8/27/10 Snake Alley

Call it a tourist trap if you want, but Taipei's Hwahsi night market has snake on the menu.  We headed over by taxi and found that there were hardly any foreigners there.  Within minutes Space set the tone of the evening by purchasing some betel nut, the nut of the betel palm which is wrapped in betel leaves with lime.  It is chewed much like chewing tobacco and is mildly narcotic.  Space had always described the chewing of betel nut as a disgusting habit that rots one’s teeth to red stained stumps (the notorious betel nut smile); still, he admitted to chewing it a few times a year.  A dirty indulgence, much like the relationship I have with cigars.  This was a special occasion, and the theme had been firmly established as “Yes”… chewing time!

Hwahsi Night Market aka Snake Alley

Facial deformity courtesy of Betel Nut

Don't forget to spit

Space and the humble beginnings of the notorious "Betel Nut Smile"

The pictures say it all; I can safely describe it as horrible.  However, I must admit, the numbness my face was pretty good.  I would have kept chewing but I didn’t follow Space’s precise spitting instructions (they only gave us one cup) and ended up swallowing some of the juice… correction, a lot of the juice.  Much in the same way that you don’t swallow when you brush your teeth, swallowing betel nut juice was a bad idea.  My gag reflex kicked in strongly and I nearly lost dinner and the street food.  Then I remembered all those wimps on “Fear Factor” that couldn’t keep strange stuff down and I toughed it out.  I didn’t have to hold out too long though.  We found the main attraction of snake alley, a vendor in mid snake evisceration.  He was draining a live snake of its blood.  He then removed the gall bladder and emptied the bile into some water.

Part bravado, part head buzz, but mostly the Philosophy of Yes saw me put down 100 NT for a glass of blood, a shot of bile, and a shot of venom.  With only mild hesitation I drank them in that order but somehow missed the two capsules that the waitress had placed in the blood.  I wondered aloud to Space if I had missed the antidote.  He laughed.  I laughed.  Some guy with no teeth at the table next to us laughed.  The Philosophy of Yes was paying dividends… and I didn’t die.

(L to R) Venom, Bile, Blood

We closed out the street food for the night with grilled prawns.  Nothing exotic, but they were prepared simply and were delicious.  I ate them whole, head shell and tail included (I can’t be sure, but I think the eyes are tasty).  Space, still bearing the mark of a timid Canadian, avoided the tail and head.  In his defence, he’s not that big on crunchy bits.