Adventures through Chinatown

Chicken feet, also known as “phoenix talons,” are commonly found at most dim sum restaurants and are typically deep fried

On Saturday, amongst another adventurous journey into another district of San Francisco, I came across my first ever encounter with chicken feet. They were fried and soaked in a … delicious sauce, displayed on a white plate, and just sitting there, staring me down. I’ve always been an adventurous eater who loves all food, after all, I wouldn’t be nicknamed ‘meatball’ as a child if I didn’t. I’ve tried everything from Alligator to fish eyes, but surprisingly, on Saturday, I think I found the only food that couldn’t excite me, chicken feet. With that being said, I left china town extremely curious to find out more.

Nutrition Facts Chicken Feet
Serving Size: 100 g

Amount per Serving
Calories 215 Calories from Fat 131
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 15g	23%
Saturated Fat 4g	20%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 84mg	28%
Sodium 67mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Protein 19g	38%

Vitamin A	2%
Calcium	9%
Iron	5%
Thiamin (B1)	4%
Riboflavin (B2)	12%
Niacin (B3)	12%
Vitamin B12	8%
Magnesium	1%
Zinc	5%
Copper	5%

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Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 62.8% Carbs 0.0%

Protein 35.3%

…And in case you were curious, here is a tasty treat you can create for yourself!

Ingredients

• 12 chicken feet, declawed and skinned
• 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 3 slices ginger
• 3 green onions
• 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• star anise
• 1 piece orange rind
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pint water

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

It was not until I actually googled chicken feet that I realized they are eaten all over the world by many different people. I even yelped chicken feet and found 1402 entries just in San Francisco. But researching chicken feet, watching my classmates eat the chicken foot, and being around chicken feet still haven't convinced me to try them. I’m sure it is mostly mental, but chicken don’t wear socks, they don’t wear shoes, and they are still very human like even when smothered in sauce.

If you feel the same way, maybe this video will help to change YOUR mind…

Its whats for dinner ...

Moving to San Francisco was definitely an enormous step in my life. I am a small town girl who grew up with tons of land, animals, and quiet surroundings. I was nervous to move to a big city, but it wasn’t long before the comfort of west coast living settled in and I found the things that I loved most about my new home in San Francisco. The frantic hustle and bustle, the vibrant city nightlife, and among those, the small neighborhood vibes are what makes San Francisco one of the most unique cities in the world. My first house here was on Dolores Street in Noe Valley. It was an old Victorian built in 1905 and in an amazing location.

Eventually, after adjusting to city living, I decided to move to the South of Market area and experience more of a city atmosphere. After moving, I realized what it was about Noe Valley that made adjusting to San Francisco so easy, the produce market and the butcher shop. I would go everyday and buy what I needed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I knew everyone’s name, and they knew mine.

Now that I live on Berry Street, I shop at Safeway once every couple of weeks. Although it is convenient with my busy schedule because I have the ability to buy food in bulk, it is totally against my morality. I love supporting small family owned markets, and will only contribute to corporate America for a little while longer. With that being said, I figured out a way to make myself feel better about my new habit of buying food in large quantities from a chain grocery store. It was by inviting friends over to help eat the food and simultaneously to contribute to my meal assignment for ESF. Coincidentally, it also gave me the opportunity to catch up with the people I love who I don’t see very often anymore because of my hectic lifestyle.

Initially, I thought it would be fun to have a DIY sushi night. It was perfect in my eyes because I don’t have the time to make an entire meal on my own, and of course everyone loves playing with food. My idea was immediately shut down when I couldn’t find any sushi grade fresh fish on a Sunday. My new idea was then DIY tacos. Tacos are simple to create and delicious to consume!

Mental Preparation:

The line up:

brown rice, black beans, salsa, sour cream, jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, grilled chicken, wheat tortillas

The evidence:

Overall, dinner was a success. We all stuffed our tortilla's with as much as possible, drank a bottle of champagne, and eventually passed out on the sofa. It quite possibly initiated the start of a monthly tradition.