Chinese New Year Resolution

Chinese New Year is coming up and I'm getting my resolutions in order. Since this is the Year of the Tiger - my year - I feel a strong appreciation for Chinese astrology. To show that appreciation I hereby resolve, before I leave Asia, to eat at least one of each animal featured in the Chinese zodiac.

Now some people have been quick to point out that finding a dragon to eat will be quite impossible. An American friend was trying to be supportive and suggested that perhaps before I leave Taiwan scientists will discover a real dragon hidden in the mountains somewhere. I'm pretty sure if I managed to steal some of it for a spirited stir fry I'd be arrested. There are possible compromises - the name for lobster is literally "dragon shrimp" - but I think it's best to worry about dragons after the other eleven. Although they're all real, eating them is going to present some challenges.

There are four that will be quite easy. Cow, pig, chicken and goat are all readily available in markets and restaurants, so all I have to do is determine which specific dish will count as a course in my astrological feast. Snake meat is available in the Liu He night market not far from where I work, so all I need to do there is bother to go into the shady looking shop lined with jars of preserved coils of yellow meat.

Five down. Now all we need is dog, horse, monkey, mouse, rabbit and tiger. Surprisingly I haven't found any restaurants so far in Kaohsiung that serve either rabbit or dog, and I have no idea where I'll find monkey or horse, let alone tiger. But I've added those words and characters to my Chinese flashcards and "May I see a menu?" is one of the first phrases I learned in Chinese. Let the game begin.