Cooking Adventures | Vinegar Pork a.k.a Chi Kiok Chu

....or is it zhu jiao chu?

As everyone knows, I don't speak an ounce of Mandarin.

So buying pork trotters was a bit of a challenge.

There I was in the pork section of TTDI market, where I approached the butcher hesitantly:

"Hi, uhm... Can I get the trotter?"

"HA? What?" 

lady butcher replies.

"The front trotter?" 

"What is that ah?"

This is where I started a mini game of charades with the butcher lady, waving both my hands in the air in a "trotting" movement

"Ohh! the hand ah?"

"Oh..yes, the hands. I want to make Vinegar Pork, I use this part right?"

"WHAT??"

Between this and watching a pigs leg slapped onto the board in front of me and butchered in to pieces, it was almost a cultural experience for me. Especially since no one in my house 1. goes to the wet market to buy pork and 2. even eats pork trotters.

But not bad hey?

Mum : What is this?

"Vinegar pork"

"Oh, why did you make this? You like eating this?"

"Uhm, not particularly. I dunno? I just wanted a challenge?....maybe"

*insert incredibly mystified look here*

She wasn't as excited as I was.