Post date: Mar 29, 2012 8:31:18 PM
Hard-boiled eggs soaked and cooked in young boys' urine are enjoyed as a springtime snack and health tonic in eastern China's Dongyang city.
DONGYANG, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA - Some Chinese schools are giving back more than usual to society .
Every spring in Zhejiang province, the urine of young boys is collected and used to cook eggs.
Vendors say it takes an entire day to make the delicacy.
First the eggs are soaked in the urine and then boiled.
The next step is to crack the eggs and continue to simmer them for hours -- to absorb all that tasty uric acid.
Egg vendors like Ge Yaohua say the pee-soaked snacks decrease body heat, promote better blood circulation and they're profitable.
Ge Yaohua, egg vendor, saying
"If you eat them, you will not get heat stroke. These eggs cooked in urine are fragrant. They are good for your health. Our family has them at every meal. In Dongyang, every family likes eating them."
Residents have apparently lapped them up for generations.
Dongyang resident, Lu Yangzhen, saying
"Our ancestors were doing this. By eating these eggs, you will not have any pain in your waist, legs and joints. Also, you will have more energy when you do work."
But not to piddle on their popularity, some people detest the eggs.
Dongyang resident, Wang Junxing, saying
"I don't eat these eggs. Other people like to eat them because tradition says the eggs are good for our health and that they'll help prevent colds. I don't believe in all this, so I don't eat them."
Despite warnings about the sanitary dangers of the snacks, "virgin boy eggs" have been declared a cultural heritage in Dongyang.
Hard to swallow, but soaked in local tradition.
Tara Cleary, Reuters.