Alleys of Shanghai: Kitten discovers eels!

There's always a lot happening in the alleys around Jiashan Market.

There are garden cafes with mynah birds croaking throaty versions of "nihao!" and gazing down at you with their perfectly round, black, bead-like eyes, turtles neatly stacked on top of one another like circus performers, and leafy green courtyards.

There are also fish vendors with their catches of yellow croaker, catfish, and river shrimp, and almost always tanks full of wriggling fresh water eels.

The eels freak me out a little bit. There's something about the snakey-ness of their movements, the shear number of them in the tanks, and (while I will spare you the gory details) their slaughter is an awful sight to behold.

This tiny kitten has no such compunctions. She (assumption of girly-ness based on her calico coat) is a new addition to the area around the market. As near as I can tell, she lives with a dry goods seller, who's nearly always napping in a folding lounge chair outside his shop.

Yesterday, she was entranced by the wriggling eels.

I just hope she keeps her nose and paws away from their bitey jaws!

What did you see in your neck of the woods this week?