Only a Chinese would eat it

[dockhl]

I saw pigs' uteruses (uteri?) earlier this week at one of the Asian markets, sorted by size. I assumed these would be stuffed--anyone have an idea?

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They are not usually stuffed, but "loo'ed". If you look into the window of a Chinese BBQ place and see all the roasted meats hanging there, invariably, the will be an orangy coloured skein or two of what looks like intestines. Most time these are the uteri or oviducts of the pig, not intestines . Delicious.

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ACK........

You win............

[hzrt8w]

Xiao Ben -- I am not going to ask what 'rich' means in 'nightsoil ---- but I wonder if there will be a change in salad acceptance as China uses more and more chemical farming. It probably wouldn't affect traditional behavior, tho.

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Rich in molecules containing nitrogen (e.g. ammonia)?

BTW:

uterus -> uteri (plural)

penis -> penes (plural)

Edited March 18, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[jo-mel]

Ben's simple bowl of jook, from the congee thread, is sounding pretty good by now!!

[Pan]

I would definitely try pig uterus jook if it were available.

[His Nibs]

Nightsoil = human waste (the best form of organic fertilizer! e.coli poisoning notwithstanding.)

All in all... we chinese (counting all minority groups also) eat some really wierd stuff.

[miladyinsanity]

I don't know too many people who eat fish eyes.

I'm sure somewhere out there that there are non-Chinese who consider them a delicacy.  I've never met any though.

For the record, I love them. 

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I've a younger brother who loves them. That's how my mom knows my brother has been through the kitchen--when fish turn blind!

[Philanthrophobe]

I saw pigs' uteruses (uteri?) earlier this week at one of the Asian markets, sorted by size. I assumed these would be stuffed--anyone have an idea?

←

They are not usually stuffed, but "loo'ed". If you look into the window of a Chinese BBQ place and see all the roasted meats hanging there, invariably, the will be an orangy coloured skein or two of what looks like intestines. Most time these are the uteri or oviducts of the pig, not intestines . Delicious.

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[gulp]...it is honorable to eat all parts of slaughtered animal...it is honorable to eat all parts of the slaughtered animal...it is honorable to eat all parts of the slaughtered animal....

Oh, and I forgot to mention the pig snouts shrink-wrapped in packs of four (rather than by weight). In doing a quick search, I found that the Athenians served them as appetizers, and African slaves in the southern US made hogshead "cheese" primarily from the pig's snout, ears, lips (curiously, tongue isn't mentioned, but maybe it's reserved for another use), and feet. Pig snouts and other bits are common in Mexican/Portuguese/Spanish cuisine as well, but curiously, although I see entire pigs' heads for sale at my favorite Latino market around Christmas/New Year, I've never seen packages of just snouts before. And stomachs and intestines and testicles of various animal origins, but never uteri.

One of my Szechwan Chinese cookbooks displays illustrations for preparing "Intestine Rings on Green Onion Fingers," and it's pretty much what you'd expect: a bundle of scallions in a length of pig intestine, fried and sliced.

Perusing unusual foodstuffs is more fun than going to the movies.

[Pan]

Snoot (as they call it) is a specialty Saint Louis barbecue item.

[Tepee]

Bats, alligators, terrapin, snake galls <---- was introduced to them when young.

[JetLag]

Polish people eat duck's blood soup with prunes in it. I believe my mother called it charnina.

[muichoi]

Sounds good, JetLag-duck blood sausage is a true delicacy. Is the blood in set custard form or like eggs used to thicken the soup at the end?

[Soup]

Been trying to think about items that chinease eat that other culture do not...

The only think I could come up with was placenta. I believe there is a tradition of eating placenta for medicinal value. i've not heard that tradition in any other culture (but I'm no authority). Everything else so far on this tread, I know other food culture eat (and enjoy).

[stephenc]

And Chinese people these days generally like cheese.

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May I inquire how this statement is derived? I would like to know what one can base on to characterize Chinese these days generally like cheese. No doubt that some do, but I don't think it's the majority.

From my perspective, there are 1.3 billion people in China (per US CIA website). Most of the population live in rural areas and may not have heard of the western cheese, let alone have tasted it.

If this observation is based on Chinese living oversea or those living in more modern cities such as Shanghai (9 million, <1%), Beijing (10 million, again <1%) and Hong Kong (7 million, <1%), still it is a small percentage even if every resident in Shanghai and Beijing and Hong Kong likes Cheese (which I doubt).

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How can you prove that all these chinese people don't like cheese?

From the all the people I see eating pizza and cheeseburgers these days in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, I'm generally going to assume that most people probably like cheese.

Even my 85 year old grandfather loves his Pizza Hut and Dominos.

This is a stupid argument, but you can't argue me out my own inferences and observations.

Edited March 21, 2006 by stephenc (log)

[Tepee]

Snow frog fat.

[hzrt8w]

How can you prove that all these chinese people don't like cheese?

From the all the people I see eating pizza and cheeseburgers these days in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, I'm generally going to assume that most people probably like cheese.

Even my 85 year old grandfather loves his Pizza Hut and Dominos.

