Taiwan: Huaxi Night Market
With less than a week left before I have to leave Taiwan, I had one last night market that I wanted to cross off my list. Huaxi Street used to be known for prostitution, but thanks to the work of some NGOs and the government, it is now a big tourist night market known as Snake Alley:
There's not actually much in the the night market, but tourists come for the "exotic" snake cuisine. Since we made it all the way to Huaxi, my friend and I couldn't leave without trying some snake. We passed by numerous snake restaurants, but we finally decided on this particular one because of the posted photo of President Ma eating there. If it's good enough for the president, it's good enough for me:
The menu consisted of all sorts of stuff that you can't typically find elsewhere. There was snake, alligator, some kind of rat, among others:
My friend and I opted the share the snake soup combo:
The snake soup came with a shot glass of snake blood mixed with honey and 5 other shot glasses filled with various mysterious liquids:
An elderly gentleman came by the table to guide us through the drinking process. We were told to sip half of the blood first, then he added the first liquid, saying that it was good for the eyes. We were then instructed to sip half of the combined concoction. After that, he added the next liquid, saying that it was good for the skin. And so down the line he went, us sipping half at a time, him adding the next shot and telling us that it was good for one thing or another. By the 3rd shot, the taste was alcohol was there and by the end, I couldn't even finish my half because the alcohol taste was so strong. We were also given 2 mysterious pills to take:
The snake soup itself wasn't even remotely impressive:
The soup tasted...snakey...for lack of a better word. The snake was flavorless and the texture was very much like...wet paper.
The guy who took our order recommended we try this dish because it can only be found in Taiwan:
Apparently the animal looks like some cross between a sheep and a deer. I still have no clue what it is, but I can say that it wasn't all that delicious. At the risk of sounding cliched, it tasted like chicken. Perhaps if they'd served it in something other than ginger and sesame oil, I would've had a more positive reaction.
Only after spending 275 NT each (about $9) were we allowed to take pictures of the snakes at the front of the restaurant:
Holy moly that's big. Right next to this display case was a cage with shivering bunnies. Sadness.
As for Huaxi night market, it's a bit of an overpriced tourist trap if you ask me. It's cool to be able to say that I've eaten snake before...but I probably won't be back for seconds unless I'm bringing along a tourist friend.
There's not actually much in the the night market, but tourists come for the "exotic" snake cuisine. Since we made it all the way to Huaxi, my friend and I couldn't leave without trying some snake. We passed by numerous snake restaurants, but we finally decided on this particular one because of the posted photo of President Ma eating there. If it's good enough for the president, it's good enough for me:
The menu consisted of all sorts of stuff that you can't typically find elsewhere. There was snake, alligator, some kind of rat, among others:
My friend and I opted the share the snake soup combo:
The snake soup came with a shot glass of snake blood mixed with honey and 5 other shot glasses filled with various mysterious liquids:
An elderly gentleman came by the table to guide us through the drinking process. We were told to sip half of the blood first, then he added the first liquid, saying that it was good for the eyes. We were then instructed to sip half of the combined concoction. After that, he added the next liquid, saying that it was good for the skin. And so down the line he went, us sipping half at a time, him adding the next shot and telling us that it was good for one thing or another. By the 3rd shot, the taste was alcohol was there and by the end, I couldn't even finish my half because the alcohol taste was so strong. We were also given 2 mysterious pills to take:
The snake soup itself wasn't even remotely impressive:
The soup tasted...snakey...for lack of a better word. The snake was flavorless and the texture was very much like...wet paper.
The guy who took our order recommended we try this dish because it can only be found in Taiwan:
Apparently the animal looks like some cross between a sheep and a deer. I still have no clue what it is, but I can say that it wasn't all that delicious. At the risk of sounding cliched, it tasted like chicken. Perhaps if they'd served it in something other than ginger and sesame oil, I would've had a more positive reaction.
Only after spending 275 NT each (about $9) were we allowed to take pictures of the snakes at the front of the restaurant:
Holy moly that's big. Right next to this display case was a cage with shivering bunnies. Sadness.
As for Huaxi night market, it's a bit of an overpriced tourist trap if you ask me. It's cool to be able to say that I've eaten snake before...but I probably won't be back for seconds unless I'm bringing along a tourist friend.
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