Today we are taking a break from our regularly scheduled Chinese language lesson to feature one of Peggy’s videos on Taiwanese culture. In this video, Peggy visits Huaxi night market, also known as Snake Alley, where she tries snake meat soup for the first time.
Snake Alley, although it has been toned down over the years, is still a bizarre tourist attraction in Taipei, attracting thousands of visitors each year. The area is filled with small stalls and restaurants that have cages of giant pythons, venomous snakes, and turtles out front waiting to be consumed by adventurous travelers looking for a thrill abroad.
Snake handlers draw large crowds of people by toying with a snake and then putting it into a trance. The snake is then strung up, slit down the belly, and milked for its blood and venom.
A shot of warm snake blood or snake venom, a local delicacy, is considered by many to be an aphrodisiac. You can also order meals that are prepared with snake blood and snake meat.
Personally, I can’t think of anything worse, but to each his own.
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Kudos to Peggy
I have passed by that store in jhongli night market hundreds of times but never could muster any courage to try the snake soup
.-= Ashish´s last blog ..it was hazy last night =-.
I agree. Actually, my one and only visit to Snake Alley was horridly fascinating, but I’ll never go back. It’s really horrible how the snakes are treated.
The most horrible dish i can think of is that monkey brain they served in ‘Temple of Doom’
Those blood/venom shots sound like a good runner up though.
Lol! What an experience. I’ve actually tried snake-meat bbq-ed myself.. but I just can’t remember it much because I was just a small boy at the time, around 8 years old or so. I was weak and sickly, and well what do you know, my dad brought me to eat these bbq-ed snake meat, drink a shot of snake-blood.. Would I try it again? Hmmm not sure, ha!
The snakes were treated horribly indeed, but Kim’s comment, monkey brain.. that dish is indeed even worse! I heard some horrible horrible stories about how the monkeys were treated so that the brains can be eaten as “fresh” as possible.. eeeeks indeed!
.-= Nik´s last blog ..New Zealand Dreaming, Part 2 =-.
I’m all for trying new dishes, but not when it involves the suffering of animals. The way the snakes are treated in Snake Alley is simply horrible.
Has anyone heard of buying snake soup in a grocery store? like in a can? if so, what company sells it?