Thursday, September 3, 2009

Eat the Feet?

With only two days left, I'm attempting to absorb my favorite part of Taiwan's culture - The People. Every day for the last couple weeks I've been out and about spending time with as many friends as I can. It's turned into the family joke, every day they ask "So where you going to night?" (Roughly translated..)

On Saturday, my friend Ring brought me to a part of town I'd yet to visit. Before we ventured down "Art Street" - much reminiscent of Laguna Beach... minus the beach... and the blonde hair - she told me "Every time I come here, I always get three things to eat."

The first was a Taiwanese Hamburger of sorts. No problems there.
The last was an iced desert. Delish.

But between those two tasty treats, she said, "Now we're going to have Ji-Jiao"

"What's Ji-Jiao?" I asked hesitant, as I translated it in my mind.

"Chicken Feet~!"

51 weeks in Taiwan, and I'd avoided this "delicacy" until then. Ring wouldn't take no for an answer, I knew, so I buckled down and tried to enjoy...

















But she loves it! As do many Taiwanese...

















(that's a toenail in her mouth, by the way)

I'm thankful I tried. But it's not going to become a dietary habit, by any means. If you must know, well, it tasted like chicken. Pun only slightly intended.

Here's my beef. Let's forget the mental image of what this chicken was stepping in when it was alive and cluckin', I'm not crazy about savagely eating meat off the bone (boneless buffalo wings, please), and I've been known to peel even my grapes of their skin. So, the idea of gnawing on some sagging loose ankle flesh is just less than appealing to me.

But I did it.

Frankly, I prefer the Stinky (fermented) Tofu.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I probably would have said, "No thanks, I'm a vegetarian."

"But you ate a hamburger last night."

"*Pause* Meat is a thorn in my flesh."

Andhari said...

I'm never into chicken feet, I don't know why. Never tried too. My friends and mom seem to like it everytime we go for dimsums they always order a portion. :D

floreta said...

haha this reminds me of my tito[uncle] that would joke about "adidas" and how that meant chicken feet in filipino. this was back when i was ... 8? 6? and i had not heard of adidas.

i now have an "adidas" mock logo shirt w/ a picture of a chicken and the three stripes. underneath it says adobo, which is a chicken delicacy in the philippines. love that shirt :D

Kylie said...

Arggghhh! I am cringing at the moment. And feeling slightly nauseous. And if that wasn't enough, a 'toenail in the mouth' pretty much sent me off the edge. Apparently I ate these when I was 6 but I will deny it til the day I die. Your face says it all.

Having said that, I hope the last day or so is truly excellent.

Manju said...

eekss, isnt that just skin, bones and nails?? i dunno, chicken feet look a little bit creepy to me >_<

Lindsay said...

Wow, you're brave. I don't discriminate against chicken feet, just all feet.

lindsay || newyorkwords.net

Don said...

When in Rome...

Laguna Beach minus...

Laguna Beach plus... chicken feet and...

It's always interesting to venture into someone else's favorite things... (especially if you trust them.)

deepteshpoetry said...

Great post as usual.Loved it in tons!Well, I've posted after a long time!Pls c my new poem.

Unknown said...

What a disgusting, yet perfect last post during your journey in Taiwan. It's a representation of the things you experienced, accomplished, and battled through this exciting adventure in you life.

I love you, and I can't wait to see you in a few hours!

Chase said...

@T, Yea, I tried that, but the "Taiwan Hamburger" right before blew my chances...
(The "thorn in my flesh" bit got me. nice)

@Andhari, Good call steering clear.

@floreta, haha, oh asia. yeah that sounds about right.

@Kylie, sorry to make you nauseous. Despite the feet, it was an excellent day. :)

@Manju, creepy is a great way to describe them...
@Lindsay, that's exactly how I feel. Anti-discriminatory policy, i Like it.

@Don, the trust helped. Preferably, though, I'll stick to Laguna Beach's BJ's Pizzeria or maybe some neutral seafood...

@deeptesh, thanks bud

@Lynzi, next time you're there... stinky tofu and chicken feet...