WARNING: Please don’t read this post. The pictures are disgusting but I wanted to blog about this to serve as a blog memory for me on my exotic adventures in Guangzhou, China. Hopefully, it will never happen again.
In my post, Snake, Water Bug, and Centipede looking Shrimps…
Q. What do these animals have in common?
A. I ate all of them for dinner in Guangzhou, China.
This was the second time I ate snakes in China. It was tolerable, and the Guanzhou locals loved it. It actually taste like lamb ribs with fish bones. It looks slimy but is is not. The skin is tender instead of rubbery and if not for the stripes you will forget that you are eating snakes. But still, every time I look at the picture above, I want to throw up and I can’t imagine eating these disgusting snakes.
I just saw this alligator being prepared. I can’t imagine eating this sushi or carpaccio style. Imagine eating soup with this feet waving hello at you.
This is the most expensive crab in China which cost almost P1,000 for this tiny little one. I can’t stand the black hairs on the crab’s claws. The crab is very tasty and has lots of aligue which probably is the reason for its price.
The restaurant we went is a chinese local favorite and is famous for its soup. The photo above are the ingredients and upon seeing this, I almost did not finish my soup. Of course, Filipinos are not impolite and we usually don’t want to offend the locals. This is the most cheapest soup and I was wondering what would be the ingredients of the expensive ones.
I actually love the fresh water shrimps with big heads which you cannot find here in Manila. We also ate a turtle that they call Water Fish. It looks like a turtle without the shell and you eat the shell plus the small feet and neck.
The crawfish looks huge and I can’t stand the thought that these creatures are scavengers of the sea. I barely finished this crawfish.
Finally, I contemplated 20x before being pressured to eat one of these. This is a clean water bug but looks like the cousin of the cockroach. Apparently, the locals do not eat this and this might only be served for the tourist.
I have to coerce my japanese friend to eat with me on the count of three. It is crunchy and it does not have that slimy juices I imagined squirting out of its body. Later on, I found out from a friend that the proper way to eat this is by removing the head with the spine and the little legs and wings. Super disgusting!! This is the most disgusting food I have ever eaten.
I have to drink it down with a beer!
Thanks for this dimsum dessert. These are bread pillows which contains hot custard and cheese.
These durian earth worms are also heavenly. But, our Latin American friend does not agree.
After Dinner, my favorite past time is to try out the chinese massage from Fu Yuan Tang — a popular decent massage medical clinic. This is the first time I tried accupuncture (RMB 180) and it hurts after a day or two.
I learned my lesson on the accupuncture so next time I just tried this soothing and relaxing foot massage (RMB 60). After trying out the local chinese massage, I can definitely say that Philippines is still the best massage capital in Asia.
Ewwwww! You actually tasted those?? Definitely more adventurous than our Pampanga food trip. Am surprised they actually let you inside the kitchen:)
Lordy, Anton! You’re infinitely more courageous than I am. I would have run out of the restaurant screaming for dessert. Thank God for those little dimsum puffs.
Lol, I couldn’t stop laughing. Great pictures. I’ve had snake, which is tasty (they didn’t cut it open in front of you and make you drink the blood in a glass of chinese wine?); alligator parts look interesting. I remember going to a market during chinese new year in Guizhou and finding myself face to face with the head of a donkey, ready for some stew I suppose. The famous market in Guangzhou has pretty much every animal that you can possibly eat. Famous chinese saying: Cantonese people eat anything with legs except the table. They may want to change that to Non-cantonese people become vegetarian when they visit a chinese market.
Hairy crabs! Those are my absolute favorite. Expensive but worth it. I had those at Shanghai last time I went, they removed the claws so it’s not too creepy. And the crawfish is locally available (alupihang dagat). It’s good if you cook it in butter, chili and garlic.
I knew it! all those stuff you mentioned in your previous post are to be eaten. I congratulate you for courage. Grabe, pwedeng pwede ka na mag host ng ala lonely planet na show or something like those trips that Anthony Bourdain makes in his show too. Only in Asia, specially in China can you eat the most exotic food ever. Buti na lang you were not served any rats or something, I think they serve that in Cambodia yata e. Keep it going man, your blog gets more interesting everyday hehehe……
Ha,ha… Anton!
You are the best! I like your attitude.
