Jellyfish, Abalone and Sea Cucumbers

Last night I went to Golden Century, allegedly the best restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown and a frequent destination for celebrities. It's also the restaurant at which I ate shark fin soup back in 2002.

In the spirit of adventure and defiance of my common sense, I had stripped jellyfish as an appetizer and abalone with sea cucumbers (ie, squirmy, cucumber-shaped seafood) as a main dish. The nicest thing I can say about the meal was that it was probably prepared exactly as it should have been and I finished most of what was on my plates. However, I will never again eat any of those creatures, and I'm further convinced that, apart from dim sum and peking duck, I don't like traditional Chinese food. And I think I'll wait until I'm in China to test my palate again.

In other news, it's shaping up to be a grand weekend. Sailing is on the agenda, and I'm working on trying to attend a barbie. Actually a friend of mine is taking me with to a birthday gathering hosted by a friend of hers. The gathering will take place at a bar and it should include barbecued food, so for all intents and purposes, I'm chalking it up as a barbie. Sailing and a barbie, what else would a guy do when he is in Sydney!