Nothing holds off Hong Kong's winter chill like a hearty bowl of snake soup -- but there's a problem. Many restaurants are missing the main ingredient.
Hong Kong's snake industry is suffering a severe supply crunch after Chinese authorities banned exports during the SARS outbreak, when research suggested the respiratory illness was spread by wildlife in southern China.
The global epidemic was declared under control in July, and snakes have gotten a SARS-free bill of health, but the ban still stands. Chinese officials have told Hong Kong snake dealers it's a conservation measure following a spike in mainland consumption, but the merchants aren't so sure.
Some suspect they're victims of an overly cautious bureaucracy.
At China's State Forestry Administration, which holds final say over snake shipments, a spokesman who identified himself only by the surname Liang told a reporter by telephone he had no information on the ban.
But it's definitely felt in the former British colony, where the love of exotic food is said to include any creature whose back faces the sky.
"I don't see it served anywhere. It doesn't seem like restaurants are coming out with any promotional packages," said Vincent Li, a 26-year-old financial consultant whose company puts on snake dinners for employees every year.
China is Hong Kong's top source of snakes, shipping about 67,000 every year, and traders are having to defrost last year's leftovers and import snakes from Southeast Asia at prices up to 20 percent higher.
An average meal of snake costs HK$26 (US$3.30), about the same price as a bowl of noodle soup.
Some restaurants keep snakes coiled up in cages, ready to be killed and cooked on demand. But this season many are dropping snake from their menus.
Snake aficionados view the meat as a winter-warming food, even an aphrodisiac.
"It tastes great. It's good for your body," Li said.
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