Saturday June 30, 2007By CHRISTINA CHIN
The Star (Malaysia)
Eat as the locals do, some would say.
My mother calls me a cannibal. My best friends think I’m sick, and most of my colleagues shake their heads at me in disgust.
You see, I love travelling and want to learn about the many different cultures of the countries I’ve visited. And I subscribe to the Anthony Bourdain school of thought: for one to truly understand and experience a new culture, one must be prepared for one heck of a culinary adventure!
So, no matter how disgusting I may find a particular dish, I would try it at least once.
In the last few years, my travels to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, have been somewhat of a Fear Factor challenge, for I dined on deep-fried spiders, worms and insects, and steamed dog meat and snails – all washed down with a shot of snake wine!
If like me, you are curious about how some of the most exotic Asian dishes taste like, please read on.
Deep-fried spiders in Cambodia
OK, before we go on, let me tell you that the spider I am referring to is nothing like the tiny radioactive critter that gave Spider-Man his powers. And I assure you, they do not look like your harmless garden spider either. These babies are more like hairy tarantulas (above, left)!
I stumbled upon these crunchy delicacies by chance when I was travelling along the road north from Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. The tour bus stopped at a little town called Skuon, and we hopped off to do some shopping.
In a labyrinth of shops and hawker stalls, my best friend Su Yin and I stumbled upon a stack of palm-sized spiders all neatly stacked up beside a large wok filled with hot, bubbling oil. I remembered feeling queasy but decided to buy one – just to have a taste.
I don’t remember exactly how much it cost, but I am sure it was quite cheap (probably about US$2 a critter) because we thought we could always throw it away later if we chickened out. Unfortunately, you can’t just buy one spider; you have to buy a bagful!
Apparently, Skuon is famous for its delicious spider delights. The spiders are bred in holes in the ground near the town. The locals have long used the tarantulas in traditional medicine but only started eating the critters during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror. Starvation was rife then and people ate anything they could get their hands on, including insects.
My heart was racing when I opened the bag. The deep-fried spiders looked anything but dead! I swallowed hard and had my first mouthful. They were surprisingly quite good and reminded me of soft shell crabs (the texture, at least). The legs were crunchy with bits of flesh in them.
The spiders were a tad salty but quite fragrant if you ate it hot. The head and body tasted a bit like chicken. But the large, globular abdomen – filled with dark greyish-brown paste – proved to be quite a challenge. Its tastes of boiled liver still lingers in my mouth.
Steamed snails in Cambodia
In Greece, snails are popular in the island of Crete and are normally boiled with some vinegar, cooked in a casserole with tomato, potatoes and squashes, or fried in olive oil with lemon. These creatures are equally popular in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Malta (though most people associate escargot with the French).
In France, snails are usually served in the shell with a sauce of melted butter and garlic – simply exquisite!
However, in Phnom Penh, the snails are not quite as appetising. I was walking in a park one breezy night when I saw an elderly woman stacking plastic plates on the pavement, right next to a small steamer. She laid out two huge straw mats and brought out an ice box, bottles of chilli sauce and a bag of leafy vegetables.
My adventure buddy, Su Yin, and I plopped ourselves down and ordered a plate of whatever she was selling. When the dish arrived, the snails we got were no escargot. These snails were smaller and not as “meaty”. They came with toothpicks (to dig the meat out of the shells), a dash of sweet chilli sauce, and a generous helping of leafy greens.
The smell of mud was overwhelming. I suspect they were picked from the muddy banks and rivers. Dismissing fears of diarrhoea, we dug in. Soaked in the tasty homemade sauce and washed down with a can of Cambodian beer, the smell did not bother us as much.
So what do Cambodian snails taste like? Siput remis!
Dog meat in Vietnam
Before we go any further, let me say this: I consider myself an animal lover and am the proud owner of an adorable black poodle. So what possessed me to eat the meat of an animal many consider to be man’s best friend?
A sick sense of curiosity, I suppose. Luckily, my two travelling companions were non-judgmental, though they clearly disapproved of dog-eating. They willingly tagged along as I pestered the tour guide to take me to Hanoi’s most famous dog restaurant.
There, we saw groups of male customers seated on little rattan stools and plastic chairs, sharing plates of dog meat and guzzling beer (dog meat is supposed to boost the libido). Our guide ordered a plate of steamed dog meat, which came with bitter leafy vegetables and condiments like salt, lime and sliced red chillies.
