I also ate a very spicy dish with a friend that included a whole fish, including the head. Most people are not very used to eating this part of the fish in the United States, but it was actually very good.
Unfortunately, there were some things that not even I could enjoy. One street in Nanning is famous for selling fried insects and spiders. People come from all around the world to eat Nanning's famous fried bugs, but I thought it was too scary.
When I ate the snails and fish, I was glad that I was brave enough to try it. It was so delicious.
Let me tell you about the fish. The fish is boiled in an oily sauce with lots of hot peppers and another special spice called "Sichuan peppercorns." These peppercorns are the size of small necklace beads and nothing else in the world tastes quite like them. They aren't very spicy, but they shock you with a strange flavor that makes your tongue tingle and feel like it's going numb. It's very interesting!
Snails and fish are closely connected with the environment because Guangxi province has a very wet climate that is full of beautiful mountains and rivers that run between them. Much of the culture here is based around these rivers and the food they provide to the locals.
