We all know I'm not the most adventurous eater there is. Besides my super sensitive stomach, I am extremely picky...add that to the fact that I can't read or speak Mandarin, and eating at local restaurants becomes a bit complicated.
After an acupuncture visit, Alicia (my Chinese co-teacher), her friend and I decided to get a meal together. At first, I tried to politely decline (especially when the word "fish" was thrown out in the mix), but ended up deciding the company would be nice for the evening.
When we got to the restaurant, her friend picked out a fish from the tanks outside and Alicia and I waited at the table as a little old woman dropped it on the floor and whacked it in the head with a thick, wooden stick. Even though it's just a fish, it's still unnerving to watch someone kill a living thing (especially by beating it on the head)...I skipped the photo shoot.
After the fish is gutted, it is brought back to the table with some pork and veggies to be cooked with.
It's cooked in what I would describe as a wok crock-pot that is built into the table.
They seal it up and leave it cooking for 30-45 minutes -- leaving us with platefuls of sunflower seeds to nibble on
The end result- actually pretty decent. The fish was a bit salty, but nothing is too bad when you eat pea-sized amounts with chopsticks -- it keeps the bones from creeping in. Actually, I may have eaten more if it wasn't loaded with my arch nemesis, cilantro.
One more food adventure in my back pocket.
Yummmmmmm :)
ReplyDeleteYou were brave to try it, especially after witnessing the fish's demise!
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