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.
****
--Pisanu
