veggies, and (I think) beef {I know that's really something you never want to say but it was very good so I am going back to Andrew Zimmern and standing by my choice to eat whatever type of meat it was from whatever part of the body because it was delicious}.

Delicious pork soup... 好吃！

Going into restaurants and just ordering food based on how they look in photos (that are designed to make them look the most appetizing) is a bit like playing Russian Roulette. Sometimes it's a win and sometimes it is a big, fat loser. So far I am two for two and I hope to keep it that way.

Apart from getting to explore the culinary delights of the restaurants found in downtown Hangzhou, I have gotten three home cooked meals since I've arrived, all of them compliments of my former college roommate, Miaomiao, and her family.

Saturday, I spent the entire day at Miaomiao's house with her husband, Chenzhi, and her parents (who I met at her wedding) and her grandfather (who, despite the fact that he knew I couldn't understand him, decided to have a constant conversation going with me). I arrived just in time for lunch and found myself ready for a home cooked meal (I guess I've been spoiled my whole life by my mom's cooking). We had crab, noodles, rice (of course), bamboo (which I might have eaten half the plate), green beans, soup, and some meat.

We sit down and begin eating and after we get passed everyone praising me on my chopstick skills (I don't think I will ever tire of that), we began to dig in. I've found that it can be best not to ask what you are eating until after you have already tried it, deemed it to be good or bad and then go from there (either a second helping or going on to something safe and recognizable, like, you know, vegetables-- and that is what I was sticking to for the first few bites of the meal: bamboo, green beans, and spinachy greens). But then Mama Huang went in for the kill.

She picks up a piece of meat from the bowl and places it on top of my rice. I don't have to tell you that (obviously) I eat it; this is due to A). my (sometimes untimely) adventurous spirit and B). a desire to not offend the mother of one of my dearest friends who, no doubt, made said questionable meat. So I pick it up with my chopsticks (yes, I've begun to pick up heavy-ish things!!) and take a bite.

What is with the Chinese and their obsession with anise flavored things? First the chicken feet from Hefang Street last year and now this?!? *sigh* Other than that, what did it taste like? Chewy. Fatty. Sticky. Not exactly sure how I felt about it but I guess I enjoyed it enough to keep going without even knowing what exactly I was eating. It wasn't until Miaomiao had the grace to let me know, that I wanted to put my chopsticks down and start to cry.

She turns to me and asks oh- so innocently, "Do you also eat pig feet in America?"

Say what?!?

If I ever doubted my acting abilities prior to this moment, those doubts were immediately washed away. I informed her that, while pig feet is available in the United States, it isn't one of the more commonly consumed parts of the body. Dodged that bullet.

Chenzhi, Miaomiao, and me--notice the full bowl of pig feet in the middle of the table

 

 

After a trip to THE West Lake (which is so much more beautiful in the summer than December) and looking at Miaomiao's wedding album, we came back to her house for round two.

 

We had a delicious soup with eggs and tomatoes, asparagus, rice (duh), some more crab, and guess what reared it's ugly head again? Yes, indeed... those little pig feet. Trying to be polite bit me in the butt... I tried to pick the smallest one out of the batch and as I tried to lift it up, realized that it was much heavier than it should have been. Mama Huang in her helpful state, picked up that very piece and placed it in my bowl once more. How sweet...

 

This thing was a monster! I tried to bite into it, my teeth basically bounced off of it. Yum. I tried dropping it and putting it back in my bowl and it stuck to my fingers. Oh boy! As I turned it around, little hairs from the piggy's little feet where there. Oh boy, am I full!!

 

Needless to say, that was quite the culinary adventure. The only thing that made up for the pig feet is the yangmei, or waxberry, we got to eat for dessert... SO YUMMY!! <--and THAT is not sarcasm.

 

So you might be thinking, "Amanda! You can't possibly think that eating just pig feet is enough to compare yourself to the great Andrew Zimmern!" and I would tell you that you would be correct.

 

Which is where last night comes into play.

 

After another lovely day at THE West Lake and after we got so lost on the bus that I finally had to break down and hail a cab and find the nerve to tell him in Chinese where we needed to go, we arrived at Miaomiao's house to eat dinner with her and her two coworkers.

 

Shufei, Shuhua, and good ol' me

 

I walked in and saw the dinner table all set. There was bamboo (yay!!), green beans, "eggs and grass", crab, chicken nuggets (love it), and cicadas.

 

No, no. You read that right.

 

Those loud, obnoxious bugs that keep you awake at night in the summertime. Cut in half, the bugs covered the plate and it was quite intimidating. I won't lie, I freaked out when I saw the plate and started to laugh like a crazy woman which made everyone in the apartment thoroughly entertained.

 

I went through all the other dishes and knew that it was time to face the cicada. Miaomiao liked to peel them open and just eat the insides but her friend Shufei liked to eat them whole because "he has a strong stomach." I couldn't help but think of how some people eat sunflowers seeds in America--a lot of people like to bite them open and just eat the tiny seed inside but myself (and at least my father) like to eat them whole... I guess that means we have strong stomachs. Hey dad! When you come to China, we know that you can totally eat cicadas now!

 

I spent a fair bit of time trying to decide which bug I would devour and even more time just staring at it between my chopsticks. Just like the chicken feet, I wasn't exactly sure how to approach it. But finally with Shufei's encouragement and Miaomiao's laughter, I popped it in my mouth with a war cry.

 

And you know what? It wasn't too bad!

 

If I had to try and describe what it tasted like, I would say it tasted like breakfast sausage dipped in maple syrup. Bizarre and unexpected but I liked it enough to eat 6 altogether (for a total of 3 cicadas).

 

You had better be impressed my this!!

 

 

I can say that I never thought that I would have the opportunity to eat a bug and actually take that opportunity. I like to think that local cuisine is one of the best ways to get to know a culture. Yes, you can visit the sites and see the different mountains, lakes (like THE West Lake), monuments, etc. but that is what every tourist who visits every country can do. Sometimes it takes you stepping out of your comfort zone a bit (or a lot) to help you transform from the tourist and into the traveler.

 

I think by just closing your eyes and going for it (and sometimes screaming while doing so can help), you find that maybe some things aren't as bad as you had originally thought. And even if it is... Well... at least you have a good story to tell after it!!

 

With a full tummy and a bit of a boosted ego (now I know how Mr. Zimmern feels!) and Until Next Time,

Amanda