Still Made For ... Eating!

"Anyone without a sense of humor is at the mercy of everyone else."
--William Rotsler, American cartoonist, graphic artist and author

When I first started on Blip, my very first post was called These Feet Were Made For ... Eating! It was a photo very similar to this one taken at the wet markets in Zhongshan where we live in southern China. Today, along with the usual white birds, there were black chickens on the block - something I've only seen on Food Network's most outlandish programs!

No matter how many times I've visited the wet markets, and regardless of how fascinating I find them, I don't think I'll ever become accustomed to the way food is managed, displayed and sold here in China. Maybe that's OK - the conditions in this wet market would definitely not meet up to the strict health codes of U.S. grocery stores, nevermind FDA standards. It's hard to resist the freshness of the fruits and vegetables, and the homemade dumpling wrappers sold by the little ladies in their ramshackle stalls are, indeed, hard to find elsewhere. But as for the meats, fish, and other varieties of wildlife, they're for photographing only!

Although I was delighted to have the photo op, I was surprised to see these chickens on sale today. Given the latest bird flu scares in Asia this Spring, most markets have banned birds and eggs of any kind. My friend Say-Yen tells me that the markets are selling mostly only fish now and that you seldom find birds for sale. Today there were a few live birds for sale, but far fewer than I've seen in the past - there's usually an entire section of the market set aside just for housing live chickens and ducks, complete with butcher block and de-feathering stations for your purchases! The racket (and smell) is always a bit overwhelming, so today the lack of noise was a clear indication that things have changed in the markets, at least for the moment!

Although Say-Yen and I didn't spend anytime around the birds today (other than grabbing a few quick snapshots), we'll still throw all of our clothes right into the washing machine when we get home. Say-Yen even suggests washing off the bottoms of our shoes - she's right, these days in Asia, you simply can't be too careful. But for you Blippers who might recall those chicken feet from my post last March, I wanted you to know, the markets are still in full swing, the birds are still on the block, and these feet are STILL made for ... EATING!