Eating Live Monkey Brains
Lorem Ipsum
Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 12:52:48 +0200
>From: Inge Skog
To: ar-...@envirolink.org
Subject: Eating live monkey brains
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In Southeast Asia, I have often heard the story about live monkey brains
being eaten as a delicacy. It was told by people from all ethnic groups,
and the alleged actors were most often Chinese (but invariably from some
other province than the informant, if he himself was a Chinese). However, I
never found anybody who could give me first-hand evidence on this.
In the West, you can hear these stories being told by "knowledgeable"
people, popular books tell you that 'the Chinese have been eating live
monkey brains for thousands of years' (sensational, since the sources tell
us preciously little about Chinese food a few thousand years ago), and this
kind of meals are even featured in movies.
The stories fall into two different groups. In one, you use a saw to remove
the upper part of the scull, and then you eat the brain with a spoon. In
the other, you suck the brain up with a straw.
Now, let us distinguish betwen three possibilities.
First, it has really happened that somebody, somewhere, has eaten live
monkey brain. This possibility cannot be ruled out, of course. Individuals
are capable of the most horrible crimes and atrocities.
Second, the eating of live monkey brains is an established cultural
tradition somewhere. I have never heard, or read, any reliable evidence of
this.
Third, the eating of live monkey brain is a myth. Anthropologists and
folklorists have studied this kind of phenomena extensively. Cannibalism is
a case in point. Stories about cannibalism abound, but when the alleged
cases are subjected to a critical, scholarly examination very little is
left. (This is not to say that cannibalism has not ocurred. But there is
not much similarity between the sensational stories and the actual cases. )
Instead, it turns out that this kind of stories normally have a very
specific function: to stress the difference between 'us' (normal, decent
people) and 'them' (uncivilized, cruel, primitive, morally underdeveloped).
Lots of modern 'urban legends' convey this message on 'the others'. Today,
the many refugees from Latin American countries and Southeast Europe to
many European countries (including my own, Sweden) have caused a
renaissance of this kind of stories. ('I have heard that...'; 'A cousin of
colleague of mine told him that...'; 'I read in the paper that...';
'Everybody knows that...'; 'How can you deny these well-established,
well-know facts?') The result is another obstacle to mutual understanding
between the new immigrants and the citizens of the host country. - Another
example is the stories told in any country at war about the enemy (what
stories were told in the US about the Japanese? In Japan about the
Americans?)
It is worthwile to reflect for a moment upon the function of all these
stories about exotic strangers eating live monkey brains. (It is sad to see
that they have, for instance, been used by vegetarians/vegans to strengthen
the 'don't-eat-meat' and 'meat-eaters-are-cruel' messages. We have much
better arguments than that.)
My question is, then: does anybody have any *reliable evidence* of the
eating of live monkey brains as an established cultural practice, a feature
of any society or sub-culture anywhere?
Inge--
--
To reply, delete the spam trap from the return address.
Shimbo
>My question is, then: does anybody have any *reliable evidence* of the
>eating of live monkey brains as an established cultural practice, a feature
>of any society or sub-culture anywhere?
As far as it being an "established cultural practice", I don't know.
I have seen film of it occuring in an Asian restaurant, however.
The meal was served at a table that appeared to be designed for just
this purpose. A live monkey was placed "in" the table so that only
his head protruded through a hole in the center of the table. The
diners took small hammers and struck the poor creature on the skull
until it cracked open, then they each ate a small spoonful of it's
brain.
The scene was in one of the "Faces of Death" movies, which I know does
not necessarily lend support to this being an established practice.
But at least three people have taken part in this.
I believe I'll pass on the meal . . .
Seth Deitch
>(a bunch of stuff about eating live monkey brains)
In the later day mondo film "Faces of Death" There is a scene
depicting western tourists being introduced to the delights of eating
live monkey brains after first stunning said monkey with small
hammers. I would have every reason to believe that this was staged for
the film but I may be wrong.
I refer interested parties (with strong stomachs) to this film to
see said meal being consumed, at least on this single occasion for the
edification of the masses.
-Seth Deitch
Joe Boswell
In article <01bcfc67$02c61be0$c7822299@loren-at-home>, Lorem Ipsum
<bax...@NOSPAM.earthling.net> writes
>Instead, it turns out that this kind of stories normally have a very
>specific function: to stress the difference between 'us' (normal, decent
>people) and 'them' (uncivilized, cruel, primitive, morally underdeveloped).
