The Night Of The Blood Duck...

Last night I plucked a duck.

Note the careful spelling there...


I didn't pluck much of it. I helped clean up the bits that the previous plucker had missed, but it was enough. Last night I learned how to cook a local speciality - 'Blood Duck'. It sounds like something out of a horror movie featuring vampire zombie waterfowl but is actually quite delicious. I'd always hoped to learn how to cook 'proper' Chinese food and while I'm still a way off that I hope I've picked up a few tips.

Last night was the first time I've ever seen a duck (or anything at all actually) being gutted too. I'm fairly aware of what should be there on the inside, but even I was peering over thinking 'what the hell is that!'. I wondered whether I'd be able to bring myself to eat a dish cooked from such a recognisably whole-animal starting point, but I did. And there was less blood involved than I thought there would be.

We cooked in Little Mr Lei's apartment. Little Mr Lei has a teddy bear. And his English name is Coffee. He also fancies Seven. He spent 15 yuan at hoopla at the square trying to win her a bracelet, but ended up with a toy car instead. She seemed pleased enough. We spent the rest of the night shooting balloons with pellet guns so now I have a blister on my trigger finger...