What better way to spend 情人節 (Valentine's Day 8/7) than at a night market eating snake?
There is this one snake house that does snake-gutting demonstrations. They are hanged (can I say "hung" since snakes are not people?) as such, slit with a scissor in a upward zipper-cut motion, and bodily fluids are collected. Blood from the heart; Bile from the gallbladder; Venom from the fangs (the guy dilutes the blood and bile with water and the venom with alcohol). NTD$100 for a shot of each. So we entered.
I was really nervous and forgot to take pictures before downing these three. The blood shot is more like a doubleshot in volume and it comes with a pill floating on the surface that you're meant to swallow, I trust, for good reason. I had a second shot of venom 酒 when the other table couldn't finish.
We also ordered snake soup which tasted...I don't want to say bland but more mild and clean. It was like having chicken soup without the dancing oil globules. The goji berries in the soup made it fragrant.
After drinking snake fluids there is a need for a bit of kuchi naoshi. Although it's not bad, you just naturally would not want it to be the last thing you put in your mouth before sleeping. Zhuang yuan gao was very appropriate. It is a steamed dessert with sweet 花生 (peanut) or 芝麻 (sesame) filling. The white cake reminded me of Korean baekseolgi (white rice cake) which you get on your first birthday as the centerpiece to a staggering table of fruit. It's really the next best thing to having authentic Korean rice cake in Taiwan. With yummy filling. My friend ordered 一份 to share so I only got to eat one which had peanut filling. I want to go back to try the sesame.
Baekseolgi texture? Yes?
One or two stalls down there is a 雞排 (chicken steak) vender with an eclectic selection of fresh and fried things which they will fry or refry for you upon selection. There were so many goodies like 地瓜 (sweet potato) and veggies and meats but being me, I ordered the mantou. The mantou was pretty, knotted, and two-toned in white and tan. Even prettier after deep-frying and light salting. A new twist on a twisted favorite. Gaa the puns must stop.
My mantou next to fried shrooms
So here's to my Valentine's day spent with no valentine.
And no complaints from the happy tummy.
Cheers!
華西街
Closest MRT 龍山寺
Closest MRT 龍山寺
1 comment:
you were pretty brave to eat the stuff from Snake Alley... eww! though all the street vendor stuff afterwards looked pretty good.
Post a Comment