I don’t understnad how to eat them. Which I guess is odd, as I’m Chinese American and people think I should know these things and enjoy eating foods like chicken feet. Don’t get me wrong, I love most weird Chinese foods. But chicken feet are scrawny and have a weird tang. =(

I actually enjoy duck feet better. The webbing between the toes really soaks up the yummy sauce they are cooked in.

When I was in college, my Taiwanese roommate would often complain about how bad Americanized Chinese food was and how he would would have to find good family-run restaurants, get to know the owners, and order off menu to get anything approaching authentic.

I countered that if the food I knew wasn’t real enough then he would have to take me to a restaurant that would offer a more traditional Chinese meal. He wanted to make sure that I was really willing to try different food including such delicacies as chicken feet.

The chicken feet were surprisingly good, considering that they were after all the feet of chicken. Interestingly enough, however, rolling my tongue over the thin toes as I sucked the meat off of the bones seemed to cut down on my enjoyment.

And so I have to conclude that chicken feet were worth consuming after all, if only for the adventure, but should qualify that with a “won’t consume again”.

Braised bones, toes and skin
Worked around the mouth and tounge
No grace in these feet