SOUTHEAST ASIAN BLOGGERS NETWORK

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

OUR WEIRD DELICACIES

Our delicacies can do a lot of things to unsuspecting tourists. It can make them stop and stare, gawk in total awe, frown in contempt; and almost easily trigger compulsive clicking of their cameras. A food peddler’s menu of insects in the streets of Bangkok could make headlines in small villages in Europe.

But what is the most famous of our delicacies anyway?

The one single “weird” delicacy that covers more Southeast Asian countries has to be the Duck Embryo Egg. It is almost synonymous to the Philippines (thanks to American media); they call it “Balut”. These are eggs cooked a few days before it hatch, hence the embryo -- a baby duck cooked inside it's shell. *pls excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom*.....

...*ok, I'm back* Now, where was I?....*ah! Murdered baby ducks!* The Vietnamese call it "Hot vin Lon". The Cambodians call it "Pong tea khon" and I forgot how they call it in Laos. Bugger!

It’s funny how we call them “weird” if it belongs to another country. It’s a matter of taste, that’s for sure. But I think it’s a matter of culture. It’s too bad that eating these “apparently” weird delicacies are almost always labeled as “backward”, “third world”, “barbaric”, or “uncivilized”.

HA! The French eats frogs and snails, for christssake! And the Koreans are known to feast on dogs! The Japanese would use all its influence to make sure that whaling won’t be banned worldwide. And the Rocky Mountain Oysters? – Ask the Americans. I’m not gonna even start on China’s zoological cuisine. Ha! Take that!


I have to admit – although I am very proud of our region’s “weird” delicacies, I have NOT tried any of ‘em – due to my *own* personal peculiar taste. A mere sight of a glass of milk would make me run to Mongolia and puke my way through *and back!*

Our region got lots of strange delicacies. Due to its cultural importance, I will feature each and every one I can find in Southeast Asia on our coming posts. Just don’t ask me to try ‘em.


Living in Southeast Asia, what is the weirdest food you have ever tasted?


****


--Pisanu

25 Comments:

Anonymous said...

"Hot Vit Lon" aroy mak mak

Qtheconqueror said...

well.. Balut, Isaw (Chicken Intestines or Pork Intestines) and Adobong Camaro (Stewed lion cricket). Hahaha.

I saw in Discovery though that in Cambodia they eat Fried Tarantulas. Ack. That's prolly the only thing I won't eat. (Yes, I'm phobic)

Anonymous said...

Tamilok -- dead wood worms, eaten raw with vinegar. Tastes like oysters! But I won't have it again.

I was tricked to eating it on my trip to Mindoro Island in Puerto Galera beach.

Oh those people really paid for it when my dirty words came flying! LOL

Anonymous said...

Mindoro Island in the Philippines?

Anonymous said...

Silkworm larvae in Bangkok.

Anonymous said...

Veal eyeballs in North Malaysia. I only had one. I cant' take 2 because I really cant keep it down. lol

Anonymous said...

PORK BLOOD SOUP!!!!!! I tasted it for a bet. I won $50! It tasted like..................creamy dust.

JustinG said...

In Extra Challenge (reality TV show based in the Philippines), I saw a really icky-looking delicacy from Malaysia or Thailand (I just can't remember). It looked like a really big cockroach that was dried in the sun. Cockroach!!! I mean I'm not afraid of them, but to eat them?!?!?!

Sofia for BiSEAN said...

I'm surpirsed Pisanu took on this topic. Guys, if there's one fuzziest person in the world when it comes to food...it's him.

I'm even sure he will have his eyes closed when he takes pictures of those weird foods he's talking about.

Qtheconqueror said...

@morgan - Its called dinuguan. Hehehe. Yes, it tastes like dust. I hate it. Haha. Incidentally, we also have Blocks of Chicken Blood on a stick. We call it Betamax. Go figure. Hahaha.

Sanne Dee said...

Do you call it pork blood or pig's blood? Anywho, it's banned in Singapore but I could still eat it in Bkk. I used to love it because I naively thought it's another version of tofu (!!) but now, I have to think twice about eating it.

JustinG said...

in addition to q the conqueror's comment, we also have adidas (chicken feet, no not legs, not thighs, it's chicken feet with claws intact).

aries said...

i looooove balut. i prefer to eat 16-day old eggs.hehe

chase / chubz said...

SEA really has many weird delicacies. but im dying to try the hissing cockroaches of madagascar. ewwww...

Pisanu for BISEAN said...

Thanks guys for leavin' a comment. Highly appreciated.

@ Sanne, pork or pig, same cadaver. LOL

@ Chase...I don’t know if you’re a new reader or if you’ve been reading for a while and this is your first comment, but either way, your feedback is apprecated and always welcome.

Anonymous said...

Pisanu wrote:
@ Sanne, pork or pig, same cadaver. LOL

Ok. I was not going to post any comment on this article or the endangered animals article but that bait was too tempting to let pass !!!

hmmmm. Better not say anything. Peace Sanne!!!

I'll be positive and introduce this guy instead:http://markxander.blogspot.com/search/label/vegan%20meals

NO ALF nazis on his blog...LOL

Sanne Dee said...

I knew this post was gonna stir you up, Jesse! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks to you Sanne, I've mellowed down a bit...All I can say about these animal derived "delicacies" is yuck!!! (Same as what I would say abut Big Macs) LOL!!!

Pisanu for BISEAN said...

@ Sanne and Jesse... wooohoooo! World peace!

Jesse, if you put up your own blog, it would definitely be VERY interesting. Your opinions doesn't conform to your "ordinary fellow flips" and it would be very, very, very interesting to see how they react to it.

Sanne's blog, actually, is the ONLY PUREST blog I have ever come accross. A true blog in it's true meaning.

OK, enough of the sucking up! You guys enjoy!

And HELLO Jesse my friend, I'm NOT a VEGELESBIAN so I eat BigMacs! Woohooooo!

Anonymous said...

Eww veal eyeballs? That is disguisting ermm I mean lovely cos it's a delicacy Lol. Anyways I have never heard or seen it before in my 10 over years of life living in Penang which is in Northern Malaysia

Anonymous said...

Lol for me I would say an unborn baby cow in its mother womb. I ate that in Europe and it is just nasty! But if you close your eyes and eat it, it taste like Big Mac LOL

rick said...

i haven't tried our countrys weird delicacy as well, they say that balut is delicious and its an aphrodisiac but i wouldn't risk eating it,,, hehehe same as pisanu i have my own personal peculiar taste..

but im proud of it cuz it makes us unique in a way..

Anonymous said...

well, i haven't taste delicacies from other countries... yet (maybe i will, maybe not...?)

but hey!, chicken feet is a good one! but Bruneians don't eat with the claws though

we called it, 'ayam kicap'

Anonymous said...

sofia, please stop using "christsake" as an expression. its using God's name in vain... it's offensive to Christians too.

Anonymous said...

i think it was the real way of making that thai dessert 'bualoy' that included eggs...that have semi-formed embryo.

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