In modern Vietnam, dog meat is a rather expensive delicacy. The dish I ordered cost US$4 (about RM14) and included servings of dog meat sausages. The meat was tough – very tough actually. Since it was steamed, the dish was rather bland. I only had a couple of pieces but the guilt stayed with me throughout the trip.
Every stray that passed me in the dusty street of Hanoi gnawed at my conscience. I would never judge someone who chooses to eat it but would I have it again? Never!
Snake wine in Vietnam
In a cosy inn high up in the hills of Sapa, I had my first (and possibly last) sip of snake wine i.e. King Cobra fermented in rice wine. While having dinner at the inn’s restaurant, my friends caught sight of a huge glass jar placed in an inconspicuous corner of the bar counter.
Knowing that snake wine was on my “must try” list, my friends duly alerted me. For at least 15 minutes, I stood there staring at the venomous serpent. Noting my interest, the cute Vietnamese bartender offered to let me have a shot of the wine – on the house!
As he carefully proffered my glass of snake wine, he casually told me that snakes are widely believed to possess medicinal qualities and can cure anything from farsightedness and hair loss to impotence.
He said there were two types of snake wines – one involved the fermenting of snakes, turtles, insects, or birds, in rice wine; and the other was made from a mixture of snake blood and rice wine or grain alcohol (the snake’s gall bladder is normally served together with the latter).
I flashed a nervous smile, thanked him and made my way back to the table. I grabbed my friend’s hand, closed my eyes and swallowed. What was over in a matter of seconds felt like an eternity. My throat was on fire and the strong smell of the wine (which to me, was like vinegar) seemed to linger on forever.
One thing is for sure, snake wine is not for the faint-hearted, and is unlikely to make it into my “top 10 beverage of choice”.
Insects in Thailand
Of all the things I’ve tried, creepy crawlies have got to be the most nutritious, tasty and cheap! Full of protein, fried caterpillars, worms, crickets and bugs sold all over Bangkok are popular local snacks.
Crunchy and salty, the caterpillars and worms rank highly on my list of “healthy snacks” (OK, maybe deep-frying isn’t the healthiest method of cooking). They taste amazingly like French fries (if not for the eyes), with a nice creamy texture to boot!
My mother calls me a cannibal. My best friends think I’m sick, and most of my colleagues shake their heads at me in disgust.
You see, I love travelling and want to learn about the many different cultures of the countries I’ve visited. And I subscribe to the Anthony Bourdain school of thought: for one to truly understand and experience a new culture, one must be prepared for one heck of a culinary adventure!
So, no matter how disgusting I may find a particular dish, I would try it at least once.
In the last few years, my travels to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, have been somewhat of a Fear Factor challenge, for I dined on deep-fried spiders, worms and insects, and steamed dog meat and snails – all washed down with a shot of snake wine!
If like me, you are curious about how some of the most exotic Asian dishes taste like, please read on.
Deep-fried spiders in Cambodia
OK, before we go on, let me tell you that the spider I am referring to is nothing like the tiny radioactive critter that gave Spider-Man his powers. And I assure you, they do not look like your harmless garden spider either. These babies are more like hairy tarantulas (above, left)!
I stumbled upon these crunchy delicacies by chance when I was travelling along the road north from Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. The tour bus stopped at a little town called Skuon, and we hopped off to do some shopping.
In a labyrinth of shops and hawker stalls, my best friend Su Yin and I stumbled upon a stack of palm-sized spiders all neatly stacked up beside a large wok filled with hot, bubbling oil. I remembered feeling queasy but decided to buy one – just to have a taste.
I don’t remember exactly how much it cost, but I am sure it was quite cheap (probably about US$2 a critter) because we thought we could always throw it away later if we chickened out. Unfortunately, you can’t just buy one spider; you have to buy a bagful!
Apparently, Skuon is famous for its delicious spider delights. The spiders are bred in holes in the ground near the town. The locals have long used the tarantulas in traditional medicine but only started eating the critters during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror. Starvation was rife then and people ate anything they could get their hands on, including insects.
My heart was racing when I opened the bag. The deep-fried spiders looked anything but dead! I swallowed hard and had my first mouthful. They were surprisingly quite good and reminded me of soft shell crabs (the texture, at least). The legs were crunchy with bits of flesh in them.
