Chilli Crab... A Messy Encounter

20100712_Food

Sadly I can't figure out how to make that picture the one that I want... anyway, click on it to see the adventure in eating that I had this evening.

The guys at my host company decided to take me out for an evening of Sea Food. I many not write as well as normal, because this sea food also was accompanied by two jugs of Tiger Beer (shared between the 4 of us... kinda).

When I arrived in Singapore, I kept hearing everyone talk about "Chili Crab"... in fact I heard an unusually often mention of crab in general, but "Chili" often preceded it. So when i heard that Chili crab was on the menu, I was excited to see what it was all about. The first thing you need to know about Singapore (from what I have observed) is that there is a severe lack of napkins (with the exception of the hotel bar which brings a plate of napkins with every bowl of peanuts). The second thing you need to know about Singapore is that its the cleanest city with the messiest food. The first rule about eating Chili Crab is you have to use your hands, the second rule of eating Chili Crab is you WILL get messy (if you are an inexperienced westerner that has a hard time eating in general).

The following event takes place at "Long Beach", a restaurant by the Eastern sea. The waiter brings out a giant plate with a meticulously arranged Mega Crab in a bright red sauce. One of my hosts, David, decided to start me off with Medium Spicy, for which he should be commended. As the guest, i was offered first stab at the beast, so I went after his left claw. it was mostly cracked, but I had some difficulty getting the meat out, so of course I go ahead and stab myself in the finger (enough to draw a small amount of blood, but not bad enough that anyone noticed). After getting the meat out with my fingers, I dipped it into the chili sauce and let go of all dignity while I stuffed it into my mouth. Eventually when it got down to the legs, the waitress put on plastic gloves and started tearing it appart (just enough to expose some of the meat, but not enough to complete the job). I then spent the next half hour biting my way through crab shell to get at the meat, picking crab shell out of my mouth and trying to clean my hands of the burning chilli sauce. Whenever I thought I was done, my coworkers would point out another leg or method of getting more meat out of the leg, each messier than the last.

When it was all done, I dipped my hands into a small bowl of something (no idea) that was on the table to help clean up, then went to the sink to wash my hands. It was a delicious and satisfying experience, a cross between eating for survival and showing the crab who is boss.

David pointed out that there were people with their luggage at the table next to us. He said either they have just shown up or are just about to leave, but they either way they had to get Chili crab. I agree, I wouldn't suggest that its the first thing to do, and I definitely wouldn't suggest doing it before a long flight, but if you ever go to Singapore, find a local, take them to dinner and have them talk you through the eating of this delicacy.

Be sure to check out my photos of me eating the chili crab.