Food Blunder China - Snake : a meal in four acts

Prologue : The following meal takes place in one of the Cafes in Yangshuo, Guangxi Province. China. After a day in the sun, the man thinks it a good idea to try a little of the local specialties. His wife will not order anything, so he can have only one of the following - Bamboo Rat Hotpot. Fried Snake, large or small

Act I - Order your snake and when it arrives, remove it from its' burlap sack and inspect the beast

Act II - Blood of freshly beheaded snake is dripped into a glass of clear rice wine. Drink the cloudy red liquid

Intermission

Act III - Snake is presented in a variety of dishes - Snake soup with long pieces of still attached vertebrae and Snake stir-fried with mushrooms

ACT IV - Snake skin almost entirely intact presented (along with a commemorative T-shirt) in a bottle of alcohol Epilogue : Feelings of remorse coupled with a strange sense of kinship and affection for the snake