Pigeon Heads Are Crunchy Things
Last night I had dinner with some former coworkers at a Cantonese restaurant that I had never been to in the International District. Even though there were 5 of us (all of whom were Asian) they only gave the menus to the two Chinese women in our party. Since they were taking me out to dinner to in celebration of my last day at work, I let them choose the place and order the food. Plus, I always find that I get infinitely better service when someone who is Chinese orders anyways (rather me pointing or ordering by number).
Well, they ordered a feast. Dungeness crab, stir-fried pea vines, salt and pepper squid, steamed sea bass with green onion and ginger, some dish that ended with the word “delight” and squab. Yup, squab. They tried to pawn it off as Cornish Game hens or quail but when that baby hit the table I immediately knew what it was by the cranial structure of the birds head. That ain’t no quail.
I like to think that my palate is somewhat adventurous – I just balk at eating dishes that look back at me (please don’t eat me). Since I didn’t want to be rude I tried eating a thigh section and it was not bad … tender and moist but a little on the gamey side for my taste. The consistency was a little dense and liver-like which didn’t endear me to the dish either. My dining cohorts were loving it though. Finger licking good.
Let me preface what happens next with a little tidbit about Asian culture. Asians always insist that the guest of honor (aka me) gets the first serving and the best cuts of everything. That’s just the custom. As dinner was being rounded out I noticed that the two heads of the squab were left on the plate, one with it’s beak ajar. I thought they were just for show, but as my coworker explained, the head and neck was considered the best part of the dish.
They were saving them for me.
Tags: chinese cuisine, Foodie, pigeon, pigeon heads, restaurant, squab
13 Responses to “Pigeon Heads Are Crunchy Things”
Shameless!
In the interest of full disclosure, please note that product links redirecting you to other sites such as Amazon
, BlueHost, Freshbooks and OpenSky may take you a purchase page of a company where I am a member of an affiliate program. As a result, I will often get a small percentage of the revenue or a commission off of something you have purchased. I am not otherwise paid to link to these sites, nor do I link to any products that I don't actually use or covet in real life. On the rare occasion I accept payment to review a product, it will be duly noted in its associated post.
Have no fear - you are under no obligation to buy anything to get the full enjoyment of this site. We can still be friends even if you never click on an affiliate link. Rest assured, this is all low pressure. I will never show up at your door with tiny vials of Avon perfume or trial jars of pearl cream to entice you. That said, I do truly appreciate when you do purchase something from a linked site - it all helps to keep the lights on and a roof over our heads.
And Powered By
And Kept Organized By
Oh, Gawd! What an akward position…I’ll remember to wear my “Veggie Head” T shirt if I ever have some Chinese co-workers invite me to dine!
Coco´s last blog post..Another Version of Dorothy
Please tell me you took that photo and didn’t pull it off the interwebs. Because nothing says ‘I respect your culture’ like whipping out a camera to take pictures of the strange crap they eat.
(Guilty, here.)
And checking you back, miss funny lady!
We both posted The Puppies!
news you can use, fer sure!
LuluMom´s last blog post..Motivation….Get Moving
Urgh. I feel sick from the picture AND the title that I can’t type much more than this. Urgh.
On Lamma Island just off Hong Kong is a place that only serves squab.
You walk about a mile into the middle of the island, it sits high on a hill and looks out over the water. It’s gorgeous.
The squab is so good there that there is a helipad just for rich people to come and not have to make the walk.
It is a great walk, though. Beautiful and comfortable.
The squab is awesome. I’ll have to take you sometime.
And Coco, I was a vegetarian for 10 years – until the Chinese got ahold of me. Through a variety of creative torture devices they eventually won. I not only eat but actively cook all sorts of things now.
Did you go to 663, Giyen?
@Coco The meal was fine, minus the squab. Asians would still insist on feeding you meat, even if you wore a ‘meat is murder’ t-shirt.
@Joey I did take it off the interwebs, because I didn’t take my camera with me. I do take pictures of food all of the time like a nerd. This is an accurate depiction of the dish, with the exception that our squab had it’s beak ajar. Horrifying.
@Lulumom I am still watching the puppies. Pathetic, I know.
@Chantelle If you take the head from the picture, it looks yummy.
@Jim No, not 663 Bistro. VGardens. Wasn’t my favorite place, but they had a television that was playing Chinese soap operas. Strangely, it seemed close to the Mexican variety.
So…did you eat those savory little bits?
I’m sure that my husband (who thinks he’s Asian, but isn’t) would have gobbled them down. I don’t think there’s anything he hasn’t liked yet…not even the live squid.
Susan´s last blog post..The Joys of Parenting…
Man, I live in Hawaii and have faced some seriously different “things” I didn’t think people ate. Unfortunately I’ve faked near death phobias to get out of them….I know, RUDE. But man, this can’t be something you chew and spit in your napkin to throw for later? PLUS, I don’t know, but I’m deathly afraid of birds…this freaks me out.
Wait, so did you eat the head…with a smile? Your brave!
Selena´s last blog post..Loan required…:)
You are so lucky! I would have been all over those pigeon brains like white on rice, sister! You know my motto, “From snout to tail….. it’s all worth trying”. Now I must think of it as “From beak to tail-feathers…….”.
They are very similar to the mexican variety. I spent months in a hospital in Hong Kong watching chinese soap operas.
Jim Benson´s last blog post..Better Communication is not More Communication
@Susan – I couldn’t. My dining companion was more than happy to oblige. Pigeon brain must not be big, however it is apparently tasty.
@Selena – Yes. I can remember when I was a kid fish eyeballs were worth fighting over.
@Juanito Burrito – lucky is a way you could put it. lol.
@Jim – okay, spending months in a hospital in Hong Kong IS a Chinese soap opera!
you brave soul you!! now excuse me while i puke.
i am in awe of your adventurous palate. i, on the other hand, am quite a sucka when it comes to what i’ll eat. it has to smell right (no chitlins for me please), must have the right texture (no to pudding, yogurt and jello) and it must, must look right. that means nothing eyeballin’ me at the table. crabs, however, are exempt.
anyway, luv your blog!
mama’s got moxie´s last blog post..juke joint: digable planets