All about asian food: Exotic Food for Asia

Exotic Food of Asia

For most of us here, dogs and cats are for pets. I won't dream of eating my dog or cat. But in many parts of Asia, say in China especially Guang Zhou and in Korea, dogs are well loved as food! I had an MBA classmate from South Korea and we had a deep argument over dogs as food.

For him it is natural, his argument was that the dogs are breed for food in farms similar to what cows and sheep are for. My argument was dogs are the Best Friends of Men, you do not eat your Best Friend and because there are so much meat around you really do not need to eat our best friend. We had no agreement and no conclusion came out of our argument.

I met a taxi driver in Singapore, he swear that if you had tried dog meat you will find that it is the best tasting meat on earth and you will never want to eat other kinds of meat. He had the experience of eating dog meat in China and he still love the "delicacy" there. I myself can't imagine how they can eat dogs and cats. I guess I will never do.

In China there is a Whole Feast of Man Han or Man Han Quan Xi which was held for 3 days across 6 banquets in which all sorts of exotic animals are prepared for the feast including bear paws, monkey brains, leopard fetuses etc. Kind of nauseating just to list them down!

The picture here shows another exotic dish in Asia, not something an Emperor would eat as in the Man Han Quan Xi but is quite a popular dish in Korea, Vietnam and China - dog meat :( . Poor Dog!

Asia Exotic Food Table of Contents

Sharksfin

Image from http://www.arthurhungry.com/

Sharkfin is widely popular in Asia especially among the Chinese. It is considered as a delicacy and is a must have especially for the elaborate wedding banquets. I have eaten it and like it a lot. But after seeing the definning cruelty shown in a documentary, my family refuse to eat Sharkfin anymore.

Sharkfin are normally prepared in a broth. The fins by itself is tasteless, the only thing great is its texture. The broth actually is the most important part of Sharkfin soup. The broth are normally prepared using chicken soup with Chinese Ham (Jin Hua Huo Tui). Once ready the Sharkfin soup is served with lobster or crab or even chicken meat. It is often eaten with a dash of Black Vinegar which helps to clear the fishiness of the soup and also bring out the taste of the broth.

Frankly speaking I feel that there is a lot of replacement for Sharkfin as it is the soup that is giving the Sharkfin its favor. Really no point in aiding the cruelty to Sharks and contributing to their extinction.

Bear Paws

In nature, Bears are normally at the top of the food pyramid. A pretty comfortable position, that is without the interference of human beings especially Chinese who love its paws, left paws to be precise. The left paws during Winter Time is considered most suitable for harvesting. I guess you will most likely be seeing limping bears especially in Winter. The reason for such preference is not because left handed bears are more delicious, it is because during winter, Bears store their hibernation nutrients in the left paws so that it contain lots of nutrients.

Cooking a bear paw takes a lot of time and effort. First cooking away the thick layer of fur to expose its fleshy paws. The paws are then braised with various meats so that the juices from such meat penetrates into the bear paws and also allow the bear paws to be cooked till it is soft and succulent for eating. Don't ask me how it taste like. Watching a documentary on it already makes me vomit. Poor Bear!

Manchu Han Imperial Feast

Manhan Quanxi, literally Manchu Han Imperial Feast was one of the grandest meals ever documented in Chinese cuisine. It consisted of at least 108 unique dishes from the Manchu and Han Chinese culture during the Qing Dynasty, and it is only reserved and intended for the emperors. The meal was held for three whole days, across six banquets. The culinary skills consisted of cooking methods from all over Imperial China.Hoover, Michael. Stokes, Lisa, Odham. 1999 (1999). City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema. Verso publishing. ISBN 1859842038

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