Nearest to me on the table was the sliced pig ears.

Served cold, these ribbons were bathed lightly in a peppery oil, though the spice was hardly overwhelming. The texture was crunchy, but not leathery; the taste was mild and overwhelmingly meat-like. I think some at home would be grossed out by this, but they were really a harmless-tasting dish. Certainly no worse for you than salt-and-vinegar potato chips.

Also close to me were the bamboo shoots.

These were cooked with chilies, but again were not too spicy. I like bamboo shoots -- these were a pleasant accompaniment to the meal. But there's not too much to say about them.

Ever had duck neck?

Though proffered with much excitement, it was a bit hard to get excited about this. There was not much meat involved -- it was mostly bone. It had also been cooked in extremely spicy oil, so I mostly just tasted "hot."

UPDATE -- I just went out for drinks and dumplings with some friends, including one from Wuhan. She says spicy duck neck is a Wuhan specialty. So there you have it. I hope to go to Wuhan next weekend.

Besides the necks, there was a whole dish of duck meat.

The preparation here was simple -- I think it was braised in soy sauce and perhaps garlic? But I always like duck, so I gobbled (pardon the pun) some of this down, too.

Finally, here's a take on pork 'n beans.

I think these beans are just called "green beans" and their taste calls to mind a chick pea. The pork in this dish was nice and tender.

Also at the meal, but not photographed - a lucious, simple chicken soup of broth and large pieces of white meat, fried peanuts, the ubiquitous qing cai (leafy greens and garlic) and a sour-briny greens dish too. I was too busy downing watery shots of Sedrin beer in response to my host's generous toasts that I could not shoot them all.