"The Chinese would eat anything that was moving."
The Chinese were reputed to eat dogs, cats, rats, bear paws, fish eyes, cock combs, camel humps, monkey brains . . .
It certainly DID NOT apply to me as a Chinese growing up in Shanghai.
However, it was a different story for some other people in China, including my new family.
The Cantonese eat snakes.
Snakes are supposed to be delicacies to them.
The Wans (Yins) are Cantonese and they eat snakes!
S.C.'s uncles said to me that now I am married into the family, I had to attend a Snake Dinner.
They were not joking!
So, S.C.'s uncles hosted a snake Dinner For Me!
Was that a test?
Was that some sort of initiation?
Anyway, we were invited to a Snake Dinner at one of the famous Snake Houses on the island one evening.
I said to myself that I would gather up my courage and taste the dishes, just to show the uncles that I was not afraid.
My in-laws made no comments.
But I was afraid.
S.C. was actually looking forward to it.
So the day came for the Snake Dinner.
We went to this restaurant, where they displayed a
number of live snakes for the guests to see - large snakes, small snakes, black snakes, gray snakes, multi-colored snakes . . . I walked pass them with my eyes averted.
The whole Wan family was there!
They thoroughly enjoyed each and every dish - every dish featured snake meats.
Well, I somehow survived the evening. I did gingerly taste the snake soup and some of the other snake dishes.
They actually tasted like chicken. If you did not tell me the dishes were made with snake meats, I would have thought they were chicken.
However, I never eat snakes again.
I did pass the Test!
seated #2, Mrs. Wan,the matriarch, #8
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