Pets for lunch!

Day two in my new apartment I was invited to my overseer’s (Christa) home for lunch along with all the English teachers from grade seven. We had a very delicious meal with lots of meat. That was a pleasant surprise because I hadn’t had any in a few days. It was at this meal that my Christa showed me the turtle she had purchased in the supermarket and intended to kill it for supper.

The next day I was invited to have breakfast with her and her husband. I went into the kitchen to learn how to “make” rice balls which consisted of boiling some water, taking the bag of balls out of the freezer, and plopping them into the water. I think I can handle this on my own. It is then that I asked if the turtle was still around. She decided that she couldn’t kill it and asked her husband. He decided he didn’t want to do it either. There he was sitting in a basin with a little water. He was a very weird green color and did not poses a solid shell but a thinner shell that wasn’t distinct from his neck. I explained that in America many people have turtles as pets and it’s not a meal we really eat. (Isn’t it illegal???)

The next day I was again invited over for lunch with two other of the grade seven teachers. It took HOURS of preparation. When lunch was finally ready it was after 4pm. I asked what took so long. She informed me she had finally killed and cooked the turtle and this is what we were having. Oh god, here we go! I requested that when the dish was brought out that no one tells me which one was the turtle. Of course I’ll try it but its better mentally if my meat is unidentifiable. The Chinese eat in waves. They only have one pan, so everything is cooked in a sequence and brought out when the single dish is done. The turtle stew was the third dish that came out. To my dismay it was easily identifiable.

Strange triangles of thin “meat” floating in a clear-ish broth with small cream colored balls connected by some kind of dark membrane also drifted about. I guess it was a female. Christa’s husband began dishing chunks of meat and potatoes into my bowl. I tried not think as this would only creep me out. The meat was rather flavorless and the texture was slimy, chewy, but manageable. I did not like this turtle. However, it is “good for my health” and therefore I have to eat it. Three more pieces were flopped into by bowl by others and then came the moment when a strand of turtles eggs slithered into my bowl. I tried to imagine what they were like and if I was supposed to eat the membrane or pick the egg off the sack or what! I plucked off one egg and popped that sucker into my mouth. It was not what I was expecting! It was almost chalky but still pasty. I don’t think I have ever eaten something with the same consistency. Again, I did not like this turtle. The husband then tried to give me what I imagine was the neck. It looked like and internal organ and was black and slimy. Thank god Christa came to the rescue. There was no way I was ready to choke down a turtle neck for lunch. He tried several times to give the neck to me when Christa would leave the room but I kept covering my bowl with my hand. Geesh! I’m a human, and my stomach has feelings!