Re: the century eggs, the closest I have come to that is eggs boiled in the hot sulfur springs in Japan (I forget the name of the place, but it's a day-trip from Tokyo). The water is so filled with minerals that runoff areas look like someone washed out a concrete mixer and dumped the water. Anyway, the springs are hot enough the eggs are boiled in them. The shells are black and pitted; the eggs themselves are not discolored, but have a salty taste that permeates them. Pretty dang good. Legend has it eating such an egg will extend your life by 7 years. I asked if I could eat two and get 14, but apparently it doesn't work like that.
