The Zen-man Who Ate Everything
(I know i’m a bit late in wishing you a Happy Chinese New Year, so just blame it on big bossman for keeping me busy. I wanted to share with you one of my adventures in China to celebrate the Year of the Snake err…i mean Rat.)
My soup contains five types of snake.
The cafe looks onto a bustling street market selling everything from air conditioning units to shoes. The room is lit by yellow-ish neon lights. A few tables are occupied by elder chinese men reading newspapers and you can’t help but notice the numerous wooden drawers lining the walls and the empty cages hanging from the ceiling. A TV in the corner plays an old chinese soap opera from the mainland.
I’m in the Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong – in Snake Hip King, a cafe reputed to serve the best snake soup in the city. The lady in pink – the owner – gives me an amused look as she points to a table probably thinking: “Yay! Another Gwai Lo!” (white boy). I’m told the snake lady is a bit of a local celebrity not only for the soup – but for her snake catching abilities. Everytime a snake is reported ‘on the loose’ the police calls her to hunt it down, and she gets paid for every catch. Newspaper articles relating her various exploits are proudly displayed on the walls for everyone to see. Some things are best left unsaid, so I don’t ask if she serves her captures.
The old wooden drawers behind me hold all kind of snakes, some deadly, including the King Cobra – an ingredient in the five snake soup. And the snake lady is more than willing to take you by the hand to show you her most terrifying specimens – you don’t even have to ask, which put in Chinese also means you absolutely can’t refuse. “What a lovely snake lady!” i thought as she was dangling a poisonous reptile a few inches away from my face.
At this point, you must be wondering what snake taste like. Well, snake taste like chicken. I mean kind of. Somewhere between chicken and eel to be more exact. Confusing? Well it should be! The soup is strangely delicious and a local favorite in winter months. I would definitely go back for the unique experience and you should too if you visit Hong-Kong.
Snake King Hip, 170 Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon.HK. Tel. (852) 2386-9064
I also wanted to share with you a few pictures taken in Shanghai and Hong-Kong to de-traumatize you from the snake story and hopefully, inspire you to go visit this beautiful country.
Saturday, February 9th, 2008
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