John Lethlean’s Oriental Odyssey Part II: readers share their Asian food anecdotes

We asked readers to share the most exotic Asian food they have eaten. Here they are, including the winner of our China cookbook.

My column about challenging Asian cuisine (Oriental odyssey, The Weekend Australian Magazine, Oct 29-30) elicited several memorable anecdotes from readers. Here are four, beginning with a great story from Paul Barnes of Brookfield, Queensland, who wins a copy of China: The Cookbook (Phaidon, $59.95).

“Your article discussing Chinese cuisine, particularly the chicken (in our version, we were offered the feet separately in their own dish, which I think had been pickled in some sort of marinade) brought back memories, some brilliant, others not so much. Here’s a quick story that still brings a smile and a grimace to my dial at the same time (if that’s possible).

“As Aussie fund managers through the mining boom, we regularly visited China with stockbrokers to gauge the Chinese appetite for Aussie commodities and in so doing, generally spent a few days in the outer provinces visiting steel mills, smelters, refineries, manufacturing plants etc. The days were long and fascinating and our hospitable Chinese hosts would kindly lay on banquets where lots of moonshine was toasted and banquets laid on for the group, generally comprised of 10-15 westerners and the same number of local dignitaries/company reps.

“One particular banquet, and it helps to appreciate the group had a decent appetite, we sat down to a massive banquet where as you rightly point out, the food is generally recognisable for what it is (fish eye, chicken feet, pigs head, etc) and often not always to western taste. In an attempt to discover something delicious, I plumped for a whitish meat ball the size of a tombola and bit in.

“The ball was room temperature and exploded in my mouth, which is when I realised this wasn’t for me, so I discreetly turned and deposited it in a napkin before asking one of my hosts what the delicious balls were. He informed me they were goat’s testicles.

“A good mate at the table, seated opposite and faced with the same broad culinary offerings and also pretty hungry, heard me and asked “what’s delicious?” so I recommended the balls, by which time half the table was in on the conversation. He looked genuinely excited and there was no going back. He popped one in his mouth and to this day I will remember his facial expression as he dealt with the same gonad explosion I had, except in this instance, all eyes were on him, so as a polite guest he painstakingly chewed and swallowed the lot. It still brings a smile to my dial… fortunately, he also saw the humour.”

From runner-up Jon Bains of Melbourne:

“As a tour operator who has visited China for more than 20 years, I have had many culinary experiences there; the good, the bad and the ugly. The Chinese say that they eat anything with legs, apart from tables, and that’s been my experience. But I also understand that cuisine is a luxury and for most of the world you eat what you can. This was certainly the situation in China 20 years ago where there were no overweight Chinese, no junk food, few cars and virtually no Western restaurants.

“I have eaten many new things in China - crunchy fish heads and bird heads, insects and worms - usually knowingly, at banquets with local colleagues. Although once I did think I was eating chewy pasta, to be informed it was chitterlings (that’s pig’s intestine). I have also had delicious grilled meats in Xinjiang, enjoyed spicy Sichuan delicacies, and loyally supported the cumin and chilli kebab stalls that are ubiquitous in street markets across China.

“But it was a snack on the Tibetan border that made me rethink my attitude to food. While waiting for my group, I was munching away at local nuts. They were delicious. The best hickory smoked peanuts I had ever eaten, and I told my guide so as I filled my mouth with another handful. “No”, she said. “They are not nuts. They are earwigs”. Until this point, I had thoroughly enjoyed them. I froze, hand halfway to mouth. Could I keep eating them, now that I knew they were earwigs?

It turns out I could. I shrugged, and threw the next handful in my mouth. They really were the most excellent earwigs.”

From Keith Beecher, of Mornington:

“Several years ago my wife and I travelled to China, and visited our son who was working at the Australian Consulate in Guangzhou.

We were keen to see as much as we could in a relatively short time, and one day we crossed the Pearl river, in which Mao Zedong is alleged to have swum on several occasions. To enter that water and live to tell about it is a feat in itself.

“On the ‘other side’, where few Occidentals are to be seen, we wandered the streets, and were soon approached by a young Chinese man who said that he wanted to improve his English, and could we assist him. He was a pleasant fellow, and we were happy for him to point out places of interest, where signs in English were non-existent.

“Nearing lunchtime he suggested a place where we should eat. Clearly this was part of the plan, and I could see that we would be paying for lunch.

“The café was pretty simple, and as the menu was only in Mandarin, we were happy for our companion to order. This turned out to be a grave error, as the first course arrived on a griddle, similar to what one sometimes finds in Australian steak restaurants. After gnawing on a piece of meat for a while, I enquired as to what it was that we were eating. Our young friend said ‘duck’, or at least that was what I thought he said, but it was not at all like duck that I have eaten on many occasions.

“I pressed him to tell me what sort of duck we were eating. When he said ‘puppy duck’ I knew what he meant, and was further convinced when he lead us to the rear of the café where there were kennels with several breeds of dog.

“My wife and I suddenly lost our appetites, paid the bill ( very reasonable ), thanked our friend, and left feeling unwell.

Several days later we were in X’ian, and the fellow at the next table at dinner time was tucking in to a bull’s penis. At least this hotel had a menu in English.”

From Philip Putnam of Annandale, NSW:

“I’ve had my share of oddities. A dish of small pungent smoky meaty brown rings served with drinks in Shanghai springs to mind. I asked the waiter what they were and with much woofing and pointing rearwards we worked out they were dogs’ sphincters.

“However as I can’t guarantee the veracity of this, I offer something (else) weird because the two basic components are individually, delicious. A Shanghainese dish sampled in Hong Kong: a bowl of semi sweet egg custard studded with pipis. But a bit bigger, say, English cockles. An exercise in texture and contrast.

“The juxtaposition of sweet smooth custard and briny chewy shellfish didn’t work for me. Though it greatly amused the locals at the next table.”