So I like food. And snacks. And kebabs (pronounced ‘chwar’
here in China). But nothing could prepare me for the obscene sensory overload
that hits you as you walk through the ornate Chinese gate that crowns
Wangfujing’s tucked away Snack Street. Although set back from the rest of the
sprawling high end commercial avenue- the snack street’s hidden location is obvious
by the hoards of Chinese visitors flocking toward its entrance.
H&M and Rolex fade away as the street narrows and the
crush of bodies dangerously wield their pointy kebab sticks in your direction-
distracted by the 10,000 other writhing creatures skewered and grilled in
moments before their eyes. I’m talking scorpions the length of your pinkie to
the size of a mans fist, bugs and weevils I don’t care to know the name of,
ornate sea creatures like starfish and sea horses (which I’m sure are
grotesquely crunchy), whole lizards stretched like flying squirrels, snake and
rabbit meat.
Do you fancy a bird? Whole? One vendor was amused at my
photo snapping so he decided to snap me!~ with the beak of one of his cherry
red skewered pigeons! A nice peck right on the forehead. Needless to say I
shrieked, bystanders died laughing, and my iphone almost ended up on the grill.
We moved on to sparrows, snails of all sizes, stinky tofu and bottom feeders.
We smiled at the candy twirler, grimaced at the bowls heaped with spiny
intestines, and ogled the misty teas, candied fruit and colorful (probably
foul) dumplings.
I was happy to look and document, so I am sorry to report to everyone’s eager ears that none of the writhing scorpions (already on their death sticks) contorted my taste buds. Every kind of sick gastronomic fantasy was on display and ready to be eaten- it was a thrill just to wander through the madness.
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