Chinese chefs inspired by Year of the Rat create special rat dishes

In order to celebrate Chinese New Year, “The Year of the Rat”, Taiwanese restaurant chefs have created a special menu containing rat dishes. Diners say the meat is tender and better than chicken.

The Ho-la Diner is in the Taiwan’s Chaiyi district and it wants to celebrate the New Year in a big way. The chefs decided the best way to celebrate the “Year of Rat” was to create special rat dishes. They have created ten rodent specials to celebrate this New Year. The Taiwanese took up the rat-eating practice after their emigration from China to Taiwan. Diners say the meat is tender and tastes better than chicken. And just like the chickens hanging from a thread, customers choose rats in a similar way -- their headless carcasses hangs from a thread. As Channel4.com reports: "Proprietor Lin Ming-Chih says the new menu harks back to Taiwan's past, when pregnant women traditionally ate farm rats." According to Channel 4, their menu features rat soup, deep fried vermin and other items.