This explanation for various tales of other people has turned up here
before, and it is so wonderfully PC that it seems churlish to question
it. But is there any way to demonstrate it has any substance? There are
several other hypotheses available. Why not say that the 'specific
function' of these stories is to fill a gap in the conversation with
something at least slightly more entertaining than retelling how you do
the ironing? If we assume the 'specific function' is indeed to stress a
difference between 'us' and 'them', is it not possible that the
>uncivilized, cruel, primitive, morally underdeveloped
interpretation depends on the attitude of the audience, not the teller?
It will only have this effect on people who are already convinced that
their customs and traditions are superior to all others. Those with a
little more humility would not make such judgements.
--
Joe 'churl' Boswell
Robert Warinner
Shimbo (shi...@planetwide.com) wrote:
: The scene was in one of the "Faces of Death" movies, which I know does
: not necessarily lend support to this being an established practice.
: But at least three people have taken part in this.
Have a look at:
http://www.urbanlegends.com/movies/faces_of_death_review.html
Some of the most gruesome scenes from "Faces of Death" appear to be
faked. Consider the monkey brains scene:
"Al-Ahram" restaurant for 2 tourist couples out for an "unusual
dining adventure." Waiter brings wine and "special dining implements."
0:22:42 Waiter carries screaming monkey to table, puts it in hole in
-- the center, clamped around the neck.
0:23:10 Diners get their hammers ready. Long shot of table. Monkey's
head is turning round and round. [Kind of like a fake monkey
head on a turntable or something.]
0:23:31 Diners hammer monkey. Most camera angles don't actually show
monkey's head. 2 quick shots of hammers touching head, not
hitting hard. One shot from under the table. [I'm sure
the diners didn't mind having a cameraman under there.]
0:23:45 Waiter cuts head open. [Probably fake - monkey's face looks
like rubber.] Diners spoon out and eat monkey brain. [Well,
something that looks like raw brain, anyway.]
[Looks to me like the famous monkey scene is faked. There are several
cuts between the time the waiter puts a live monkey in the table and
the hammering. Several camera angles are used, with two close-up shots
during hammering. This would be difficult to do without interrupting
the action, or a second cameraman appearing in the long shots.]
[Thanks to Larry Doering]
Andrew "no animals were harmed in the making of this post" Warinner
wari...@xnet.com
wari...@ttd.teradyne.com
http://www.xnet.com/~warinner
Home of the Flying Chickens: http://www.xnet.com/~warinner/chickens.html
Andrew L. Tepper
FWIW, live monkey brains are (according to a person living in China) one of the "Eight treasures of traditional Chinese
cuisine." At least one other involves torturing the animal: Bear paw is served by placing a live, restrained bear's paw
on a hot metal grill.
Other treasures: Camel's hump, Shark's Fin Soup (unsure), Bird's nest soup, Abalone (unsure). Still haven't found
reference to the other two.
Andy
dcb
On Sun, 30 Nov 1997 16:25:02 GMT, te...@ironsoft.com (Andrew L.
Tepper) wrote:
>Other treasures: Camel's hump, Shark's Fin Soup (unsure), Bird's nest soup, Abalone (unsure). Still haven't found
>reference to the other two.
Not sure if you're unsure that these two exist, or if they're any
good. However....
Shark Fin Soup. Seen it on menus in China. Seen cans of Shark Fin
Soup in stores. Seen documentaries about how the sharks are being
driven to extinction because Chinese fishermen will catch them, cut
off their fins and throw them back in the ocean. (They die, not
because they can't breath without swimming - an "ocean legend" - but
because they can't hunt.)
Abalone. Had it in a Chinese restaurant in Singapore. Excellent.
Diane "will try anything once" Boettcher
bo...@omeganet.es
Michael Chan
Then you should have seen or tasted Bird's Nest Soup here in
Singapore. It is an expensive delicacy made by out of the compounds of
swallow's nests and their saliva.
I personally don't like it, but my wife loves it a lot.
Michael Chan
TMOliver
H Gilmer wrote:
>
> Simon Slavin (sla...@hearsay.demon.co.uk.NOJUNK) wrote:
>
> : Further vector for live monkey brains: the beginning of _Indiana
> : Jones and the Temple of Doom_. (Might be the wrong IJ film.)
>
> Nah, those were dead monkey brains. They just brought the heads in on
> plates.
