Lions, Tigers and Red Pandas! OH YES!

Being of the Red variety, I have a soft spot in my heart for those who share the same traits. Specifically, Red Pandas (my favorite animal) and Tigers (Siberian Tigers to be area specific)




http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/P.t.altaica_female.jpg/800px-P.t.altaica_female.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Ailurus_fulgens_RoterPanda_LesserPanda.jpg/491px-Ailurus_fulgens_RoterPanda_LesserPanda.jpg

Some people dream of swimming with Dolphins, I dream of frolicking with Red Pandas.

These threatened/endangered species are native to the China area and some take refuge in the the Beijing Zoo. A place I would very much like to see in Beijing. The Zoo was established in 1906 under the Ming Dynasty. It's also a home to about 450 species of land animals and with China's largest aquarium 500 species of marine animals. Approximately 14,500 animals call this zoo home.

I'm unable to find a complete list of the animals that live there, but while searching for that information I stumbled across some slightly shocking information...

You may not be able to feed the hippos at the zoo BUT YOU CAN EAT THEM! At The Bin Feng Tang restaurant (all pages linking to the restaurant don't seem to viewable...) you can find these tasty dishes along with others:

• Crocodile tail
  
• Kangaroo tail,
  
• Webbed Hippo toes
  
• Scorpion
  
• Deer's penis
  
• Ant soup
  
• Shark fin soup
  
• Peacock
• Ostrich egg
  

http:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTM9iJ2-7yEwwU4xQ53qwQz7NLLGJFyWG7rhNi_toG5J1uUd2tjSQyen4c0XjLbRjfbBGf_4ZdhplabGWTKbQlCqnSF9hj8fu-DmveDWVPZ-Ukhyp7KzVOF2zBUJsxNtW0jeAyCPzLkHU/s1600/baby-hippo.jpg

Look at those little toesies! They look Delicious!

Until recently they even displayed on the animal cages which part of the cute little critter you're admiring tastes the best, and if it was used in any traditional Chinese medicine.

Needless to say the hippies all over the world are having a hissy fit about this, but in China it is LEGAL to eat exotic animals as long as they were raised on a farm. The Zoo may have the animals on exhibit but the food served in the restaurant comes from a farm somewhere else.

One of my main goals for the China trip was to eat some of the craziest foods I can find, another goal of mine is to see some real Red Pandas. Now I find out I can do both of these things in the same place!!! #Win

ChinHuh?

What have I been taught about China? Honestly, over the years probably alot. How much have a retained? Now There is the real question, unfortunately with a pessimistic answer. UNTIL RECENTLY in this class called China Mojo, heard of it? With my handy texts Postcards from Tomorrow Square and Country Driving in addition in to in class films but we will start from before that.

Through some series of events I do know these things about China:

China and Google Don't get along.


History class has taught me the Great Wall's original purpose was to keep out those gosh darned barbarians from Mongolia.It was built by slave labor right? and they tossed anyone who died while making it into the foundation.


Or maybe that was South Park...


Jackie Chan comes no where near Bruce lee



Shmuck

The only other thing I know about is Tienanmen Square. In the eighties the government didn't take to kindly to protestors and decided to shoot a few...hundred.
Tank Man became the symbol for the protests as he stood alone blocking tanks on their way to crowd "control".

The only other important thing I know is the overpopulation issue they have, and the laws limit you to only having one child. The Chinese people pray for sons to carry on the name and make the moolah. I've read somewhere in the old days when a couple had a daughter they didn't want, they would leave the baby up in the mountains...The law still exists.

Most of the things I know of China aren't of the culture its what either the Media or a Teacher tells me...

Things I want to know:
Chinese food in America, is it the same in China?
What the Chinese know about us? Is it only what the media portrays?
I know media is censored and Government controlled, but to what extent?


As you can see I know nothing.