Photos: 大閘蟹 (Hairy Crab)

With the end of this month, it's also the end of the hairy crab season with the most famous ones coming from 阳澄湖 (Yangcheng Lake). This would be an example of the East-West divide. Hairy crabs are considered a delicacy in China and the rest of Asia, but are virtually despised in the US. But since this blog isn't about the US, here are some pictures about this delicious dish.

First, the thing to remember is that unlike most crabs in the US, the most sought after part of the crab is actually not the meat in the legs, but rather what's underneath the shell and between the legs.

The crabs generally are stored alive, but wrapped tightly to avoid movement and pinching.


After being steamed, they change from the darkish green to a bright orange.


Typical utensils include scissors and a small spoon to scoop out the tasty morsels of the crab, but you don't always get them.


The fresh crabs are harvested from containers sitting in the lake (or taken from a refrigerator like the picture above if you're not near a lake).



Once they come out, you snap off the string that was used to hold the crab together.


Notice that the claws usually have some sort of putty that prevents them from snapping when they are alive. Also notice the hair on the legs - obviously, that's how where they get their English name.


Usually, when you order these crabs, you buy them in pairs - one male and one female. To tell the difference - the females have a large triangle-shape underneath the shell while the males are much more narrower. The reason why you notice the difference is, as one writer noted, "Male crabs have yellow fat and more meat while the female has more yellow fat, lesser meat, plus the red coral or the prized aligue." I think most people prefer eating the males rather than the females - personally, it's because the female eggs get too dry and hard after being steamed.

I didn't get a chance to take a step-by-step instruction on how to eat the hairy crab (as my hands were quite messy in the process and didn't feel like dirtying up my camera!). But here are some sites with instructions and even pictures (must have been a starving photographer).

1 - SHmag.cn (step-by-step with pictures!)
2 - Shanghai Daily (pictures then instructions)
3 - China.org.cn
4 - Expat Singapore (see, throughout Asia)

Basically, once you rip through the shells, this is what you end up with:


The odd thing about this dish was that even in China, the crab was considered a pest. One story that I found on the web stated:

People found a strange and terrible kind of "pests with crusts" in the fields eating grains. They had sharp chelae and legs that could injure the farmers.

Some were bitten by the pests and people closed their doors before sunset for fear of attack.

However, a bold farmer could not bear them any longer and sprayed a basin of boiling water on the pests.

Suddenly, the pests stopped being pests and the green crust turned to gold.

Some brave farmers took them back home and stewed them. A strong aroma came out of the pests, which enticed one man to try one after peeling the crust away.

He found it was the most delicious food he had ever eaten in his entire life.

The news spread quickly, and people loved the taste of the pests and caught them with a view to eating them. Since then, the harmful pests have become a delicacy.

If you feel adventurous, give it a go as it's quite delicious. -- more --

Article: In short... yes.

I came across this article today and sadly it's spot on.

Is the Versatility of a Law Degree Just a Myth?

Leigh Jones
The National Law Journal
December 01, 2008

When Dina Allam graduated last spring from Ohio State University with a joint law and master of business administration degree, she thought the combination would catch the eye of employers who could appreciate a mix of analytical skills and business know-how.

But after months of looking for a nonlawyer job that would put all that education to work and help pay off some of the nearly $85,000 in student loan debt, Allam began to think she'd made a mistake by going the law degree route.

"People don't see the value in the joint degree. They think I'm confused," she said.

In hindsight, Allam said she would have forgone the juris doctor degree and pursued just the MBA. But at the time she started law school, she was convinced that a J.D. diploma could open doors to a wide variety of job options.

"They made it sound like there were so many careers you could go into," said Allam, now a client engagement manager with Wipro Technologies in Columbus, Ohio. "I definitely think all the interviews I had were because I was in business school and not because I had a law degree."

Law schools and placement professionals frequently tout the versatility of a law degree as a path to alternative careers. But even in good economic times, the advantage of a juris doctor degree in landing a job in another field may well be overblown.

...

Full article here.

Photos: Food, food, food

This is what you've all been waiting for, sometimes literally. Thanks everyone for indulging me when I take these photos before each dish.... hope this album makes up for it.

