Yummy

Yesterday our Chinese friends, Karen and Jesse, invited my friend Ben and I to go out for the day.  They took us to KTV (Chinese karaoke).  Karen and Jesse sang about 500 soulful Chinese ballads and were not amused by Ben’s and my rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.  In fact they were confused by a lot of our song choices.  Stuff that we think of as sort of classic, funny karaoke songs were totally lost on them.  Why would we pick silly songs when we could be using this time to show off our awesome vocals?

I’m sure I’ve said it before but Karaoke in China is basically amazing.  You can rent a room just for you and your friends and sings songs in five different languages.  There’s usually a convenience store where you can buy drinks and snacks and often a waiter that will bring food right to your room.   I ordered a picture of milk tea, and when it came I poured myself. Then, in typical Ashlee-spaz style, I promptly dropped the entire glass onto my lap.  I sat there in a warm, sticky mess but I didn’t feel too bad because about 20 minutes later Karen knocked the entire pitcher onto the floor, shattering it and spilling milk tea everywhere.  There’s a reason I love Karen so much, clearly we’re kindred spirits.

After three hours of singing we went out for Chinese food.  Among other things, Karen ordered her favorite fish dish that comes served whole and cut down the middle.   

We ate, and laughed, and talked a lot about all the things we would do when Jesse and Karen come to visit me in America someday.  Then, towards the end of the meal this conversation happened:

Jesse: Ashlee, you don’t like the fish.

Me: No, I love the fish I’m just full.

Karen: You haven’t eaten any of it, you don’t like it.

Me: No, I have! I like it!  

Ben: Yeah, right.  You like it but you aren’t eating it.

Jesse: Eat it. (Pausing and giving me a sly smile.) Eat the eye.

Now it’s hard to explain my reaction to this other than that I guess I felt like Jesse was teasing me.  They all seemed to be insinuating that I was being a prissy foreigner .

Me: You think I won’t eat the eye?!  Don’t tell me what I won’t do.  I’ll eat it!

Impulsively, I grabbed my chopsticks and jabbed them into the fish’s face, ignoring the wet sucking noise that was made as I wrenched the round eyeball out.  Strings hung off the back of it where it had been connected to the socket and I brought it to my lips. I paused for a moment and looked at Karen, “Eat it,” She said, “It’s good for your eyes.”  So I popped it in my mouth and chewed while Karen and Jesse laughed and Ben looked at me wide eyed.

Ben:  Wow, I feel like I just learned a lot about you. 

It actually didn’t gross me out that much.  I don't eat odd things everyday but I feel like all the strange Chinese foods and the normal foods are blending together in my mind.  Last week I went with friends for Chinese food and along with the delicious foods that I love we had duck's tongue and frog.  It didn't occur to me to be scandalized, or excited, or even to take a picture. Weird.

Below is an image that looks like the duck tongue's we ate.  It was ok but I wouldn't order it.