Do You Eat the Meat of Donkey?

Posted April 5th, 2010

“”Do you eat the meat of donkey?” is a great conversation starter, particularly when someone is ordering dinner from a menu you cannot read. Snow, my translator, had only my best interests in mind as she has only the best intentions in her heart. I did not know how to answer, but my wife says I am an adventure eater. I replied, “I do not think I have eaten donkey before, but it would be OK to try it.”

After dinner was ordered, Snow and Small David(more about them in later posts) said the food was from Hunan Province, the birthplace of Mao Ze Dong. His favorite food was fried pork, with equal parts of lean and fat. That was one of the dishes ordered. I recognized it, since I had it before with the pipeline controllers in 2009. We had the normal eight to nine dishes, but I did not know what all of them were. The meats can look similar, and the seasonings and flavors accentuate the tastes.

What was on my mind the entire meal? The meat of donkey! Finally I asked, “Which is the meat of donkey?” Snow said she decided not to order it this meal. It was a few days later that we found a restaurant with the donkey dish pictured below. Snow, Small David, and I were dining with a gentlemen from Inner Mongolia, where donkey meat is a protein staple.  Did I eat meat of donkey?  Let me say it does not taste like chicken, but tasted all right.  Let me ask you,”Do you eat the meat of donkey?”   If you have the opportunity to travel to China, give it a try.  My trip was better because I was willing to allow my wonderful hosts to teach me about their country.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 10:35 pm and is filed under China Travels 2010.