Don, don, don, donkeyyyyy…oh sorry, that’s something completely off-topic. Don Quijote is also the name of a discount shopping chain in Japan with an incredibly irritating theme song running on a loop. If you’re an expat and you’re in the mood for mushy peas or a 24-hour store to get said mushy peas, Don Quijote might have you covered.
Back to the main course, that being a donkey meat sandwich. Where? You guessed it, China.
The bread had an air of ciabatta
If you’re keen on eating just about anything, then China is the right place to visit. In fact, people in the food industry are often so generous that they’ll even let you sample things not on the menu! Seriously?
For the benefit of the candid carnivore, here’s a Chinese language lesson:
驴/lǘ (as for the pronunciation, try rolling your tongue) = donkey
肉夹馍 ròujiāmó = a northern/central northern Chinese sandwich
feeling not quite right = me, afterwards
In any event, I had heard that donkey sandwiches were a possibility in Beijing, where I was briefly living at the time. Armed with the knowledge of those Chinese characters and a premonition of part of today’s language lesson, I walked around one of the older neighborhoods to the east of the Beijing Railway Station, expecting a good meal. The bread, onions and bell peppers were good, but the quality of the donkey might best be compared to a sandwich consisting of the bottom of one’s shoe after a full day’s walk. With everything that the shoe could have collected afterwards. Yeah.
“I’m the best!!!”
…but it’s healthier than the other .gifs. Yes, the male donkey (well that’s the symbol for a male, no?) is, according to this sign, higher in protein and mineral content and much lower in fat than cows, sheep and pigs. It also has the goofiest face, so apparently that means dig in.
Would you be interested in trying donkey? Tonight?
buildingmybento 
Too coincidental! Just read this and earlier this week, my son ate donkey while traveling to Beijing on business. Love the sign!
No kidding, Irene! What was his opinion of it? Would you try it?
I haven’t tried donkey, but have had the pleasure of eating yak. Might have been nicer if it hadn’t been half coated in lighter fluid from an inattentive BBQ chef.
Was that while you were in Zhongdian? Is yak butter tea as dreamy as it sounds?
That was in Bishkek. Did drink butter tea in Zhongdian. Not bad.
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Do they deliver? To Central Spain…?
Think carne de burro will be well-received in Toledo;)?
There’s donkey chorizo, and I’ve had it 🙂
This obsession with only eating beef-chicken-turkey-pork-lamb is a minority affliction cultivated, in particular (but not exclusively), by Brits and Americans.
I’ve never had donkey. I *might* try it if offered. I did have raw horse fillets in Kaiten Zushi in the Japanese country side. It was a little sweet but mind of matter got me….
Cheers for following BuildingMyBento, Bamola! Ah yes, I’ve had raw horse as well (http://buildingmybento.com/2012/10/09/japanese-horse-meat/), quite nice actually. Do you remember where you tried it?
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