Others include sea weeds, shark fins, sea cucumbers, etc. There are no forbidden foods like pork in Islamic countries and beef for Hindus. On the contrary, many foods are recommended in the Chinese cuisine for a variety of medical purposes , several of them to restore sexual power. Soup No 5 which contains the testicles of various animals. Many animals with a phallic look are also supposed to help men's sexual power, as for example eel and snake.
Snake is supposed to be particularly good in winter because it is regarded as heart warming .
Eating the snake's gall bladder is supposed to bring sure relief from rheumatism. A dish named Dragon, Phoenix, Tiger is prepared of snake, chicken and cat and is supposed to be an especially powerful agent to restore youth and vigor. Cats especially, being considered pets, receive in Western tradition sympathy to a degree that is never afforded less cute animals such as pigs or chickens. Furthermore, what criteria makes some kinds of animals a clean food and others unacceptable to the Western diner are just perceptions based on ignorance. Shrimp live in mud and preferably near sites where waste is drained into the sea, and those who believe chickens only eat clean food may observe them pecking on dung-hills.