During my trip to Guangzhou back in May 09, I was invited to a dinner at some local restaurant.  Since it was raining that night (and most of you know when it rains in Chian, IT RAINS!!), I couldn't tell what the location of this place was.  I couldn't even take a pic of the outside since it was like standing.

Anyway, I saw the usual fish tank filled with various types of fish, crab, lobster, etc....  But what really stood out were the several bins to the side of the tanks.  I looked to see what was in them and...........holy crap!  I saw all these beetles swimming and crawling all over!  Now, I understand that to some, it's a tasty treat and all.  But I just can't find myself putting one near my mouth.  I mean, I'm usually trying to smash, brush, and vacuum these things out of my room.  I never considered it being a meal dish.  

My family + friends were laughing and joking if I wanted to be served a plate of that.  But thankfully, we stuck with chicken and fish.

So my question is:  Have anybody ever tried something like this?  Or something similar?  I know there are some brave people out there who are willing to try anything once.  Much less, eat something that may make others faint.  Do share because I'm interested.

hey rider.....

yeah, I've seen them.  And slugs, too.

ya gotta draw the line somewhere and mine is WAAAAYAYYYYY before you get to the possibility of putting a cockroach into my mouth.

What's up DB!

Me too!  Eels, I had.  Snake, I had.  Dare I say.............I even tried dog meat too.

But things that are creepy crawly like that, no thanks.

I think at some time I ate that stuff long ago.
Recently the closest thing I've had are bees and I think some little larvae worms.
Its all fried until crispy so you can't really tell what it is anyways. They say insects are rich in protein!

"if it's got 4 legs and it's not a table or a chair, I'll eat it"

Have not had the chance to try beetles, but have had deep fried scorpions on a stick.  Doesn't really taste like much...best way to describe it?  Same mouth feel as a deep fried shrimp shell, say when you go to a sushi restaurant and they fry the shrimp head for you.

Gross stuff I've eaten:
Balut
Bull Penis
Camel hump
Scorpions
Silkworms
Ants
Mealworm
Dog

Hey bonkers89.

I guess it's true what they say, "Everything tastes better when it's fried."  Ha ha ha

[ Last edited by  mskrider at 16-6-2012 12:40 ]

Wow jetfable.  That's quite a list.  Aside from dog (which I think tastes like beef stew), can you describe what the other "foods" on your list tasted like?

dogs are like delicacy in china from what I understand.

curious if people in china still eat mice.  I heard 30-40+ yrs ago, it was eaten there.

Balut - Tastes like chicken soup except there is a little bird looking at you.  The white of the egg was too tough to eat.

Bull Penis - kinda crunchy and spongy at the same time, no real flavor

Camel hump - oddly had same texture as above but gamier.  i think it might be a similar kind of tissue

Scorpions - deep fried - no guts and it's all crunch by now;  like deep fried shrimp head.

Silkworms - in Korea: small and boiled, like the size of your pinky nail.  tastes nutty and but had a musty earthy smell.  squishy insides and the skin is kinda tough. Not my favorite.  in China: big and deepfried; the size of your first joint of your thumb.  crunch skin but ooey gooey inside.  seasoned salt covers any tastes.

Ants - no tastes...deep fried and sprinkled on stuff.  would think they were sesame seeds if no one told you.

Mealworm - deep fried...looked like the deep fried little anchovies served in Japan as snacks...same texture...tasted like the seasoned salt.

Dog - Korea -boiled...kinda gamey like an old goat.  in china...stewed...like stewed mutton, would not know it was dog unless they told you.

My mantra about food is if it's not a kind of excrement and the person offering can and is willing to eat it too, i can at least try it.  most of it is eating this kind of stuff is visual.  tho i have to say...the deep fried silkworm exploding in ones mouth...that one nearly got me cuz i thought about it a little too long.

*exception to the rule: if it's really unsanitary and likely to make me sick...say luke warm soup on a hot day served by a street vendor.  if it's boiling or deep fried...i think it's generally safe

Hey sirtiger:  Not sure about mice.  Although if someone offered me some, I probably would have said no.

I was in Zhuhai around the rural area when I first had my experience eating dog meat.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, it really did taste like beef stew.  The owner of this restaurant (which was actually his house but all the rooms were converted into separate dining rooms) sat next to me and told me how he raised and prepared the specific dogs.  And he was REALLY proud of how he prepared his dog meat dishes.  I just smiled and kept eating.

Now..... I woke up the next day wondering why my throat was very sore and burning.  What my family members failed to tell me was, dog meat can really dry your throat and it's best if you drink alot of liquids during and after the meal.  Great.  Thanks alot.  I spent the rest of the day drinking water, soda, juices, tea, etc.... just to provide some temporary relief.  Good thing the irritation lessened by the end of the day.  It's hard to go mongering with a sore throat.

Thanks Jetfable for the breakdown.  I have yet to be on your level.  

Well, not everything was considered frightening when I was in the Guangzhou restaurant.  I did snap this shot because I thought it was kind of hilarious.  We have a duck that's just chilling in the blue bin........not knowing its fate when some customer will be in the mood for a fresh duck dinner.

Also on the menu was a bin of eel.  I actually wouldn't mind having this for dinner since I like unagi sushi.

well i think everything about food is what you are used to.....

though i do have a theory on this, let me know what you guys think.  So we all learned in High School (remember the experiment placing that piece of paper on our tongues to see if it's bitter) that there are people who are super-tasters and people who are not.  I'm not a supertaster, and maybe because my tongue is the equivalent of a idiot in a school of gifted children, that is why i am able to stomach all the crap i've tried over the years.