Snails

Snails

　　"Snails in March, clams in April" — this is a local saying in Qianjiang, meaning that March and April are the peak seasons for snails and clams in the area. Unlike people from other regions who stir-fry them half-cooked and then suck them noisily from their shells, locals in the Jianghan Plain first "rinse" the snails in clean boiling water, then use a broken-off spindle or a bamboo skewer to extract the meat, and eat them following one of the methods of the "Three Steamed Dishes" (Tiān [Mén], Qián [Jiāng], Miǎn [Yáng]). Recently, another way of eating them has become popular across restaurants in the city — a so-called "Three-Flavor Hotpot" featuring clams, cured meat, and bean dregs cake.