Popular food street in China famous for ‘insect feast’ with grasshoppers and spiders reopens after 3 months
A popular Chinese food street known for selling an assortment of different insects has reopened, close to three months after it was forced to shut because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Vendors at the night market in Nanning are quite popular for their offerings of snacks and dishes like grilled octopus, spicy crayfish, steamed dumplings, and rice cakes, but also for what's become to be known as their "insect feast."
Located at the provincial capital of Guangxi, China, the Zhongshan Road food street had closed temporarily at the end of January because of the Covid-19 outbreak whose epicenter, Wuhan, was just 838 miles away.
It reopened earlier this month as the country seemed to have brought it under control, and footage captured at one stall shows customers getting to pick between a range of deep-fried "salty and peppery" insects.
Customers can also pay 15 - 30 yuan ($2.12 - $4.25) and pick between a portion of grasshoppers, crickets, water beetles, spiders, silkworms, and stick insects, amongst others.
The insects' popularity is said to stem from some Chinese people's belief that they make for nutritious snacks because of the protein they provide.
Besides the insects, footage released by Chinese video outlet Pear showed hawkers selling exotic seafood items like grilled sea stars and urchins, as well as stir-fries, desserts, and fresh juices.
While the decision to open such a crowded market may be controversial, especially during a global pandemic, strict measures have been put in place by the government to ensure social distancing measures are followed.
The market, which opens every day at around 6 pm and then keeps its shutters up until the late night, once saw tens of thousands of visitors every day. The footfall has now fallen to 3,000, around a tenth of the original, after limits were enforced on the number of people allowed inside at a time.
Visitors must also use an official health app to prove they are "healthy" and have their temperature checked before they are allowed to enter the street. They have to wear face masks as well.
Vendors, on the other hand, have to take turns to run their stalls and restaurants to adhere to social distancing. The market's management has divided all businesses into two groups, and each group is allowed to operate for one week before the other takes over. Furthermore, all stalls have been ordered to stay 6 feet apart at all times.
China has temporarily banned the trade and consumption of all wild animals since February, and earlier this month, drafted a new directive that excluded most exotic animals from a list of those that could be bred and consumed.
In a tentative version of a Directory of Genetic Resources of Livestock and Poultry, the ministry listed 18 types of "traditional livestock," including pigs, cows, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, camels, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, and quails.
It also listed 13 types of "special livestock" such as sika deer, red deer, reindeer, alpacas, guinea fowls, pheasants, partridges, mallards, ostriches, minks, the American red fox, the Arctic fox, and raccoon dogs.
Only the animals included in the list could henceforth be bred, raised, traded, and transported for commercial purposes, though the ministry will be seeking feedback for the proposal until May 8.