Making a living out of Mourning

[Luba]

Taiwan: Professional mourners are stars in thriving funeral business

Quote from "Province" - TAIPEI--"In the gentle morning light, Liu Chun-lin, 22, brushes her two-centimetre eyelashes, fastens her flowing raven hair, and then sets off for another day of crying her heart out for someone else's dead relatives."

Liu and her 5-member Filial Daughters' Band are part of a thriving funeral mourning business; they are professional entertainers paid by grieving families to wail, scream and create the anguished sorrow for a proper funeral.

Taiwanese death rites can be so spectacular and can cost up to $30,000 US. A scaled-down version without procession and floats, can cost $6,000.

Grieving relatives are too weary or numb to cry the requisite amount of tears, hence the hiring of the Filial daughters to perform mourning. Liu's group charges $600 for a half day's work.

"I just imagine that I am part of the family and I fuse myself into the occasion," Liu said.

[Star]

wow! i wouldn't even consider hiring them for any family funeral. they do make a lot of money for shedding fake tears though. i guess they couldn't make it in the movie business so they created one for themselves.

[Luba]

'Province' quote: "A restaurant owner is under investigation after he apparently tried to sell the meat of a cottonmouth moccasin to customers, police said."

A city worker said he sold the owner of James Quality Market the venomous snake which he killed with a pipe while streetcleaning.
When the worker was showing off the snake the Market owner came out and asked if he could buy the snake for a dollar. When the police chief went to the market after being told about this by the city worker, the ower had already skinned and filleted the snake. He was getting ready to cook and serve the snake.

"There are some Texas farmers that do serve rattlesnake, but they are professionals in detoxing the snake. Odds are that this man is not a professional" states a law-enforcement officer of the Mississippi Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

[Star]

never heard of a cottonmouth moccasin snake before but how gross is that? you just never know what you're eating in restaurants. YUK!! glad he got caught before he served it to customers. he could've killed them.

these are good strange stories luba!!

[Duke]

These should be news items, yes I know, its my fault.

[Merika]

I actually got this in an email from someone who eats them:

DEEP-FRIED RATTLESNAKE

1 medium-sized rattlesnake (3-4 lbs.), cut into steaks
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cracker crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 teaspoon salt
dash pepper

Mix dry ingredients. Whisk milk into beaten egg and use to dip snake steaks.
Then coat them with dry ingredients. Fry, uncovered, in 400 degree oil until brown.

-------------------
It tastes just like chicken....with a gamey taste.

[Star]

apparently everything taste like chicken. LOL!

i wouldn't put that anywhere near my lips. ewwwwww

[Duke]

I need a cold shower.

[Star]

typical frog. mind is always elsewhere. :P

[Luba]

I wonder if I was starving to death, would I actually try it??? (huge, huge shudder)

[Merika]

HAHA Star....until I reread your post....I thought D00K was getting all excited over eating snake.



Actually, it's good to know we have other viable food sources besides the regular. Canada has the beaver and moose thing. We have gators and rattlesnake (and Beefalo ). You never know when that stuff will come in handy.

[Star]

Originally Posted by Merika

HAHA Star....until I reread your post....I thought D00K was getting all excited over eating snake.



Actually, it's good to know we have other viable food sources besides the regular. Canada has the beaver and moose thing. We have gators and rattlesnake (and Beefalo ). You never know when that stuff will come in handy.

i don't know about other canadians but i've never known anyone to eat beaver (duke, don't even touch that! :P ). we do eat moose, deer, quail, partridge, emu but beaver? nah!!

I would eat buffalo if i had the chance. I've never tasted emu or quail and i don't think i would either.

don't some people in the states eat squirel and possum? ewwwwwwww

[Duke]

Originally Posted by Star

i don't know about other canadians but i've never known anyone to eat beaver

Back in the shower I go :?

[Star]

Originally Posted by Duke

Back in the shower I go :?

i knew the minute i wrote that you would bite into it.

you'll bite into this one too, i'm sure. it's the frog in you. :P