http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuWPShLe8gg&feature=player_detailpage

Mmmm....doesnt that make you thirsty??? Why not try some Habu Sake??? What's that you ask? Snake Sake... Yummy!      What else would a small island country do with its poisonous snakes?  

It is available at seemingly ordinary liquor stores, such as this one, next to your everyday sake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=berxY4GNcIA&feature=player_detailpage .

For between $40-$120 US, you to can impress your friends, and add to your health and vigor. It is legal to bring back though difficult to purchase directly in the states.

Apparently, Japan, along with many other Asian countries, suffer from a lack of virile men.   This devastating problem has driven them to create drinks such as Habu Sake in an effort to overcome these issues. While you may think this is drink just for tourists, men like this one are willing to try anything to help whith what ails them...

http://www.youtube.com/watcHv=A5hetFsu7H8&feature=player_detailpage .

Occasionally the ladies use it too.                                                                                                  

 Habu sake is actually not a type of sake. Instead, it is what is known as an awamori. It is made primarily in Okinawa, Japan. It's origins, like many other Japanese traditions originated in Korea and China, which make similar products. The awamori is mixed with various herbs and honey giving the clear liquid a yellow hue. A pit viper is then inserted into the liquid and stored until consumed. The viper is believed by some to have medicinal properties, particularly for men's health. Many brands of habushu come with the snake still inside the bottle, which definitely adds to the experience. Occasionally scorpions or other exotic bits are added as well.             

And they wrap it pretty for a nice gift to take home to mom and dad.  

There are two methods of inserting the snake into the alcohol. The maker may choose to simply submerge the snake in the alcohol and seal the bottle, thus drowning the   snake. Alternatively, the snake may be put on ice until it passes out, at which point it is then gutted, bled and sewed up. The viper is then thawed and is then quickly drowned in the sealed habushu bottle. Removing the intestines of the snake, as in the second method, is thought to decrease the drink's particularly noxious smell.

Curious? Want to learn more? Why you can take a field-trip with your young school friends to find out more...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYRlWMWvtG4&feature=player_detailpage .

so when you go to a new country be sure to sample all the good local things to eat and drink...and men, it may even help what ails you!    

                                  so...  乾杯 "Kanpai"