i am not quite sure what that is, but i will eat it!

china knows how to tickle one's tastebuds and leave the consumer with a feeling of complete satisfaction. more specifically where i live, southwest china, chongqing. most of the food here is unbelievable. the main reason i like it is due to the fact that most everything is spicy. i have always been one who enjoys his peppers, sweating while i eat, and coughing vehemently when the spice hits the back of my throat. the main fare is a bubbling concoction called hotpot. most foreigners hate this, as did i at first. over time i began to enjoy it more and more. anything and everything goes into this pot of fire, filled with peppers and other spices. the more common would include, dumplings, meatballs, fish, vegetables. the more interesting includes cow stomach, duck blood/intestine, and many other things. food that enters my mouth with no idea what animal it is, or what part of said animal. i can almost assure you that it is not cat. i have heard that southeast china, near hongkong, is the home of those delicacies. along with snake, dog, and rat. when i get to that area maybe i will try snake, it might taste pretty good. rats, too filthy. dogs, man best friend, but cat......

two things i will not touch are fish heads and chicken feet. they are definitely popular dishes here. i just cannot eat something with an eyeball staring at me. the chicken feet i would eat if the toes were split into small pieces, as opposed to looking just like the foot of a chicken. chinese always offer these to you because they fell it is the best part of the animal. they are being polite to the foreign guest. one thing i can say is that they let nothing go to waste. why trash the neck of that duck? there is some good meat on that. naw, son, you can have it. eggs are popular as well. they will slap an egg on anything-sunny side up, spaghetti, rice, even a steak. this also does not bother me. i have an iron stomach and will eat just about anything, no shrimp, allergic. some new dishes are okay, others delicious. food i will sorely miss when i arrive home. by the way, if i hear the word delicious again. it must be one of the first english words learned after hello/bye-bye, thank you, and okay.

when i first arrived and begin to explore, walking down the street i would encounter an awful, repugnant stench. it can only be described as a fresh steaming pile of pig innards. later i was told this vile odor was because of the unique way the chinese prepare tofu. it is likened to that stinky cheese from germany, or holland, or wherever. i have eaten delicious tofu here, but it did not stink when it arrived at the table. i am still not quite used to the smell. i do not think anyone is. many have asked if the food here resembles delicious chinese food in america. in some ways it does, but at least in chongqing it is spiced up a bit. i know some people who are finicky eaters. they have a difficult time finding things they like. they are missing out on all the delicious food here. well, you can find delicious western food, even more so on the east coast. there they have a delicious taco bell. most newcomers usually become best friends with their toilets. it is a good idea to know all the best bathrooms in the city, you never know when danger may strike, and you surely want to sit down instead of squat during this not so delicious predicament. my stomach has made all of the necessary adjustments. i wonder if montezuma's revenge will strike when i get home?

my stomach is beginning to rumble describing all of this cuisine. today is friday, hotpot nite, time to go eat. maybe i will get those spicy/meat sweats going. well, i will just wash it all down with some delicious beer.