Last Sunday I found out what snake tastes like. My dinner plans involved a quick Google search, getting lost in a street market, and a grudging determination. I was invited to seek out Shia Wong Hip, one of the most well-known snake restaurants in Hong Kong. Despite its notorious reputation, the restaurant itself was just as unglamorous as anything else in the area of Sham Shui Po. My fellow adventurer and I were invited into the wide open, doorless entrance and seated literally right next to their cluttered accounting desk. Physical space is one of the most valued things in Hong Kong, so I was hardly surprised to see a small business taking full advantage of it. A smiling, modestly dressed man approached us with menus. He spoke pretty good English and appeared to own the place. When we asked him what the house specialty was, he gave us the option of big or small snake soup. Less than ten minutes later, two big steaming bowls of snake soup sat on our table. He instructed us to flavour it further with shredded lemon leaves, spicy curry powder, and corn chips. It quickly became clear that the dish tasted better than it looked. To top it all off, he poured us venom wine and said we could play with one of the snakes after our meal. We hit him up on his offer of course, and left more than satisfied with the experience.