|
Ms
H Narration: |
In
[Yuting] Market, the onset of Autumn always
triggers a ripple of excitement. It's at this time father's come from near
and far to offer up the season's specialty, tender young crickets. |
|
|
Surprisingly
for a country obsessed with adventurous cuisine, these crickets are not for
lunch. You feed them and water them, and by the time you get attached enough
to give them names, you put them in a ring and watch them fight. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
Master
Fu [Jun Dur] is a retired carter turned cricket master extraordinaire. Every
Autumn, he summons a young lad from out of town to bring him box loads of
barely mature crickets. |
|
Speaker
4: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
With
an experienced eye, he selects the cream of the crop, the Holyfields
and Tysons that will earn his respect and maybe
even a few quid. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
Size,
colour and strength are the hallmarks of an aggressive fighter. See the one
with the big mouth? That's mine. I've already got a name in mind. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
With
the master satisfied we have Olympic potential at our feet, I pay the lad $50
for his troubles. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
At
Master Fu's home, there's precious little living space, most of it given over
to his favourite creatures. Here, they'll stay for up to a month until
they're fed and fattened, and ready to fight. |
|
|
Home
is a sturdy ceramic pot. There's even a little [Camberley] bedroom. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
Master
Fu gives me a quick lesson in cricket care, but the trick to raising good,
strong, aggressive fighters, he says, is all in the food. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
The
early signs are encouraging. Mr. Mandibles has plunged face first into the
nutritious gruel, devouring every morsel with relish. |
|
|
It's
now three weeks on and fight day is here. |
|
|
Before
the crickets take to the ring, there's a careful routine to follow, aimed at
stirring them up. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
First,
they're mated to get the hormones going. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
Then,
as the band of cricket followers grow, comes a crucial part of the process,
the weigh in. On mini scales, using a special cricket weight known as a Li,
the insects are classified according to their bulk. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
Mr.
Mandibles doesn't disappoint. He weighs in heavier than all of them, the
super-super heavyweight at under half a gramme. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
The
rules of this fine tradition say crickets must fight crickets of the same
weight. Once the rituals are done with, it's time for the gladiators to enter
the coliseum. |
|
|
They
lock limbs, bite and wrestle, but despite how it looks there are rules and
once a cricket backs off three times, he's defeated. But everyone tonight is
waiting for the appearance of one cricket only. |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
Ten
[qui] on Mr. Mandibles. Who's gonna go for Little
Green Man? Oh! 50 on Little Green Man. |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
Surprisingly,
it's neither Mr. Mandibles or even the Little Green Man who emerges
victorious. Mr. Mandibles is literally tossed aside. |
|
|
But
if there's some consolation, the top fighter of the night is still from my
camp, the rank outsider, Jaws 2. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
Yay!
Jaws 2! |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
Here
you go, here you go. |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
[crosstalk] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
It's
been a highly successful night. I've pocketed exactly two dollars. Sadly
though, nature dictates these crickets live for one season only, hence their
nickname, The Hundred Day Insect. |
|
Miss
Hutcheon: |
Wow.
Look at them go. |
|
Mr.
Fu: |
[foreign
language] |
|
Ms
H Narration: |
You
feed them, get attached to them, and give them names. Then, you let them go.
Who knows? Maybe next season I'll find another great fighter. |