Brazilian Binging

For the last two or three years, there has been a fashion for what is known locally as "Brazilian Barbecue". A few restaurants have opened and closed featuring this particular attraction. How authentic it is, I have no idea. I've never been to Brazil for barbecue or any other reason. Anyway the main idea in each restaurant is to sit yourself down and wandering waiters, wearing cowboy hats which do nothing to hide their Chinese-ness, come by with great hunks of meat on skewers and slice off a few pieces for you to enjoy. I've been served lamb, pork, chicken, various cuts of beef and that old Brazilian stand-by, Camel Hump! Just to remind me that I am still in China, I've also been offered various inner organs of beasts and fowls. Chicken heart was particularly tasty. You are permitted to decline anything you don't fancy. They also served up barbecued pineapple, bananas and various vegetables. All at a reasonable "eat as much as you like" set price.

So, when I was invited to eat at a new joint in town, I was initially quite excited. However, things were not what they seemed. To drum up publicity, the restaurant was holding a "barbecue eating competition. The idea was that competitors paid ¥300 and were then given three minutes to eat as much as possible. The winner would take home ¥1000 and could eat there free for a year. There were also some lesser prizes. 

So, I stayed home and cooked Chinese! I'll go back when they calm down.

tags: laowai  guangxi  competition  liuzhou  brazilian  china  中国  camel hump  广西  柳州  free meal  brazil  barbecue  

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