Buying Crickets

Taken here in the Dong Gang, Suzhou. A great way to save your rice crop AND make a few bucks from the gullible...like me. You're seeing a big bundle of little bamboo cages, each of which contains one metric cricket.

These are big badass crickets. They will bite your fingers...trust me on this one.

Didn't you say before that they got moved on? Didn't have their cricket licence, or something?? Or was it because the noise was disturbing the neighbours??

A friend of mine (who hates China but apparently does and likes a lot of Chinese things the Chinese way) bought a cricket in Shanghai. By the time she reached Beijing, the cricket's leg fell off. That fella didn't only live long (I think still alive), he is also the loudest cricket I've ever heard! Had to keep his cage covered to fool it was night. Now, I thought it works on crickets but apparently only on parrots.

I don't remember the peddlars getting moved on, but yeah, the noise from these things is incredible. I usually had to set Fang (all crickets, it turns out, are named 'Fang') outside for the night.

The noise from the seller's cart could shut down an airport.

Most of my crickets have lived quite a long time. I suspect mine mostly died of amnesia (Mine, with regards to putting fresh veggies in their cage...  )