>
According to my Dear Auld Dad, now departed this vale of tears, who had
lived there for several years (involuntarily, at the request of Uncle
Sugar), in Southwestern China, in the vicinity of Kunming, 1943-45 era,
live monkey was brought to the banquet table, with head thrust up from
below through a hole in the table top, at which time an attendant
"Lopper" with a large lopping knife (a la Nepali khukri) would "lop off
the top" or actions to that effect. Honored guests would then lean
forward and select an appealing tidbit of the pulsating pulp, a smart
snack as it were, with their chopsticks. Dad claimed a glutinous glob
of monkey was easier to down than the eyes of river catfish, also
popular provender. He did say that the hole in the table was a good
idea, concealing the sight (but not the sound or smell) of the monkey's
in extremis limb twitches and release of bowel and bladder, the down
side of hanging, firing squads, guillotines and most other swift ends.
--
"A little learning is a dangerous thing,
But more is inevitably catastrophic!"
****************************************************************
TMOliver/8225 Shadow Wood/Woodway/TX/76712/254-772-2859/776-3332
****************************************************************
"The road to Hell is paved with pleasurable chugholes."
Trudi Marrapodi
I thought I'd expose (so to speak) yet another vector of the monkey-brains
story, one rather notorious Canadian figure skater (Olympic bronze
medalist, 1976) by the name of Toller Cranston, whose new book _Zero
Tollerance: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Revolutionized Figure
Skating_ makes him come off as a veritable Lin Yutang of Chinese ULs.
In Chapter 7, "Beijing," he describes traveling to China as part of a
group of North American skaters invited there for a skating documentary at
a time when figure skating as a sport in that country was still in its
infancy--the early '80s. At at the end of the chapter he provides this
gruesome account of a dinner party he attended at a private restaurant on
his last night in Beijing:
"At one point in the dinner, the chef came to our table with a tiny,
exquisite monkey cupped in his hands. He paraded the monkey around the
table. Several even held it. Then, without warning, the monkey was placed
in the middle of the lazy Susan [he's earlier described how all the tables
were outfitted with lazy Susans]. How cute. How sweet. How adorable. How
unusual. The next thing we knew, the monkey had been plunged into a hole
in the centre of the table, its head had been twisted off, and its brains
had been plopped out onto the lazy Susan. To say that we were shocked is
to say nothing.
"Monkey brains are extremely gourmet and are served only to the finest
people. I confess that these particular monkey brains were wasted on us.
They were never sampled. The dinner ended precipitously on that merry
note. All of us, without prompting, fled into the Pekinese night."
Now, Toller is the kind of fellow who lives a highly dramatic life and has
probably told more than a few tall tales in his day--in fact, skating fans
wondered before his book was released whether it might not appear in the
Fiction section of the local bookseller rather than under Biography. (I
found it under Hockey. Have to have a little talk with Barnes & Noble, I
guess.) This also appears to be, technically, a "dead monkey brains" story
rather than a "live brains" story. Still, it's icky.
But Toller doesn't do a lot for his credibility on page 155, where he
vectors the one about the Great Wall being the only structure visible from
space.
Trudi "To his credit, though, he never said anything about having been
served his pet dog" Marrapodi
Trudi
"Freedom of speech does not provide protection from dissenting opinions"
"Life's too short to do something you hate"--Brian Orser
To mail me, replace "forgetaboutit" with "frontiernet"
RFerrie
Simon Slavin wrote:
<snip>
> > Other treasures: [snip] Bird's nest soup [snip]
>
> Bird's nest soup does not contain parts of bird's nests.
> While I have unsupported testimony that, traditionally made, the dish
> contains bird's spittle, the name comes from the Chinese tradition of
> naming a dish after what it looks like on the plate rather than after
> what goes into it. I doubt that the sort one buys in a supermarket
> actually has bird's spittle in it.
>
<snip>
I have no great recollection of my source (a glossy travel magazine, I
believe? Circa 1991), but I read a fairly extravagant description of the
esteemed "bird's-nest gatherers" in a "weird occupations" article
(replete with photos).
If I remember correctly, actual bird's nest soup is supposedly made by
simmering the nests of some particular bird, whose nest is made of
hardened, regurgitated fluid of some sort. These birds nest exclusively
in crevices of steep stone walls (caves? mountains?), that these skilled
climbers must mount in order to swipe said nests. They showed a photo of
a third-generation nest-getter up some godforsaken height with a little
passel of nests in a pouch.
