The original temple was built in the 1730s but has been rebuilt multiple times after natural disasters, fires, and air raids. The current temple is a postwar recreation.
We ate oa geng (oyster soup), a light soup with plenty of fresh, sizable oysters.
Other snake restaurants, not this one, had gigantic snakes and tanks of huge rabbits and rats (food for the snakes—so I guess one is indirectly eating rodents when one eats snake). No pictures allowed, because they probably don’t like being a tourist anomaly or attracting the attention of animal rightists.
Snake is kind of a pain to eat. It tastes like bland fish. Too many bones, most of them intercrossing. The broth was very good, light and a bit sweet, with Chinese herbs in it. Snake soup is supposed to be good for ocular health (glaucoma) and skin (people here love to eat things they believe are “good for your skin”).
One Fork, One Spoon 
March 23, 2013 at 2:17 pm
I think a snake-in-a-jar photo is worth the risk of being summarily expelled from a restaurant