PrintPhoto of the Day: Crocodile Meat for Sale
Photograph from kathyylchan on Flickr
At Deluxe Food Market in Manhattan's Chinatown, you can actually buy crocodile meat, displayed with claws attached no less. And since everybody loves crocodile meat variety, there are two kinds available: the leg meat for $3.99 a pound, and "other parts," more like steak-quality meat, for $4.99. Those nails are just, wow. 79 Elizabeth Street, New York NY 10013 (b/n Grand and Hester Streets; map); 212-925-5766
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30 Comments:
This falls under the listing of things I didn't need to see.
maered at 7:27PM on 03/04/09
I believe they are alligators and not crocodiles, which are two different types of animals.
kobetobiko at 7:30PM on 03/04/09
I have a sudden urge to watch V . . .
TMFIII at 7:43PM on 03/04/09
If you think those nails are just "wow" you should check out the ones on a long pig....
Pointy at 7:43PM on 03/04/09
OK you got me so mad I am calling GODZILLA!!!
Pointy at 7:44PM on 03/04/09
poor baby. not the most dignifying photo.
pooch at 7:58PM on 03/04/09
I was picking up some Asian supplies there last month and my husband and I just stopped in our tracks when we saw alligator (or crocodile, as it may be) on display and for sale. If only I knew how to prepare it, I might have had enough courage to get it. I can only imagine how a train car of subway riders might feel seeing a large reptilian hand/paw sprouting out of a plastic shopping bag on my way back to Brooklyn...
JustNancy at 8:04PM on 03/04/09
So, croc is actually cheaper per pound than chicken and steak?? Crocodile cordon bleu, anyone?
shalomblack at 9:25PM on 03/04/09
This is kind of disgusting, and I hope it is alligator and not crocodile. Crocodiles are listed as vulnerable and we really don't need people eating them...
luxie at 9:34PM on 03/04/09
@kobetobiko: I called up the market this morning and was quoted those prices and the crocodile identity. Perhaps the gator-crocodile truth is getting lost in translation?
Erin Zimmer at 10:38PM on 03/04/09
I admit it, I did work as an alligator butcher (not enough crocodiles in FL) for a short time while I lived in South Florida. It was by far the worst job I thought I would ever have. Oh the stories I could tell. The best advice I can give to anyone about alligator meat -- don't eat it. Ever.
BrianPrestonCampbell at 10:50PM on 03/04/09
@Erin,
I am pretty sure the person who answered the phone didn't quite know about the word alligator (because most Chinese are taught about crocodiles). They used to have signs there saying "Alligator" in English and the Chinese name.
kobetobiko at 11:25PM on 03/04/09
I imagine the devil's hands look very much like these. Evil scary.
PerkyMac at 12:01AM on 03/05/09
@BrianPrestonCampbell - I had alligator meat awhile back - and now you've made me morbidly curious. What stories?!
hungryhungryhippo at 12:26AM on 03/05/09
Wow, this is news to me! I gotta go look for that, now! Not like I know how to prepare it, but maybe it can be cooked like any other white meat? At least I think alligator is white meat...
fuuchan at 2:09AM on 03/05/09
Wow, I can't believe I've missed this!!! I'll gotta check this out!
Gordon Mark at 2:32AM on 03/05/09
Yum! Sounds like a great ingredient for an iron chef event. Where can I get crocodile or alligator in SF? It free-range, right?
beausmith at 4:03AM on 03/05/09
I want a glove like that. Ok, maybe it'll be an ill fit. Maybe a backpack. I love it!
Cassaendra at 7:24AM on 03/05/09
That actually looks pretty good. I might just go pick some up!
Jared1122 at 8:50AM on 03/05/09
I would bet that it's gator, not croc. Gator meat is really delicious. You'll eat a pig, for crying out loud! Why not a gator? I've had it fried, sauteed, and made into sausage. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.
1stmakearoux at 10:05AM on 03/05/09
Looks like the Predator finally met his match.
firelight1016 at 10:06AM on 03/05/09
I've had alligator stew once. The meat tasted like swamp.
BobMac at 11:57AM on 03/05/09
A picture is worth a thousand words...let's start with: holy crap. Great pick for picture of the day.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 12:53PM on 03/05/09
i'm not opposed to eating gator, but that photo is really shocking. i think that maybe because its still got its claws, etc., or the lighting, it looks more like a poster against wild animal poaching than a butcher photo. Like seeing a monkey paw for sale in africa or something.
mh330 at 12:54PM on 03/05/09
Its form resembles a human hand and arm.
I kind of can't stop looking at it.
Kerosena at 1:07PM on 03/05/09
Looks like gator. I had alligator once at a LA Cajun music festival. Dare I say it: it tasted like chicken. Chewy, slightly goat-frog-swampy chicken, but not bad. Given the large numbers of poodle-predating gators infesting the canals of Forida, I see no reason that Chinatown (If-It-Moves-Eat-It) should not take advantage of the bounty.
zaelic at 3:03PM on 03/05/09
"It's the same to us in the Chinese language, alligator and crocodile. We get it from Florida." —guy who picked up the phone just now at Deluxe Food Market
Erin Zimmer at 3:10PM on 03/05/09
Dang. I was thinking of going to Deluxe Food Market for lunch today. Wish I saw this before. Dragon's Claw!
chinolam at 5:21PM on 03/05/09
If it gets too overcooked on the grill it would make a nice pair of back scratchers.
carnivore at 11:19PM on 03/06/09
@carnivore: the guy I used to work for sold small alligator claws on sticks as back scratchers (see my previous post).
@hungryhungryhippo: email me and I'll recount the tails.
BrianPrestonCampbell at 8:00PM on 03/08/09