From October 2008 Food

Photo: Hong Kong Night Skyline Panoramic

Photos: Scenes from Taiwan

This is 台北101 (Taipei 101), which for a while is the tallest building in the world.




Taipei Metro - looks a lot like the other metros in Asia, but a world apart from anything in the US. They're actually quite clean and run fairly frequently. I did notice that unlike Hong Kong or Singapore, the barriers between the waiting area and the tracks do not run floor to ceiling though (if the Taipei Metro has them at all). Other parts of the Metro are built above ground.




Other forms of transportation are quite convenient - there's a plethora of taxis around. These photos were taken around the shopping area surrounding Taipei 101.




One of the best parts about Taipei is the food and the place to get it is at the night markets, such as this one, the 台北市饒河街觀光夜市 (Raohe St. Night Market).



Another attraction in Taipei is the 國立故宮博物院 (National Palace Museum). The collection is routinely rotated, but alas they didn't allow photography inside the museum. Wikipedia has some references to the Jadeite Cabbage, which was on display when we were there.



Now, on to the food....



















Hungry now? =) -- more --

Photos: More Scenes of Singapore

Sorry for the delay, still sorting through all the photos from last month. After this set, there will be one of Taiwan before I round out the month.



This I would say would be a classic icon of Singapore - the Merlion.


Stepping off the plane, I came across a sign that I was finally in Singapore - cars and vans emblazoned with the Singapore Airlines logo:


One of the first stops was to Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.


Chinatown was fairly quiet in the afternoon, I'm guessing because of the humidity and the time of day. Not much was stirring, but given the amount of seating, you can easily imagine it to be quite bustling later on.


We saw a fruit stand that was selling many variaties of durian, although keep in mind that once bought, it looked like you couldn't bring it with you on the MRT though!


One thing that was strange - given the reputation of Singapore - was the lack of public garbage cans. Occasionally you would see one that sported the following sign, but they didn't seem quite common in Chinatown, Arab Street, or anywhere along the way.


We were too underdressed to enter Sultan Mosque. They actually had a sign in front that spelled out certain rules including the prohibition against "shorts, mini skirts, low neckline or exposed back, especially female visitor [sic]" from entering.


We didn't get a chance to go in to the Masjid Abdul Gaffoor (a mosque in Little India), but the roof was quite ornate and interesting that I had to take a picture.


The sunset was quite interesting, with a great dark blue hue. I'm not sure this photo does it any justice:


Inside the above tent was a number of items for sale in connection with the Hindu celebration Deepavali (Festival of Lights). The streets were also lined with decorations, which made for quite a festive atmosphere.



Of course one of the star attractions for Singapore is the food, primarily at the Hawker Centres. Lots of good food, some of which have previously been shown here!




I should have posted this earlier, now that it is about a week and a half stale. Funny how there's a promotion for Obama, but just a bipartisan greeting on McCain.


A night shot of the Fullerton Hotel and the Merlion (as referenced above). The "effect" you see is what happens when you walk out of a perfectly good air conditioned restaurant into the humid night air.


Sentosa Island keeps growing - here you see the construction of a new phase of the resort. There is also a much taller version of the Merlion.




At the far end of the island is Fort Siloso, which has been turned into a museum detailing the history of Singapore and World War II. What I thought interesting and it's something I never heard about (good ol' American education) was that after the Japanese captured Singapore (on bikes no less), they renamed it 昭南島 (Syonan-to), or "Light of the South". Admission to the fort was 8 SGD.





Two popular night-life areas in Singapore are Clarke Quey and Boat Quey, respectively.



Underneath the bridge for Fullerton Road and Esplanade Drive is a pathway that leads to the Merlion from the photo near the very beginning of this post. Just thought the pillars for the bridge made for an interesting photo.


M pointed out something that appears to be uniquely Singapore - note the pole in the middle of the subway blossoms out into three separate poles allowing more people to grab on during peak hours.


Another interesting part of Singapore is the fact that they have multiple official languages. Thus, most signs need to list Chinese (Mandarin), English, Malay, and Tamil.


Lastly, I thought this was fairly clever and useful. Some airports I've seen offer recharging services for travelers. Here, they let you recharge your phone, but also provide you a key in case you want to leave your phone and do other things.
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