Critters in my stomach

Pictures may serve better than words in describing yesterday's feast at the Dong'anmen Night Market.

Vendors selling sugar-coated fruit kebobs, the most innocuous item of the evening

One of dozens of booths of doubtful delicacies

Me noshing on sea horse-- crispy with a decent, fried-something flavor

Sea cucumber stew

A man slicing tripe for tripe-and-veggie stew

One of my least favorite dishes of the evening-- all crunch and no flavor

"Possessed" (as Andrea said) with a craving for the unordinary, Lauren, Andrea, Kelsey, Jason, and I ravaged the Night Market, trying silk worms, sheep testicles, sheep penis, whole crab, sea urchin, bees, centipede, small and large scorpions, sea horse, eel, sea star, chicken hearts, octopus, black fungus, oyster, snake--almost every unusual dish offered. And we found some tasty bites!

I enjoyed most the octopus and small scorpions. The octopus wasn't an adventure--I'd order it at a restaurant back home--but the preparation at the Night Market (frying and seasoning with chile flakes) impressed me. The deliciousness of the small scorpions surprised me most! They tasted a bit like potato chips. The sea star and large scorpions I would not buy again. The sea star comes with its legs sliced off. A purple substance of dirt consistency fills the tough skin. I'm cringing right now just thinking about the fishy flavor and the bits of skin getting stuck in my teeth.... Ew.

Despite the few unappetizing flavors, we all would love to go back to the market! We had maybe more fun there than any other place in the city. When we left, we smuggled a kebob of silkworms through the subway to bring back to our dorm. The Purdue boys, too scared to join in our adventure, promised to eat something from the market only if Andrea (the picky eater of the group) tried it first. They didn't expect her to down almost all of the creatures the rest of us tried. When she proudly presented them with the silkworms, they cringed and whined and gagged, but finally each ate a worm. The girls won hands down in the adventurous eating contest.