I mean, it could well have been a joke, but I had no reason to assume so
at the time. I do heartily remember being pretty grossed out at the idea
of drinking bird-barf soup.
Renee
Gareth Jones
RFerrie <rfe...@rocketmail.com> writes:
> I have no great recollection of my source (a glossy travel magazine, I
> believe? Circa 1991), but I read a fairly extravagant description of the
> esteemed "bird's-nest gatherers" in a "weird occupations" article
> (replete with photos).
>
> If I remember correctly, actual bird's nest soup is supposedly made by
> simmering the nests of some particular bird, whose nest is made of
> hardened, regurgitated fluid of some sort. These birds nest exclusively
> in crevices of steep stone walls (caves? mountains?), that these skilled
> climbers must mount in order to swipe said nests. They showed a photo of
> a third-generation nest-getter up some godforsaken height with a little
> passel of nests in a pouch.
>
> I mean, it could well have been a joke, but I had no reason to assume so
> at the time. I do heartily remember being pretty grossed out at the idea
> of drinking bird-barf soup.
>
> Renee
According to The Joy of Chinese Cooking by Doreen Yen Hung Feng
Swallow's nest soup (Ghuy Yoong Yien Waw) requires 1 1/2 oz of
"dragon's teeth (dried swallow's nest)" with a footnote that
Yien waw "swallows nest" (populaly known as bird's nest) of the
finiest quality usually comes in two forms: as cleaned and purified
dried cuplike nestlets, or cleaned and purified dried slightly curved
chips called loong ngaah "dragon's teeth"...
I seem to recall reading that the swallows in question nest on cliffs
and the nests are made by regurgitation. This book was published by
Faber in 1952.
--
Gareth Jones <gd...@gdjones.demon.co.uk>
horro...@hotmail.com
In article,
> specific function: to stress the difference between 'us' (normal, decent
> people) and 'them' (uncivilized, cruel, primitive, morally underdeveloped).
>
> the many refugees from Latin American countries and Southeast Europe to
> many European countries (including my own, Sweden) have caused a
> renaissance of this kind of stories. ('I have heard that...'; 'A cousin of
> colleague of mine told him that...'; 'I read in the paper that...';
> 'Everybody knows that...'; 'How can you deny these well-established,
> well-know facts?') The result is another obstacle to mutual understanding
> between the new immigrants and the citizens of the host country. - Another
> example is the stories told in any country at war about the enemy (what
> stories were told in the US about the Japanese? In Japan about the
> Americans?)
>
> It is worthwile to reflect for a moment upon the function of all these
> stories about exotic strangers eating live monkey brains. (It is sad to see
> that they have, for instance, been used by vegetarians/vegans to strengthen
> the 'don't-eat-meat' and 'meat-eaters-are-cruel' messages. We have much
> better arguments than that.)
>
> eating of live monkey brains as an established cultural practice, a feature
> of any society or sub-culture anywhere?
>
> --
>
I can't speak for the Chinese tradition, because my family is of Polish
and Greek descent, but each year starting back when we were kids, Mom
served live monkey brains at New Year's. It worked out well because we
kids usually got a monkey or two for Christmas and got to play with the
little feller for a few days before the feast. She'd usually invite the
neighbor kids over and there'd be oohs and ahhs when the cute little
chatterers were brought out on chains. Then we all put bibs on and
gathered round the table (no hole in the table top though). Mom would
put on a sort of executioner's mask and bring out a small chainsaw and
the fun would begin. She'd draft one of the new kids as "her assistant"
and his was his job to hold down the sequeling homo sapien as she got to
work lopping off the top of his skull. "Last one to duck gets splashed
with monkey blood! Ha! Ha!" Mom would yell--and sure enough there'd
always be a newcomer (usually a girl--well duh!) who would forget to
duck. Then while the monkey was puking and muling we'd all grab spoons
and dig in--but not before Mom put a generous dollop of Hershey's Sauce
and whipped cream and nuts on top! "Monkey Sundaes, y'all want Monkey
Sundaes?" Mom would ask? Everybody would nod in acquiescence and chow
down. Each year the list of kids grew and grew until Mom's Monkey Sundae
party was notorious. She finally had to put a stop to it because there
were too many freeloaders. All the neighborhood parents were more than
happy to reap the benefits of Mom's hard work, but no one wanted to chip
in. I hear there's a "Monkey Sundae Party" scene in the new movie "The
Ice Storm", but I haven't seen it yet.
