Beer Fish

Yangshuo has a number of specialties: bamboo rafts, rock climbing, country side bike tours, colourful sundresses, and banana pancakes. One specialty stands out as a must try before leaving- beer fish! Our hostel roommate from Shanghai was pleased to hear ate it because it is the local dish. We chose a restaurant based on the “Gold Medal Beer Fish” banner over top of the door way. However, I think we got a whole lot more then we paid for.

We started off our restaurant experience much like any other- pointing at another table’s food to order. To accompany our main course we ordered what else but a couple of beers. However, before we could even tell the waitress what we wanted she said “beer?” I love how most servers just assume we want beer. Nine times out of ten times they are right. We even went as far as learning how to say beer in Mandarin. Well actually a drunken Irishman we were partying with told us.

As we were enjoying our local brews a fish flopped out of the Rubbermaid container it was being housed in. A server tried pathetically to catch it with his bare hands. After several futile attempts a woman with a broom came over and swiftly swept the struggling fish out from under the table. The server then picked it up and hurled it onto the pavement. I’m not talking an “opps it slipped from my hands” throw; I mean an “I’m going to kill you” throw. This slaughter happened right beside me. Nice. I was shocked and appalled. I couldn’t believe what just happened. The servers heard my whimpers and saw me turn away in grief and then laughed at me. And then the same server proceeded to kill again. Three more times. I couldn’t bear to watch, so Braeden informed me that one of the fish's eyeball popped out as it hit the patio floor. By the end of the massacre, the ground beside me was covered in blood.

Needless to say I didn’t have much of an appetite after that whole scene. I have seen fish killed and gutted before, but this was just wrong. Honestly who kills the main course right in front of the paying customer? Especially ones who are just about to eat. Well when our delicious looking beer fish arrived I couldn’t get the sight or sound of fish being hurled at the pavement out of my head. But my hunger eventually beat out the disturbing images in my head. Not only did I have a tasty meal, but also an eating experience I am not bound to forget any time soon.