Perusing the aisles of my local grocery store results in some interesting finds. In the box on the left are dried snake skins. To the right are dried lizards, which apparently were sliced open down the middle and splayed open after their fateful demise.
These are boiled in various herbal soups and other concoctions used in traditional Chinese medicine.
But I'd much rather imagine little kids running around on playgrounds, waving their miniature lizard kites about, and laughing hysterically. Or perhaps old women fanning themselves on a hot day; they had better hope the tail doesn't come off.
There was also this box of dried ducks. Not only were the ducks completely whole (minus the feet, which are eaten separately as snacks) but they were also completely flattened. I took this photo with my mobile phone camera so the quality isn't great. However, look closely enough and you can make out the legs, wings, neck, head, and bill.
I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of eating flattened duck so I can't honestly say how it's used in Chinese cooking. I will say that, when I saw this, I suddenly had an irresistable urge to play ping-pong.
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