-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
TMOliver
> > >From: Inge Skog
> > To: ar-...@envirolink.org
> > In Southeast Asia, I have often heard the story about live monkey brains
> > being eaten as a delicacy.
> > Now, let us distinguish betwen three possibilities.
> >
> > First, it has really happened that somebody, somewhere, has eaten live
> > monkey brain. This possibility cannot be ruled out, of course. Individuals
> > are capable of the most horrible crimes and atrocities.
Is it a horrible crime and atrocity because the critter is raw? Because
it's a primate? I presume that oyster-sucking alright, cuz the little
slipperies don't feel pain. How do you know? Have you asked an oyster?
Et and oyster?
> >
> > Second, the eating of live monkey brains is an established cultural
> > tradition somewhere. I have never heard, or read, any reliable evidence of
> > this.
> >
Is chili an established cultural tradition? Hot sauce made with them
goddam habanero peppers? Fake crab? "Cultural tradition" is a hardly
necessary ingredient in today's menus.
> > Third, the eating of live monkey brain is a myth. Anthropologists and
> > folklorists have studied this kind of phenomena extensively. Cannibalism is
> > a case in point. Stories about cannibalism abound, but when the alleged
> > cases are subjected to a critical, scholarly examination very little is
> > left. (This is not to say that cannibalism has not ocurred. But there is
> > not much similarity between the sensational stories and the actual cases. )
> >
Other than finding the little monkey feets and hands in the stew once in
the Phillipines, I see little connection between canbulls (of which you
might not place much credibility, which may only indicate that you are a
charter subscriber to "Kindler and Gentler", the magazine of fuzzy
eqivocation. History, literature and art (even accounting for literary,
poetic and artistic license) provide me with ample credible canbulls and
all too many of the apologists appear to be practicing ethnic protection
or muzzy-headed denial.
> > Instead, it turns out that this kind of stories normally have a very
> > specific function: to stress the difference between 'us' (normal, decent
> > people) and 'them' (uncivilized, cruel, primitive, morally underdeveloped).
Dear Old dad, who claimed to have shared in the live-monkey-brain course
at the Chinese banquet may have exaggerated. On the other hand, Chinese
folk eat many things unappealing to most round-eyes.
> >
> > Lots of modern 'urban legends' convey this message on 'the others'. Today,
> > the many refugees from Latin American countries and Southeast Europe to
> > many European countries (including my own, Sweden) have caused a
> > renaissance of this kind of stories. ('I have heard that...'; 'A cousin of
> > colleague of mine told him that...'; 'I read in the paper that...';
> > 'Everybody knows that...'; 'How can you deny these well-established,
> > well-know facts?') The result is another obstacle to mutual understanding
> > between the new immigrants and the citizens of the host country.
Lot's of folks find it easy to be prejudiced toward Swedish folks who
chow down on lutefisk, almost as unpalatable as live monkey brains and
equally "Quiverous"
- Another
> > example is the stories told in any country at war about the enemy (what
> > stories were told in the US about the Japanese? In Japan about the
> > Americans?)
> >
Dad also claimed to have witnessed a hearing concerning some particulary
brutal japanese troops who had made a meal on some succulent parts of
Chinese citizens (for cultural reasons, not hunger, to demonstrate that
they believed that the Chinese were subhuman, etc. Other occasions of
similar practices againstr captured Allied personnel have been
documented (if not totally verified).
> > It is worthwile to reflect for a moment upon the function of all these
> > stories about exotic strangers eating live monkey brains. (It is sad to see
> > that they have, for instance, been used by vegetarians/vegans to strengthen
> > the 'don't-eat-meat' and 'meat-eaters-are-cruel' messages. We have much
> > better arguments than that.)
No, they're used by college age types to shock their dates while dining
in Chinese restaurants.
> >
> > My question is, then: does anybody have any *reliable evidence* of the
> > eating of live monkey brains as an established cultural practice, a feature
> > of any society or sub-culture anywhere?
No, presumably only anecdotal comment (but in large volume, signifying
more that UL status).
>
> I can't speak for the Chinese tradition, because my family is of Polish
> and Greek descent, but each year starting back when we were kids, Mom
> served live monkey brains at New Year's....
(Remainder of delightful Polish Christmas legend snipped)
Well, given the world's massive collection of humor and legend
concerning Poland and the Poles, your tale polished the national image
to new luster.
What's a little live monkey at a table where both kimchee and nuoc mam
are regular condiments (especially at breakfast)?
