Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, July 9 – Today, while shopping, I noticed this bin with a lot of people around it, of course I had to see what it was, and was surprised to see crayfish! LOTS of crayfish! We watched for a few minutes as the people dug through them. Most put plastic bags over their hands to choose which they wanted, and seemed to be turning them over and looking at their undersides before either placing them in their bags or throwing them back. I’m not sure what they were looking for, does anyone else know? Leah said they were calling them “xiaolongxia” or “little lobsters.” I thought they looked like the crayfish I used to catch as a kid, but, I sure don’t remember ever eating them! (Although I do remember roasting some over a fire once while all five of us kids were camping with my dad… while mom stayed home!) Other names in the USA are crawfish, crawdad, mudbugs and yabbies. I did some research and found that in the second half of June there is an annual crayfish festival in a city called Xuyi, in Jiangsu province, which is well known for its crayfish farms, so I guess this is the time of year to feast on the little lobsters! Hmmm, maybe we should try some!
