QUEER CHINESE MENUS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20229, 13 April 1929, Page 14

QUEER CHINESE MENUS.

THE LATEST SPECIALITY. FLESH OF ANT-EATERS. RICE SOAKED IN THE BLOOD. [FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] SHANGHAI, Feb. 2H. The Chinese aro noted for the variety of strange articles they turn into what are considered appetising dishes. Birds' nests, tree roots, grass, snails, snakes, cats, dogs and oven rats when properly treated and garnished with the correct sauces, for which the Chinese chefs are famous, can bo converted into dishes that/ tempt not only Chinese epicureans but even their foreign brethren. The latest discovered speciality is the flesh of tho ant-eater served with rice soaked in tho blood of these animals. Tn Hongkong and Canton several large Chineso restaurants have recently been opened where this speciality is the piece do resistance" of the menu. •

The Wuchow district of the province of Kuangsi supplies the majority of the anteaters for tho Canton and Hongkong markets. Professional hunters of ant-eaters make good money; the men attack their prey with spears, shovels and ropes; but it is bad policy to kill the ant-eater outright. They are cunning animals and quickly scent danger, with the result that they arc not easily captured. Antcaters arc very strong and put up a vigorous resistance, before their final surrender. At times, the hunters have received wounds that have rendered them liors de combat for days. The favourite dodsie of the ant-eaters when pursued is to rush back to their burrow and take refuge. Ant-eaters can tunnel through tho ground almost as quickly as their pursuers with picks and spades; at times it is necessary to dig a trench 50ft long before the prey is captured. If tho weather is good, a gang of experienced hunters can capture as many as 15 ant-eaters in one day. On the other hand, in bad weather the catch will not average more than two or three a day. Tho larger ant-eaters are about 3ft. long and weigh approximately eight pounds. Prices for a good specimen range as high as 3s per lb. The smaller ant-eaters, measuring not less than 12in. in length, are somewhat cheaper. The captured animals are sewn up alive in rattan baskets and shipped to their destination. The blood of the animal, when killed, is carefully preserved and rice soaked in the blood and afterwards dried fetches as high as 6s per lb, as against 15s per 1001b for ordinary rice. The Chinese claim that, in addition to being a delicacy, the flesh of the anteater is a cure for women's ailments and also invigorates the body and gives the eater good health.