This is a stupid argument, but you can't argue me out my own inferences and observations.

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I was not proving anything. I was simply saying I don't know. And I was questioning what base does one have in making the assertion that Chinese generally like cheese.

How many cities were under observation? And what was the population percentage of all those cities COMBINED, in comparison to the 1.3 billion total population in China? And how many pizza parlors plus cheeseburger joints are there compared to all the restaurants who have nothing to do with cheese whatsoever?

Personal observation is not a base of a proof. It can lead to some hypothesis, but is not a proof. I think that making inference based on personal observations in limited cases to conclude a general statement is not truly understanding our culture.

[Kent Wang]

Snow frog fat.

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I have never heard of this. Please explain.

[Tepee]

Cantonese, it's shuet gaap go, mandarin, xue ge gao雪蛤膏. Comes in dried form..you have to soak it to soften and clean before boiling. Gosh, I know there's an english name that it goes by, but just can't remember it at the moment. It's quite common in chinese double-boiled dessert (usually with lotus seeds, rock sugar and red dates); this fatty tissue/glands of the snow frog is reputed to do wonders for the complexion, building up stamina, good for the joints...don't think there's anything good that it doesn't do

sign

chinese quack

Edited March 21, 2006 by Tepee (log)

[sheetz]

Cantonese, it's shuet gaap go, mandarin, xue ge gao雪蛤膏. Comes in dried form..you have to soak it to soften and clean before boiling. Gosh, I know there's an english name that it goes by, but just can't remember it at the moment.

Harsmar. I had read that this this refers to either the fat around the frog's ovaries or the ovaries themselves.

[Tepee]

Thanks, sheetz, that's it. Sometimes, it's spelt as hasma.

[Dejah]

Errrr....looks like there are a few things accumulating on this thread that THIS CHINESE won't eat. Unless I don't know what it is!

[Leo Cheng]

As much as I enjoyed reading the posts, and learning that the Chinese aren't the only ones who eat all parts of the pig, and other less common animals, this thread does bring up something that I worry about:

Giving people a reason to make fun of Chinese culture

If you're Chinese, or Asian for that matter, you've probably encountered racist jokes where they' made fun of the dog eating and penis eating habits of "your people". I'm always offended by those jokes because they are meant to mock Chinese and other Asian people such that it makes our cultural heritage inferior.

When I encounter such jokes, I would point out that I would never even think of eating a dog or an animal penis. And growing up in a first generation Chinese immigrant family, I have never heard my parents suggest that we eat a dog or a penis.

Eating exotic animals certainly does exist in our culture, but by emphasizing the exotic, aren't we just setting ourselves up for ridicule?

Judging from the cosmopolitan and adventurous bunch we have here at eGullet, I doubt that anyone would be that racially insensitive. However, the thought did cross my mind. Of course, reading about snout as a delicacy in the South gives me ammo to fire back at the racists.

[Edit] Just to make sure....I'm not implying that I was offended at all. I'm just voicing a concern, which I thought some of the Chinese members here would understand. Perhaps I've hijacked the thread a bit....sorry about that. I do enjoy the eGullet group and hope to learn more from you guys.

Edited March 21, 2006 by Leo Cheng (log)

[Pan]

I definitely understand your concern, Leo. I'd at least partially counter the type of negative stereotyping you're talking about by letting you know that I think it's very honorable to use all parts of an animal you kill for food.

[Tepee]

If you're Chinese, or Asian for that matter, you've probably encountered racist jokes where they' made fun of the dog eating and penis eating habits of "your people".  I'm always offended by those jokes because they are meant to mock Chinese and other Asian people such that it makes our cultural heritage inferior.

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Gosh, Leo. I've never looked at it this way. Do people really laugh at us? Really, really? Sure, we're aware of the 'joke' that the chinese eats anything under the sun, but we've always acknowledged that with 'pride', lol. Methinks eating all these exotics has formed a thick skin on me.

Edited March 22, 2006 by Tepee (log)

[markk]

pig snouts

In the 1970's we befriended an Italian family on the island of Capri, and one night we took them out to a restaurant - they didn't want to go to a "tourist" place, understandably, so we went to a 'local' restaurant, where one of the featured 'antipasti' was "muso", or pig snout, which they went crazy for; until that time, I had probably thought that mozarella and tomato was the end-all gastronomic treat, but remembering that my Jewish grandmother ate chicken feet and intestines, I was fearless and discovered a new treat. Culinarily, I've never looked back. That includes duck hearts !!!

[sheetz]

Gosh, Leo. I've never looked at it this way. Do people really laugh at us? Really, really? Sure, we're aware of the 'joke' that the chinese eats anything under the sun, but we've always acknowledged that with 'pride', lol. Methinks eating all these exotics has formed a thick skin on me. 

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I've noticed it before, but mainly in the context of discussing what "real" Chinese food is. For instance, someone will say that crab rangoon and fortune cookies aren't really Chinese. Then someone else will get offended and say that's because "real" Chinese food is innards and dogs and things repulsive, and thank God they don't they don't have to eat that swill. I've seen it happen many times.