I don't watch Andrew Zimmern's shows too often, but I had to record an episode of his trip to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and the capital of Sichuan cooking. I have been a fan of Sichuan food since I had my first very Americanized version of Kung Pao chicken. I have like Sichuan even more as I became exposed to more authentic version of regional Chinese foods, including a couple of small Sichuan restaurants in Chinatown in the first decade of this century. A terrific version ma po tofu overloaded with Sichuan peppercorns was a revelation (and just around $5 at the time).
Zimmern's show was a few years old and during the time when he was intent on sampling the most bizarre and offal-laden dishes in that locale. One was something new to me, spicy rabbit heads, which his was directed to by his guide, a well-known kung fu instructor. His guide was a bit wary of being seen eating a spicy rabbit head in public, because it is "girl food."
Girl food? I certainly didn't make the association when I heard the phrase. The reason it is girl food is because it takes time to pick out the small pieces of meat left in the head, giving plenty time to chat, perfect for girls. OK.
I mentioned that to my two female co-workers from China and they looked at me like I was an idiot. Of course everyone knows that spicy rabbit heads are girl food. Duh. That means I might not get an invitation to snack on them in the future, which is actually fine with me.
Zimmern's show was a few years old and during the time when he was intent on sampling the most bizarre and offal-laden dishes in that locale. One was something new to me, spicy rabbit heads, which his was directed to by his guide, a well-known kung fu instructor. His guide was a bit wary of being seen eating a spicy rabbit head in public, because it is "girl food."
Girl food? I certainly didn't make the association when I heard the phrase. The reason it is girl food is because it takes time to pick out the small pieces of meat left in the head, giving plenty time to chat, perfect for girls. OK.
I mentioned that to my two female co-workers from China and they looked at me like I was an idiot. Of course everyone knows that spicy rabbit heads are girl food. Duh. That means I might not get an invitation to snack on them in the future, which is actually fine with me.
