Eat Sheep

I ate a sheep penis--here's why.

It was the summer of 2009, and I was on Snack Street, or Wangfujing, in Beijing. Some of my friends and I had signed up to go to China, for what the school called “experiential learning.” I didn’t think I would really learn anything through traveling with my buddies, but I was wrong. Most of the places I visited in China barely remain in my memory. But not Snack Street.

We had just finished journal-knows-what activity, when Mr. James, an English teacher and advisor of the trip, said something about going to a place with weird food. He told us we should be brave … get out of our comfort zones... be able to tell a great future dinner story. After hearing this challenge, two of my friends and I bragged about how we would eat more than anyone else--but we didn’t know what was on the menu.

We laughed as we walked along the red strip of tents, peeping the revolting food waiting to be selected, fried, and "enjoyed". We lost two of our girls to a shoe shop after they saw the entrées, but as my friends and I promised, we were going to be adventurous. So we bravely scooted along a plank to dive into a sea of taste bud torture.

Sea snake was up first for snack time. It bounced and looked remotely edible—a good starting point. It slipped to my molars, where I squished it into a slush that actually went down okay. Next item for consumption was starfish. After dining with a starfish, I can’t imagine gleefully picking one up and capturing it in my sand bucket ever again—not that I still play with sand or anything—but now I certainly won’t want to hang around kids that do. We had to crack the starfish open to obtain the juicy, burnt amber goods enclosed. Next was either scorpion or cricket. I don’t really remember what the cricket tasted like. The scorpion, however, was legitimately delicious. It lacked the lingering stench of the other foods, but some of its legs stuck to my tongue. After I got rid of the thistle-like irritation of the bits of its shell and legs, I actually didn’t feel like vomiting. Then came silkworm, which looked the least appetizing. The tour guide was filming me, so I had no choice but to eat it. The silkworm felt like a plump time bomb that exploded into succulent goo that completely enveloped my teeth and tongue. The sprite chaser couldn't even help ease the disgust of that one. I worried nothing could prepare my mouth for what ensued, because next up was the all-mighty sheep penis.

When I retell the story now, I find people most fascinated with the sheep’s appendage. I think they picture it all Fear-Factored out: Joe Rogan telling me my final task as I shake my head, mustering up the strength to devour a fleshy penis that takes up a whole dinner plate, holding down my food between gags like a champion. But it happened nothing like that. I saw a long, coiled, brown tinted foam that I thought was a snake and mentioned we should try it. When I asked the vendor what it was, I didn’t expect to hear, “sheep penis.”

There really wasn’t much to it. We bought a skewer to share, and we each took a timid bite. I don’t think it was that gross, especially compared to the silkworm. It tasted like Styrofoam. Although it didn’t taste all that bad, just the fact that I have eaten an animal’s penis surprises me. In fact, we all felt surprised after that snack time. We hadn’t expected to travel to China and eat a sheep’s private parts and enjoy the experience.

We didn’t eat everything that day. Some thought that dog was too disturbing and that "lamb pussy" looked better on the shelf; but it didn’t matter how much or little we ate. Some knew they were never going to eat a sheep’s schlong and were fine with it. Others felt accomplished. We knew ourselves better than ever. I discovered I enjoy learning about other cultures and feeling adventurous. (In fact, years later I ended up majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures in college).

I learned that I could conquer some of my fears. My teen mind thought, "I did it: I completed the twelve-hour flights, worked my way to and across The Great Wall, hiked for eight hours on the Tiger Leaping Gorge, and ate a sheep’s penis." A little discomfort was the breeding ground for growth. And to think I used to be a picky eater.