Bear paws should not be eaten fresh.
Freshly cut bear paws should be left to dry for at least a year before they can be eaten.
The method for storing bear paws is also very simple. Freshly cut bear paws should not be exposed to water. Wipe the blood off with coarse cloth or straw paper, then place them in a jar lined with lime and then with roasted rice. Finally, stuff the bear paws tightly with roasted rice and seal the jar with lime.
The bear paws should be stored like this for one to two years before being taken out, washed, and cooked to make them taste better.
Bear bile is the most prized of my country's four most precious traditional Chinese medicines (bear bile, tiger bone, musk, and bezoar), and is known as "the gold among medicines".
Obtaining a wild bear bile was something unthinkable in the late 1980s.
Li Xiangdong and the others followed the Lu brothers to their house, where they indeed found a perfectly skinned black bear pelt and a perfectly preserved wild bear gallbladder.
Li Xiangdong didn't have that much money on him, so he borrowed the money the others had earned from selling deer antlers to pay the bill.
The bear meat has already been cut up and is placed in the yard. The temperature here is low, and the outdoors is a natural refrigerator, so there's no fear that the meat will spoil.
Li Xiangdong selected two bear legs, weighing a total of over 130 jin (approximately 65 kg), for a total of 104 yuan.
The Lu brothers were overjoyed to suddenly receive so much money. They stopped Li Xiangdong and his companions from leaving, insisting on cooking a pot of bear meat and vermicelli to treat them.
No one would refuse free bear meat.
He Chaochao also went to a nearby supply and marketing cooperative and bought four bottles of baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor) and a small bag of orchid beans.
Because of their hunting skills, the Lu brothers were among the wealthiest in the village.
The two families lived in adjacent houses, each with three rooms, and there was no wall separating them, so they actually lived in one big courtyard.
At the men's command, the women were instructed to stew bear meat. The two sisters-in-law, Old Donkey's Wife and Old Ox's Wife, immediately began washing the pots and gathering firewood to start the fire.
Bear meat has a strong fishy and gamey smell, so it must be blanched in water first, and then stewed with a lot of numbing and spicy seasonings.
While they were cooking, Li Xiangdong and a few others chatted idly inside the house.
Scarface said enviously to the Lu brothers, "You two are incredibly skilled! You can make so much money from hunting just one bear! You must be able to sell the rest of the bear meat for a good amount of money too."
The old donkey squatted on the ground, smoking his pipe. "You only see the thief eating meat, but you don't see the thief getting beaten! My brother and I almost got killed by this bear while hunting it!"
It is this black bear that has become meat and vegetables.
Scarface sighed, "That's true, black bears aren't something you can hunt just anywhere."
Old Niu slowly began, "To tell you the story of how we hunted the black bear this time, it was quite interesting."
"Oh, how so?"
"The food is ready, we'll talk about it at the table in a bit!"
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the curtain was lifted, and Old Niu's wife peeked out, saying into the room, "Husband, the food is ready, put it on the table!"
Now everyone eats at the kang table. Li Xiangdong and the others got off the kang to wash their hands, and Lao Niuzi placed a sturdy wooden kang table, already patinated, in the middle of the kang.
"Lift the curtain, get the chopsticks, get the bowl!"
Old Niu's wife gave the order in a loud voice.
Li Xiangdong thought to himself, "It's true that the land shapes its people. All the women here are so open, hardworking, and efficient, with a vibrant energy and vitality that comes directly from the land."
A large porcelain bowl of braised bear meat with potatoes and vermicelli was served. The main dish was stewed potato rice, but they wanted to drink alcohol first, so the main dish was not served first.
Old Donkey's wife washed and arranged the seven small wine cups, and Old Donkey opened a bottle of strong liquor and filled each cup with it.
Old Niu's wife brought out another large bowl of dark gray ferns, "Cold fern salad, you can have it with your drinks!"
After setting the table, they casually scooped up their three grandsons, who were lying on the kang (heated brick bed) staring intently at the bear meat, and said, "Eat in the outer room. We've saved some meat for you!"
After the mother and children left the inner room, the master, Old Donkey, raised his wine cup. After thinking for a long time, he uttered two words, "Drink!"
When Li Xiangdong saw him so proactively raising his glass, he thought he was going to give a toast, but all he managed to say was two words!
But this was fine too. After taking a sip of wine, everyone eagerly reached into the porcelain bowl with their chopsticks to pick up bear meat and eat it.
Li Xiangdong picked up a piece of bear meat with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and put it in his mouth. It was spicy, numbing, and tender—very delicious.
He picked up another piece of potato and ate it. The mountain potato, soaked in the bear meat broth, had a unique flavor; it melted in his mouth and had a slightly sour taste.
This is the taste of bear meat soup, a unique sour flavor.
Li Xiangdong savored the food slowly, taking a bite of bear meat, then a bite of potato noodles, and then a piece of chewy, refreshing, and delicious cold bracken salad. He ate with great relish.
His style contrasted sharply with the others at the table. Watching them wolf down their food, Li Xiangdong slowly poured himself another cup of strong liquor.
Nowadays, all alcoholic beverages are made from grains, so drinking a little bit won't harm your health.
As the bear meat in the basin gradually dwindled, the people in the room warmed up, and some took off their fur coats and others their hats.
Scarface put the last piece of bear meat at the bottom of the basin into his mouth, completely ignoring the old donkey's resentful gaze, and ate it all with smacking sounds.
The old donkey slammed his chopsticks on the table and shouted gruffly into the outer room, "Manager, bring another bowl of meat!"
"Okay, I got it!"
While Old Donkey's wife was removing the porcelain basin to serve the meat, Scarface filled everyone's small wine cups with baijiu (Chinese liquor). "Brothers, how did you manage to beat this bear? Tell me!"
"Actually, there's nothing special about it; it's just that my brother and I got lucky."
It turns out that the Lu brothers were also full-time hunters when they were in the production team, and they would go into the mountains to hunt all year round.
This black bear, now a piece of meat in the pot, has been on their radar since last year. But black bears aren't so easy to hunt, and it still managed to escape.
This year, as soon as they entered the mountains, they coincidentally discovered black bear footprints on the snow.
The two were overjoyed, feeling that this was a windfall bestowed upon them by God.
The two brothers followed the footprints in the snow and chased them for dozens of miles.
Who knew that the more they chased, the more chaotic the footprints on the snow became? They weren't just the footprints of a single bear; there were other large wild animals among them!
Just then, a roar came from not far away. They dared not approach any further and, with their loaded guns and hunting dogs, quietly hid behind the trees to observe.
Sure enough, they witnessed a large-scale battle between animals!
A leopard was seen crouching, growling softly from its nose, poised to attack at any moment.
On the opposite side of the tiger and leopard, a black bear was approaching it!
The black bear walked up to the leopard, suddenly stood up, revealed its two sharp claws, and slammed them down on the leopard's body!
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