Richard E. Isler
RFerrie wrote:
>
> Simon Slavin wrote:
> <snip>
> > > Other treasures: [snip] Bird's nest soup [snip]
> >
> > Bird's nest soup does not contain parts of bird's nests.
> > While I have unsupported testimony that, traditionally made, the dish
> > contains bird's spittle, the name comes from the Chinese tradition of
> > naming a dish after what it looks like on the plate rather than after
> > what goes into it. I doubt that the sort one buys in a supermarket
> > actually has bird's spittle in it.
> >
> <snip>
> believe? Circa 1991), but I read a fairly extravagant description of the
> esteemed "bird's-nest gatherers" in a "weird occupations" article
> (replete with photos).
>
I remember the article also, it was in National Geographic, perhaps even
a little earlier
than 1991.
Richard E. Isler | "Give a man a Twinkie and you feed him
for a day,
ris...@pacbell.net | teach him to shoplift Twinkies and you
feed him
| for life."
Ewan Kirk
>> > > Other treasures: [snip] Bird's nest soup [snip]
>
>I remember the article also, it was in National Geographic, perhaps even
>a little earlier
And I have actually **seen** people collecting bird's nests in a cave
in Borneo. People live in the cave pretty much constantly on huge
piles of compacted guano guarding their spot. Every day the climb up
some very ricketty looking bamboo scaffolding into the cave roof.
From about 120 to 200 ft up the lean out with long poles and try to
dislodge the birds nests. Somebody down on the ground^W guano catches
them as the fall.
An odd career with a high mortality rate.
Ewan "oddly mortal" Kirk.
--E.
I live in the UK, not the US so substitute
".uk" for ".com" in the reply to address.
GrapeApe
>I remember the article also, it was in National Geographic, perhaps even
>a little earlier
I seem to recall the birds nest soup article as being around that time frame, I
beleive there was a new formulation for a high speed Kodachrome asa 200 that
was used in that shoot.
Joseph Michael Bay
>> > Bird's nest soup does not contain parts of bird's nests.
>> > While I have unsupported testimony that, traditionally made, the dish
>> > contains bird's spittle, the name comes from the Chinese tradition of
From the Trade and Environment Database
http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/ted/SWIFT.HTM
:
2. Description
Chinese have been eating the nest of the Swiftlet, a bird
about the size of a sparrow found in Southeast Asia and the Indian
Subcontinent, for over 1,000 years. The Edible-nest, Indian
Edible-nest and Black-nest Swiftlets weave a nest from strands of
saliva: the male regurgitates a long, thin gelatinous strand from
salivary glands under its tongue which is then wound into a half-
cup nest which bonds like quick-drying cement to the inside of a
cave wall. Swiftlet nests are (usually) carefully removed from
the cave wall. The nests are relatively tasteless and so are
usually served in soup or jelly, mixed with chicken, spices, sauce
or sweets. For centuries in China these nests have been considered
nourishing and tasty as well as a booster of health for the sick
and aging; they are even believed to be an aphrodisiac.
The harvesting of Swiftlet nests is a potentially hazardous
occupation. They are collected from high, dark caves by special
collectors who climb up and balance on bamboo poles attached to
steep cliffs. These cliffs reach hundreds of feet in height. This
is a traditional occupation and the skill of nest collection is
generally passed down from father to son.
Biochemist Kong Yun-Cheng at the Chinese University of Hong
Kong conducted a chemical analysis of the soup which revealed that
there is a water-soluble glyco-protein in the nest which promotes
cell division within the immune system. However, it is destroyed
during the cleaning process. Therefore, the soup is actually of
low nutritive value.
(A bunch more on this yummy stuff).--
J. Michael Bay ( ) official business (x) bozo
Stanford University ( ) unofficial business (x) not a bozo
Medical School (x) other ( ) who, me?
"Urine is wonderful . . . I'm high on urine." -- Bruce Ames
Brad Crawford
A whole bunch of stuff about eating monkey brains was snipped in an
effort to keep this brief.
When I was younger I saw a movie called, "Faces of Death" which was
supposed to be comprised
of actual footage of people being killed or executed and other weird
stuff. One of the "stories" showed a two couples at a restaurant and a
monkey was put into a little cage in the middle of the table. The
monkey then had its skull crushed with a mallet, and the brains were
then removed. I can't remember if anyone ate the brains, but I remember
the women present were truly mortified at witnessing the premature
demise of said monkey.
