Who's Hungry?

On the 2nd floor of our hotel here in Jinan is a buffet restaurant. We ate there for dinner last night out of desperation because it was nearby and we could charge it to the room. The buffet was huge by any standard, yet for some strange reason, I had trouble finding something to eat. Perhaps you might enjoy a few of the dishes I found?  Oh, and keep in mind as you browse the offerings, that we found new and similarly frightening dishes in their places for the breakfast buffet.

Okay, shrimp on a stick.  Not super scary.  I wish they didn't have eyeballs though.  Why do the Chinese insist on serving food that can still look at you?

Oh boy.  In the center is "Chinese Forest Frog Soup with Papaya".  Yum, yum!

This lovely dish didn't have a sign next to it, but look closely and you'll find tentacles.

Between a pile of shrimp and a pile of crabs you'll find a tasty pile o' starfish!

This dish is called "Cuttlefish Fragrance".  Now how often do you get to eat cuttlefish?  Don't pass it up!

I love garlic as much as the next gal, but how often do you see it served at a buffet like this?

Pizza! With, um... what is that on it?  Who is brave enough to try it and see?

Most American chefs would toss these parts out, but here in China, fish heads get their own dish on the buffet.

I thought this was a nice touch.  A popcorn popper.  Or, according to the sign, "the puffed rice".  Whatever.  Same thing.

I'm gonna go with "octopus salad" on this one even though there wasn't a sign.

Hey, those aren't black olives..... Preserved egg salad??

Also among the salads, "Beautiful Sea Melon Seeds" are actually a bowl of shells with their creatures still inside them.

I almost tried a bit of "Seated Position Fish".  Almost.

So.  Who's hungry?