Do you know that this puny little thing is dangerous? According to the lady who was serving us, swallowing the wrong parts may cause diarrhea and vomiting so she demonstrated what must be done before serving these crabs to guests.
You might notice that the crab legs were not served in the video above. The legs are the sweetest part of the little crab so it doesn’t make sense to throw them away. What you should do is help your guests to eat elegantly i.e. without flinging crab shell on each other’s faces, by snipping it with a pair of scissors. Then, using the tip of the scissors, you push out the meat halfway. When it is ready to serve, it should look like this.
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According to chinese folklore, eating the Shanghai Hairy Crab will cool your internal body temperature because the crab lives deep at the bottom of the cool and dark YangCheng Lake. That is why the crab is served with a sip of sweet herb & ginger tea which will supposedly heat your internal body temperature back to normal again. A dip of the best quality vinegar and sliced ginger must be provided as well.
While I do not know enough of the science in traditional beliefs to support this claim, the entire meal was simply delicious and awe-inspiring!
