THE FORBIDDEN FOODS OF SNAKE ALLEY ...

They say that no trip to Taipei is complete without a visit to Snake Alley, an outdoor marketplace specializing in "traditional Chinese medicine," where colorful street vendors try to sell you on the pharmaceutical benefits of everything ranging from deer antlers and monkey heads to flying lizards. The specialty of the house, of course, is snake blood which, when mixed with alcohol, is supposed to make men more virile. But if snake blood isn't your cup of tea, not to worry, there are plenty of other options.

Rooster Testicles (pictured above) are apparently the Ultimate Aphrodisiac. Just plop one into a glass of champagne and you're ready for a night on the town.


Turtles, they say, are good for longevity ... though the unfortunate specimens pictured above might argue with you on that point.


Mice are soaked in wine for a period of at least two years. You pick your own specimen out of a cage and the nice folks at Snake Alley will ferment it for you. The New York Times called Snake Alley "a street paved with Chinese traditions and superstitions," but by the time I was finished walking the two blocks I was ready to call it something else: A Day. My blood was boiling and it wasn't because I'd sampled any of the "merchandise."
"It's healthy for men, healthy for men," repeated a particularly zealous vendor in broken English. "I'm not interested in snake blood," I said, firmly, "Haven't you people ever heard of Viagra?!?" And with that, I huffed off. The nearest PETA office is in Hong Kong and you can bet I'm getting in touch with them.