Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I just bought this in Chinatown because I was curious. The label was in Chinese and I was afriad to ask anybody what it was. The reciept said it was a "vegetable" and it's not refrigerated. It is hard and feels almost like plastic and it has HAIRY stuff on the top. I thought maybe some kind of nut? Help me, PPK!

Whatever it is, it doesn't look vegan. If it is, it shouldn't be!

That's a water caltrop, língjiǎo. Also called bat nut or devil pod.

Eating them is thought to bring good fortune because the word for bat, fú, sounds like the word for good fortune, fú.

Okay, now I really want to google that. Do they grow on trees?

ETA: the possibilities for this nut and Halloween are endless.

I think it looks like an upside down fake mustache.

Fascinating bat nut. It doesn't grow in trees, it just grows in watery fields! And the innards can stay viable for over ten years!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_caltrop

It kind of looks like a yoda head.

i thought it looked like a dried out bat! creepy cool!

Thank you! So it's like a water chesnut? I read a bit more on it, and it looks like I need to boil this, then crack it open?

Although it would make an awesome Halloween decoration if kept whole ...

I still think you bought a giant dried bug or a little dried bat!

Um that's a vagina.

Right? I'm pretty sure that's a vagina. Though I went to public school so I don't really know what one looks like. But yeah, vagina.

Yep. It reminds me of some creature that would live in a tide pool. So weird.

Yes, boil it then crack open for the nut inside. They can be steamed or roasted, as well. Roasted is my favorite. Never eat them raw.

I think you only need to boil for ten minutes or so, but don't take my word for it. I've never prepared them myself. I always got them already boiled or steamed or roasted from a street vendor or food stall. They're easy to find in Taiwan at this time of year. Thailand also, where they're called krajab.

I went to public school, and it TOTALLY looks like a vag with a very small amount of hair.

that is the perfect Halloween find!!!

My husband brought home a couple of those from a trip to Korea forever ago. He just has them sitting out as a display. I don't think he knew what they were either.

Silly bunnies! That's clearly a vulva.

Thank you! My first thought was also in that direction but I was pretty sure you couldn't buy one all detached like that.

By vagina do you mean the things off to the side are legs and that little thing on the bottom is the butt hole and the hair at the top is a tuft of pubes?

If yes, then yes.

my rorschach interpretation bounced between this and a manta ray.

Oh god, let's see what 12 years ago sex ed class stuck with me.

I thought the things off to the sides were the ovaries and this was all on the inside, like a cross section.

My first thought was Yoda head too.

Definitely a vagina between two very wide spread legs.

good luck with it!
(get it?)

Its also invasive in the US so I hope it wasn't imported and sold for expensive prices because you can pluck it for free from your local waterways as a service.