Chau Ka-ling opens a wooden drawer and deftly picks out a big snake for an elderly customer. She puts it in a cloth bag and lets him hold it to feel its weight. The customer’s satisfied, so Chan takes the reptile from the bag and runs her thumbs along its body until she feels its gall bladder.

A quick incision and she retrieves a small sac that she puts in a small bowl. Then Chau disappears into the kitchen, returning with the decapitated snake and turning it upside down to squeeze some blood into the bowl. She pierces the gall bladder sac and mixes it with alcohol before giving it to the customer, who downs it quickly with a satisfied grin. “I like to have it, when it’s in season,” he says.

The gall bladder is said to improve virility, and to stop coughs.

This is Shia Wong Hip, a well-known snake eatery in Sham Shiu Po. There is a steady flow of customers all afternoon for not only fresh snake gall bladder, but also snake soup that Chau makes in the evening and simmers overnight. As winter approaches, locals like to eat dishes that warm their bodies, and snake soup is just the ticket.