Wow.. Anton galing ah… Ok I just eliminated Guangzhou from the places to go to =)
Pang Sofa lang ako..frog legs
oooooh! Hairy crabs! i had that when i went to Shanghai. They say you have to drink it with vodka or dip it in lots of vinegar to neutralize the “cold forces” in the crab. i remember eating live shrimp swimming a dark sauce when i was there.
kudos to you for being able to stomach all of that. you rock anton!:D
Anton!!!! Grabe!!!! I’m so inggit with what you ate!!! would love to try everything except maybe for the soup…it looks scary and parang it has some innards pa…let’s plan an exotic culinary tour here in manila! hehe! 😛
Good Lord they didn’t serve that to us while we were in Guangzhou!
Grabe! *Me kneels* _(\0_ I won’t even do it even for a million. Hahaha..Di ako pang fear factor. I didn’t know what’s the “role” of crawfish in the sea. I ate it as it is …thinking its like a shrimp or lobster. Was it huge? I always eat small ones kaya sobrang frustrated ako kase wala namang laman. Nakakatamad tuloy kainin….
Hanggang turtle soup lang ako…drinking the soup with “juice” and herb…I can not stand eating it.Siguro if there’s no hand/feet and no one tells me, I might. But SNAKES – no way!! The closest living scaly thing that I will touch or have touched was a baby alligator. Haha. Touch pa lang un …no eating.
Did you know that Autumn Festival signals the season for Hairy Crab? 🙂 So while you were having rolling the dice for fun, it’s the time for harvesting this crab.
Now you wonder how SARs come about…buti walang Monkey Brain? Delicacy of the emperor un ah…:p
Hi I also love eating snake in china 🙂 Hehehe, Love your blog 🙂
Im shocked you ate these! i hope you brushed 50x and gargled with listerine 10x before you kissed your wife and son… hahahaha!
Eeeww! the snake skin and aligator legs look creepy… i’d rather not see these things if i were to eat them or I will puke. I have tasted aligator before but I never saw it being prepared.. After having tasted it i dont think il ever try it again.
I heard that eating snake gives you stamina… and some say if you drink the fresh blood kakapal daw hair. I don’t know if it’s true 😉
I have eaten bugs before in Ilocos, but it’s not water bug… they call it abal-abal, they are from the ground….masarap sya. Try mo next time you go to ilocos 🙂
that’s so brave of you. just by looking at the snake (and the alligator, for my stomach’s sake!)i am already scrimping, and then eat it?? the most exotic food that i’ve tried are only bayawak and frogs and i wouldn’t even dare going further than that. hats off!!
So FAR away from the cut-and-paste, tried-and-tested, sweet-sour-pork-fried-rice menus found in most restos in Manila. Alligator meat taste like chicken but Ill pass with let part thank you! The snakes seem tastfully prepared but then again, I know they have the consistency of eel (boney!) and Im not too fond of eel either…
What adventure, welcome to the wonderful world of REAL Chinese cuisine!
Congratulations on conquering your disgust, Anton! Most people wouldn’t even be able to take pictures of those dishes, much less eat them! I’ve tried crocodile and liked it; wonder if alligator tastes similar? Crawfish, I LOVE! It isn’t just crawfish that are scavengers, though; shrimp, lobsters, etc. are too. If I’m not mistaken, that’s why certain religions (Jews, I think?) forbid crustaceans. Those water bugs look less gross than the Pampanga delicacy, camaru (crickets). I believe you ate camaru as part of your food trip. Did they taste alike at all?
acupuncture is Hoax science.
No real evidence to prove anthing.
True science vs. Fake science.
1. Do experiment, gather evidence, data.
2. Publish data for the world to see and assess.
Hi Anton! I know this is an old entry, but I just want to assure you that the “Crawfish” you were served is not in anyway a scavenger. That tail belongs to a large stomatopod a.k.a. mantis shrimp.. Those big crustaceans they keep in solitary PET bottle confinement in live seafood aquariums. They’re kept so because they have powerful front arms that can shatter a tank’s glass. They are also voracious predators, and eat fresh, live food. Also, those big headed prawns are “machrobrachium rosenbergi” and are available here in Manila, mostly coming from Bulacan and Pampanga.
Thanks Chef Joey for sharing a great clarification on that "Crawfish". Now, I appreciate it even more.
Anton
Wow, what a great article! I was not nearly as adventurous when I went. I’ve actually just written a post about our eating experience in Shanghai, but yours wins hands down!