Jar Dee Gai.
Used in a sentence: "It was one of those rare times when I strayed from my typical menu choice when it comes to food of asian persuasion -- and the Jar Dee Gai remained a mystery even after it arrived."
Back in the days before I labored exclusively from home, the workday lunch was a communal experience that was always the first order of business of the day with my team in the center. There was a drawer, and in that drawer was menu after menu of establishments within walking distance or within their own delivery area. And with the variety of asian-influenced restaurants in the vicinity, we were bound to stumble on that cuisine frequently.
In some things, I'm predictable -- chicken and broccoli with appetizer of crab rangoon and a wonton soup if I'm just eating one meal that day. But on this day, it was about picking the item on the menu that I had never heard of before -- and that actually had no description. [So long as I plan it in advance, I can be spontaneous.] And so the order was placed for Jar Dee Gai.
It arrived served in a styrofoam container (no bottomless Chinese magical food box here), and it was spread out over flavored rice, heavy on the green onion. But it was the animal itself that remained mysterious. It wasn't pretty -- and it looked like another animal had torn it asunder, as the pieces were still on the bone. Still not knowing what exactly we were eating, the group of us applied our deduction skills to figure out what animal it once was.
We found a wing of normal size (but couldn't locate a second one). We uncovered two drumsticks -- but one seemed much larger and meatier than the other one. We found a piece of meat that was attached to a backbone/spine of sorts. And then -- we gathered around the whiteboard and drew in what we had identified. A big-legged-bird-like creature with at least one wing and one smaller shorter leg with an elongated spine -- and then, it was suddenly clear to us -- we had consumed a flamingo!
[Actually, we later learned that it was supposed to be chicken cooked in a Cantonese style. We never did quite figure out why the meat pieces were so unusual and atypical. And it may go without saying, but we never ordered Jar Dee Gai again.]
IF ONLY GOOGLE SEARCH HAD BEEN AS POWERFUL BACK IN THE DAY:
http://www.usdiners.com/cgi-bin/menuprint?State=OH&ID=22CDE3D11HII6HOHKN19UP915X61Q7
SO I GUESS IT WOULD TASTE LIKE SHRIMP IF THAT'S WHY THEY ARE PINK:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-flamingo.htm
AND TO THINK WE HAD OVER 250 LOCAL EATERIES FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE:
http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurants/all-areas/lincoln-park-depaul/all-cuisines/
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