Big Bones for Lunch

I consider myself a pretty adventurous eater. I like to try new things and flavors, and the occasional mystery meat, but I'm a total wimp compared to Matt. Duck brain and bills, livers from various beasts, finely sliced pig ears and chunky knuckles, chicken toes, fish eyeballs, fins, and cow stomach are just a few of the items he's tasted since moving to China.

Yesterday at lunch I had another opportunity to pass on a Fear Factor eating experience. Matt and I were invited to join the office in a round table lunch in honor of Joyce's last day at work (she's getting married soon and will join her husband's business after the wedding), a welcome to new employee Carina, who's filling Joyce's position, and a celebration for Euan's 30th birthday, which according to the lunar calendar takes place on Sept 27th this year (the mystery of the lunar calendar will have to be revealed in another post, another day. I still don't quite get it).

The lunch consisted of standard fixens' like "sour" cucumbers, eggplant, mystery livers, spicy beef, sauteed mushrooms, green beans, a thin broth soup, and white rice. We washed it all down with hot daisy tee to drink.

The meal contained a bonus, though! At the bottom of the soup serving bowl hid 9 very large bones, I think from a cow. After we'd consumed the majority of the food on the table - about the time you would order a dessert at a typical American restaurant - the serving staff scooped one large bone into a bowl for each person at the table. They then brought us each a plastic glove and small straw sealed in plastic.
Mavis demonstrated how you pick up the bone (hand covered in glove) and gnaw off the tiny chunks of cartilage remaining on it. The grand finale, or "dessert" if you will, came when she inserted the straw into the open end of the bone to suck out the marrow! Based on Matt's facial expression, I passed once again.