Did You Want Your Pig Intestines Stir Fried?

There's lots to be wary of as we make our way through China. Because seat belts are considered to be unnecessary luxuries, and Chinese drivers have a rather fluid understanding of the purpose of lanes, I personally find car travel to be most harrowing. I expect others would argue, however, that, because many of the Chinese menus are written solely in Mandarin or Cantonese, and often lack photographs, the biggest challenge may be to find something savory and recognizable to eat.

Fortunately, many Chinese restaurants have solved this dilemma by providing translations of the items found on their menus. Sometimes, though, a translation can be just too literal. Listed David Letterman-style are the top ten delicacies I culled from menus during our visit:

10. Buck blood with preserved chili.
9. Boiled spicy snakehead.
8. Spicy duck gizzard.
7. Dry fried pork intestines in pot.
6. Marinated beef stomach.
5. Salted chicken feet.
4. Hot and sour duck blood.
3. Spicy frog.
2. Delicious black fungus.

And the #1 delicacy: Stir-fride (sic) shrimp balls with crab ovary!