"That girl is eating some weird (explicative), and she's white!"

I'll be honest: For the last couple days, I've been a little bummed.. mostly about what I'm going to do with myself and career when I get back to the States. After tonight, however, my outlook has improved. Nothing brings you out of a funk better than biting the head off of a fried centipede. Jason, Kelsey, Andrea, Traci and I visited Beijing's notorious DongHuaMen Night Market, recommended by natives and tourists alike for quality street food like dumplings, but even more for unusual and wild fare like silk worm, scorpion, and snake. It was a blast – one of the best times I've had in Beijing so far. Each armed with a bottle of trusty Tsingtao, we worked our way down the line of 30 or 40 stalls. Each vendor had various foods set out; at many, there were collections of skewered raw meat, seafood, and insects. After you make a selection, the vendor fries, seasons, and fire grills the kabob in front of you. 

Seasoning a silkworm kabob.

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Although Traci and I were the only ones excited all day to try all the insects and innards, Andrea and Jason tried a lot too. I was especially proud of Andrea, because she is the pickiest eater I know. Back home, she'll sneer at me if I eat an artichoke, so seeing her chomp on a sheep testicle was hilarious. Here's a list of what I tried, meaning chewed and swallowed:

Silkworm

Chicken heart

Sheep testicle

Sheep penis

Sea urchin

Snake

Eel

Black fungus

Bees

Small scorpion

Big scorpion

Sea horse

Oyster

Centipede (the worst one I tried)

Octopus

Whole crab (you eat the shell too)

Sea star

While I was ordering sea urchin, a Chinese woman walked by and exclaimed, "That girl is eating some weird (explicative), and she's white!" The fact I can impress at least one local with my sense of adventure is the ultimate compliment. Anyone who knows me knows I'm all about "street cred." Here's some more pictures:

Eating silkworm, which wasn't that bad. The shell was tough, but the inside was creamy.

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"I love you! Marry me?" was the line used to entice passers-by to visit the vendors' stalls.

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Andrea and Traci trying starfish, which was almost as nasty as the centipede.

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Jason, Andrea, and Traci checking out the fried pastries.

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A sea urchin, huge chunk of wasabi, and myself.

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Anyway, Traci and I are going on the ultimate last big tour day of the city before our venue training starts tomorrow and 500,000 other tourists invade, so check back soon!