Chicken Foot Email

When I could not access blogspot.com in China I sent out some emails to friends, will post some of these messages on the blog now that I am back in Canada and have access to the site again.

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Chicken Foot

Usually on these trips there are few moments that stick with you, moments that you keep in your memory long after the trip is done. Recently I had a few of these special moments that I will remember for years to come.

I took the tour to the grassland area of inner Mongolia. The grasslands is a traditional area where the Mongol people live. In the old days they used to live on these prairie type lands (grasslands) in their traditional tents with their horses, I believe they also were herdsmen and kept sheep and cattle.

The place I went was a tourist area (disappointing) populated by mostly Chinese tourists with a few Western tourist thrown into the mix. My tent (luxury tent) included its only flush sitting toilet, shower and tv along with a HARD bed (basically you slept on plywood with a very thin cushion). The food was very basic, mostly vegetable dishes thou I did eat a bit of lamb/sheep. Overall the tour was a disappointment, our group also went to a desert area where I rode a camel. I stayed 2 nights in the grassland area and a few hours in the desert area, the mini van trip was exhausting, no air-conditioning very dusty, noisy with poor service from the Chinese tour company. The tourists whined and complained the whole time, many angry people on that van and was stuck in it for about 11 hours.

The highlight moment for me thou was separate from the tourist stuff. I knew that I had 2 nights in the grasslands to make photos. I decided that the best way to get anything near an authentic experience was to hang with the locals. Up the hill from our tented area (the tourists stayed in their tents and in the restaurant/store nearby) was a small tent the Mongol locals used during the day, they also kept all their horses up there (about 30 animals). Everyday the Mongol men who stayed up in the small tent would have shows (the tourists would walk up to see the show then walk down again immediately afterwards)they would have a horse racing show, a Mongol wrestling show, and a grab things off the ground while at full gallop show (they could pickup money bills or scarf's etc off the ground as they galloped by on their horses, at full gallop they would hang off the side of the horse and grab the items, dust flying). I wanted to meet the locals so after the shows I would just hang around and try to make friends. Eventually we sort of would sit around trying to talk (they spoke Manderin and Mongolian, I spoke English only). A few of the Mongol men riders could speak a bit of English, their was also a 22 year old Chinese woman named Youfen visiting her Mongolian boyfriend she could speak English quite well so she translated for me (she told me "YOUR VERY HANDSOME", I think she was looking for a Canadian husband, the boyfriend kept making faces in my direction when I talked to her).

The first day there I sort of just talked a bit and made a few photos, we sat around for a few hours and that was it. The second day when I returned one of the Mongol men riders said hello to me (Buhe 22 years old, he started riding a horse at 5 years old) and access to photos was much better. Most of the people there knew me, both the younger Mongolian horse riders and the older men who ran the show. I got lots of smile lots of nods of hello from everyone, it was a friendly atmosphere.

When I arrived the second day they were all in the tent (it was hot and the tent offered shade from the sun), but within a minute of so of my sitting outside (they had single bricks on the ground to sit on) I was surrounded by 4 of the younger Mongol male riders I had met the day before. In our little circle was BuHe 22, SuHe 25, Ji Choo 17 and Danghai zi 17 along with the woman YouFen. It was lots of fun sitting and talking, I offered Ji Choo some oreo cookies I had (he was a very strong looking Mongolian, always joking around and very interested in me, he kept touching my arm and looking at my skin, he would also like to joke with me and we would poke each other in the ribs). Even thou these people were extremely poor (they wore the same exact dirty clothes both days) they were also generous to me. I was offered beer and cigarettes (2 times), I was also offered some food. The first item offered me was a vacuum packed green package with a light skin meaty colored item inside, I was told it was spicy. I took the package and said thank you. Upon opening the package I found that I had been given a chicken foot to eat!! The foot looked boiled and was surrounded with mushy peppers and came complete with sharp claws/nails.

As a side note, I have a history with the whole chicken foot thingy, my mom and dad have been eating these things for my whole life, I have always said no to eating them, in my personal relationships over the last 20 years I have also been offered the chance of eating chicken feet countless times I have always said no no no.

So there I am sitting on the ground outside the Mongol tent, I have 4 men and lady munching down on their chicken feet, I think...hmm what to do? Being offered food and refusing it is rude, also these people are poor and still they offer this small gift of a local treat to the rich (at least compared to them) foreigner they have known for only 2 days. I thought what the heck and ate the foot! it was rather good actually, spicy but kind of tasty in an odd sort of way (you spit out the bones on the ground). That moment we were eating our feet is one moment I will remember in the future it seemed sort of surreal, here I was in inner Monglia eating a chicken foot with my new Mongolian horse rider friends and in 6 days I would be back in Canada working, surrounded by everything Canada.

The second came a few hours later. The men had done their second show of the evening, the tourists had left, I was hanging around while the Mongol men riders rode about on their horses gathering up the herd (of horses), they turned them towards me and road into the sunset, galloping horses(sort of a scene out of the old west) as they left they road near me and yelled out "BYE BYE" with smiles on their faces 3 different men (BuHe, SuHe and Danghai Zi) all made a special effort to say goodbye (I had told them earlier I was leaving the next day). To see those men on their horses was quite beautiful, the obvious joy they had in riding was invigorating, I wish I could ride with them and ride as well, it was like they were one with the animal, the horse and the man were one body, the horse their own legs.

I will remember the chicken foot moment and the riding into the sunset time bye bye moment for years to come. I hope in the future to return and spend a longer time with these men or with others in Mongolia. Their lives were simple and repetitive but there is also a certain joy and pleasure in living that they have that often is forgotten in the West. They would drink and smoke and wrestle with each other just for the fun of it, then they would jump on their horses and smiles would cross their faces. A beautiful people, I want to learn and experience more.

Gerry

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Chicken foot follow up:

I have now entered the world of the chicken foot! All the people that tried to get me to eat the darn things in the past have read this email and are now happily ordering chicken feet for me now at restaurants, am sure in the not to distant future I will be eating home cooked boiled feet with mom and dad also.

I have entered the world of the foot and cannot escape!