How to Eat a Turtle Shell
( A short travel story by Tony Claydon)

If asked the question ‘How do you eat an elephant’ then the quick answer is ‘in small pieces’ but how does one eat a turtle shell?

In the 80’s and 90’s I traveled extensively as a businessman all over China. My job covered carrying out surveys for such things as gelling agents, amino acids, rabbit and other raw materials for a large US multinational.

Traveling in China now is quite easy but in those times in Central China tourists were rare and a visit by a foreigner was seen as an occasion by the locals. Over a two week trip I would always be visiting several cities and factories.

Each lunchtime and evening I had to have a meal with the members of the local communist party in addition to the managers of the company I would be visiting. I soon learned that standard practice was the foreigner would be served the first dish of a multi course meal. It was also standard practice to try to drink the foreigner ‘under the table’ but that’s another story.

Sat at a round table with usually 11 others, sometimes two tables, I would have to decide how to start eating. They all were watching. Raw lobster, ducks heads, ducks tongues, a complete rabbit covered in very hot chili paste, there was usually a surprise. Chopsticks were never a problem as I’d had plenty of experience with them! Also as no knives and forks were available it was either fingers , a small spoon or chopsticks !

I’d also eaten turtle meat as turtles are farmed in many inland villages. However, when presented with a hand sized turtle shell on my plate I was at a complete loss. Fortunately, on that occasion a lady accompanied me from the recently formed Chinese branch of Mars. I asked her to translate that it was always polite in the West for the lady to start first and I asked her to show me what to do. Copying is always good practice!

It turns out that turtle shells are formed by a type of gelatin that grows over a bone like frame. As the turtle grows this frame grows and the gelatin is added around the skirt of the shell. It hardens as the shell grows but when it is boiled the recent gelatin around the edge is quite soft. The trick is to suck off this gel from the edges. Big shells are shared around the table.

By complete coincidence, two days later in another city, another company dinner we were all served a small, palm sized, turtle with the shell on top . The usual ‘watching’ started. I immediately picked up the shell with my chop sticks and ate all around the edge without a problem. The table applauded! I earned my beer that day!

So when asked the question : how do you eat turtle shell?’, the answer is ‘you don’t , you just nibble around the edges.’