Brad "Would you like fries with that?" Crawford
Gary Quinton
On Sun, 30 Nov 1997 21:07:17 GMT, bo...@omeganet.es (dcb) wrote:
>On Sun, 30 Nov 1997 16:25:02 GMT, te...@ironsoft.com (Andrew L.
>Tepper) wrote:
>>Other treasures: Camel's hump, Shark's Fin Soup (unsure), Bird's nest soup, Abalone (unsure). Still haven't found
>>reference to the other two.
>
>Not sure if you're unsure that these two exist, or if they're any
>good. However....
>
>Shark Fin Soup. Seen it on menus in China. Seen cans of Shark Fin
>Soup in stores. Seen documentaries about how the sharks are being
>driven to extinction because Chinese fishermen will catch them, cut
>off their fins and throw them back in the ocean. (They die, not
>because they can't breath without swimming - an "ocean legend" - but
>because they can't hunt.)
>
>Abalone. Had it in a Chinese restaurant in Singapore. Excellent.
I've eaten both Abalone and Shark's Fin Soup, at the one sitting. The
real thing is served at two of the better Chinese restaurants in town,
and I've had it at both. $75 a bowl.
FJS
Richard E. Isler wrote:
>
> RFerrie wrote:
> >
> > Simon Slavin wrote:
> > <snip>
> > >
> > > While I have unsupported testimony that, traditionally made, the dish
> > > contains bird's spittle, the name comes from the Chinese tradition of
> > > what goes into it. I doubt that the sort one buys in a supermarket
> > > actually has bird's spittle in it.
> > >
From Jeff Smith's _The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines_,
p. 125:
"This is one of the most famous soups of China. A small bird lives on
the island just off the coast of the land of the Emperors. The island
has little natural vegetaion so the sparrow gathers twigs and grass
at the tideline on the beach. With these pieces a nest is made.
Mother Nature has endowed the bird w/ the ability to regurgitate a
gelatinous liquid w/ which to glue the nest together. The nests
are gathered, after the birds have left, and meticulously cleaned.
What remains is simply gelantin w/ a very light flavor of fish...
You can buy nests for soup all cleaned and ready for the pot...When
you see the price for the bird's nests you will understand that
this soup is served only on special occasions...The cost for enuff
nests to make *two* batches of this soup will be somewhere between
$30 and $40..."
The recipe then follows.
Fred
Donald Fisk
TMOliver <swr...@iamerica.net> wrote:
>According to my Dear Auld Dad, now departed this vale of tears, who had
>lived there for several years (involuntarily, at the request of Uncle
>Sugar), in Southwestern China, in the vicinity of Kunming, 1943-45 era,
>live monkey was brought to the banquet table, with head thrust up from
>below through a hole in the table top, at which time an attendant
>"Lopper" with a large lopping knife (a la Nepali khukri) would "lop off
>the top" or actions to that effect. Honored guests would then lean
>forward and select an appealing tidbit of the pulsating pulp, a smart
>snack as it were, with their chopsticks. Dad claimed a glutinous glob
>of monkey was easier to down than the eyes of river catfish, also
>popular provender. He did say that the hole in the table was a good
>idea, concealing the sight (but not the sound or smell) of the monkey's
>in extremis limb twitches and release of bowel and bladder, the down
>side of hanging, firing squads, guillotines and most other swift ends.
About a year ago I corresponded with a Singaporean student who gave me
an account of his mother's recollections of the dish being served at a
restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. You're welcome to take it with a pinch
of salt if you like: there's a link on my home page. I've withheld
the student's name, but I'm willing to divulge it to anyone who's in a
position to check his account.
Le Hibou http://homepages.enterprise.net/hibou/
"What the ... This is Lambic! Where's my culture of amoebic
dysentery?" -- Gary Larson
TMOliver
Donald Fisk wrote:
>
> TMOliver wrote:
>
(Snipped, lengthy description of live-monkey-brain-consumption, Kunming,
China, cerca 1944)
> About a year ago I corresponded with a Singaporean student who gave me
> an account of his mother's recollections of the dish being served at a
> restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. You're welcome to take it with a pinch
> of salt if you like: there's a link on my home page. I've withheld
> the student's name, but I'm willing to divulge it to anyone who's in a
> position to check his account.