The spiders were a tad salty but quite fragrant if you ate it hot. The head and body tasted a bit like chicken. But the large, globular abdomen – filled with dark greyish-brown paste – proved to be quite a challenge. Its tastes of boiled liver still lingers in my mouth.
Steamed snails in Cambodia
In Greece, snails are popular in the island of Crete and are normally boiled with some vinegar, cooked in a casserole with tomato, potatoes and squashes, or fried in olive oil with lemon. These creatures are equally popular in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Malta (though most people associate escargot with the French).
In France, snails are usually served in the shell with a sauce of melted butter and garlic – simply exquisite!
However, in Phnom Penh, the snails are not quite as appetising. I was walking in a park one breezy night when I saw an elderly woman stacking plastic plates on the pavement, right next to a small steamer. She laid out two huge straw mats and brought out an ice box, bottles of chilli sauce and a bag of leafy vegetables.
My adventure buddy, Su Yin, and I plopped ourselves down and ordered a plate of whatever she was selling. When the dish arrived, the snails we got were no escargot. These snails were smaller and not as “meaty”. They came with toothpicks (to dig the meat out of the shells), a dash of sweet chilli sauce, and a generous helping of leafy greens.
The smell of mud was overwhelming. I suspect they were picked from the muddy banks and rivers. Dismissing fears of diarrhoea, we dug in. Soaked in the tasty homemade sauce and washed down with a can of Cambodian beer, the smell did not bother us as much.
So what do Cambodian snails taste like? Siput remis!
Dog meat in Vietnam
Before we go any further, let me say this: I consider myself an animal lover and am the proud owner of an adorable black poodle. So what possessed me to eat the meat of an animal many consider to be man’s best friend?
A sick sense of curiosity, I suppose. Luckily, my two travelling companions were non-judgmental, though they clearly disapproved of dog-eating. They willingly tagged along as I pestered the tour guide to take me to Hanoi’s most famous dog restaurant.
There, we saw groups of male customers seated on little rattan stools and plastic chairs, sharing plates of dog meat and guzzling beer (dog meat is supposed to boost the libido). Our guide ordered a plate of steamed dog meat, which came with bitter leafy vegetables and condiments like salt, lime and sliced red chillies.
In modern Vietnam, dog meat is a rather expensive delicacy. The dish I ordered cost US$4 (about RM14) and included servings of dog meat sausages. The meat was tough – very tough actually. Since it was steamed, the dish was rather bland. I only had a couple of pieces but the guilt stayed with me throughout the trip.
Every stray that passed me in the dusty street of Hanoi gnawed at my conscience. I would never judge someone who chooses to eat it but would I have it again? Never!
Snake wine in Vietnam
In a cosy inn high up in the hills of Sapa, I had my first (and possibly last) sip of snake wine i.e. King Cobra fermented in rice wine. While having dinner at the inn’s restaurant, my friends caught sight of a huge glass jar placed in an inconspicuous corner of the bar counter.
Knowing that snake wine was on my “must try” list, my friends duly alerted me. For at least 15 minutes, I stood there staring at the venomous serpent. Noting my interest, the cute Vietnamese bartender offered to let me have a shot of the wine – on the house!
As he carefully proffered my glass of snake wine, he casually told me that snakes are widely believed to possess medicinal qualities and can cure anything from farsightedness and hair loss to impotence.
He said there were two types of snake wines – one involved the fermenting of snakes, turtles, insects, or birds, in rice wine; and the other was made from a mixture of snake blood and rice wine or grain alcohol (the snake’s gall bladder is normally served together with the latter).
I flashed a nervous smile, thanked him and made my way back to the table. I grabbed my friend’s hand, closed my eyes and swallowed. What was over in a matter of seconds felt like an eternity. My throat was on fire and the strong smell of the wine (which to me, was like vinegar) seemed to linger on forever.
One thing is for sure, snake wine is not for the faint-hearted, and is unlikely to make it into my “top 10 beverage of choice”.
Insects in Thailand
Of all the things I’ve tried, creepy crawlies have got to be the most nutritious, tasty and cheap! Full of protein, fried caterpillars, worms, crickets and bugs sold all over Bangkok are popular local snacks.
Crunchy and salty, the caterpillars and worms rank highly on my list of “healthy snacks” (OK, maybe deep-frying isn’t the healthiest method of cooking). They taste amazingly like French fries (if not for the eyes), with a nice creamy texture to boot!
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