>
> Le Hibou http://homepages.enterprise.net/hibou/
I refer all "Monkey brainers" to Mr. Fisk's witness who, removed in time
and place from Kunming (Well, those Cantonese chefs move around a lot.),
presents an amazingly similar description of preparation and service,
close enough to confirm the widespread nature of such gourmandizing.
In all in the presentation, selling the "sizzle", not the "steak"!
Matt Sisk
Well, I have a colleague at work that claims to have actually
participated in the eating of live monkey brains in the US Navy while in
the Philipines. In his rendition, everyone at the table got to take a
whack with the mallet.
I'll see if I can get him to post more details to this thread.
Matt Sisk
m...@shellus.com
Dave Bradley
> >Shark Fin Soup. Seen it on menus in China. Seen cans of Shark Fin
> >Soup in stores. Seen documentaries about how the sharks are being
> >driven to extinction because Chinese fishermen will catch them, cut
> >off their fins and throw them back in the ocean. (They die, not
> >because they can't breath without swimming - an "ocean legend" - but
> >because they can't hunt.)
> >
Don't believe everythin you see on TV...Sharks are an inevitable
by-catch of trawling - if fish are in panic (ie. coz they're stuck in a
net) sharks will be attracted and hey presto... you've caught fish AND
sharks. Only a very stupid pro fisherman would throw back an asset like
a shark - not only can the dorsal fin be dried and sold for up-market
soup, but the other fins and tail can also be dried: the "fin" found in
tinned soups.
In addition the flesh is normally used in cheap frozen seafood products
(cheap, nutritious and boneless), the skin makes great leather products
(or dried is often used by subsistence fishermen as sandpaper) and the
teeth make great phallic symbols for members of the NRA ("caught this
myself while wrasslin the critter to save the world from commies")
Dave "Jaws" Bradley
Drydusty
I have seen a "Faces of Death" video that details this practice, pretty
graphically. I think it was the very first, original video of the whole
series (in a series of 3,800, I seem to recall <B-D ).
Laurence Doering
In article <19971210054...@ladder02.news.aol.com>,
Drydusty <dryd...@aol.com> wrote:
>[in reference to monkey head bash eat brains]
>
>I have seen a "Faces of Death" video that details this practice, pretty
>graphically. I think it was the very first, original video of the whole
>series (in a series of 3,800, I seem to recall <B-D ).
Yup, there is a monkey brain eating sequence in the original "Faces of Death".
If you want the full details on why it's almost certainly not genuine, see
my analysis of FoD on www.urbanlegends.com.
Executive summary:
The sequence in the movie is obviously not filmed in real time - it contains
numerous cuts between different camera angles, many of which would have shown
a second camera if one was present. You can see the "diners" are not actually
hitting the monkey's head with their hammers, and there is a cut between the
monkey's "death" and the moment when the head is cut open. At that point,
the head looks much more like a creature effects replica of a monkey's head
than the real thing.
One weird element of the sequence in FoD is that it apparently takes place
in some sort of Middle Eastern restaurant (the diners look like typical
Americans contemporary with the making of the movie, though.) Since the
monkey brain eating story is almost always set in an Asian country, this
strikes me as rather strange.
Larry "Aw, Mom, not monkey brains *again*" Doering
Christie M. Lauder
Organization: Hampshire College, Amherst MA
Distribution:
Brad Crawford (bradley.w...@abbott.com) wrote:
: When I was younger I saw a movie called, "Faces of Death" which was
: supposed to be comprised
: of actual footage of people being killed or executed and other weird
: stuff. One of the "stories" showed a two couples at a restaurant and a
: monkey was put into a little cage in the middle of the table. The
: monkey then had its skull crushed with a mallet, and the brains were
: then removed. I can't remember if anyone ate the brains, but I remember
: the women present were truly mortified at witnessing the premature
: demise of said monkey.
Ahh, I saw that movie in high school. It made quite an impression. You
forgot to mention that each person was given a mallet and bashed the
little critters brains in. And yes, they ate the brains, right out of the
school. I believe that one of the men commented on how good it was as he
went for seconds.
-Christie
Snarkamedes
=>> The runes were cast, the portents thundered and then Christie M. Lauder
warbled on about "Re: Eating Live Monkey Brains" in a.f.u <<=
... <snip> .........
> Ahh, I saw that movie in high school. It made quite an impression. You
> forgot to mention that each person was given a mallet and bashed the
> little critters brains in. And yes, they ate the brains, right out of
> the school.
^^^^^^
Without a doubt the best reason I've heard yet for the lower attainment
standards in todays educational institutions.