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Grilled frogs on a stick
Here’s a tasty snack found in Laos and some parts of Northeast Thailand. Quarter-sized grilled frogs on a stick. Â These particular frogs were found on the riverside in Vientiane, where I might add that I also happened to find some of the best and cheapest grilled ribs I’ve ever had. Â Pleasant surroundings, too, just sitting along the Mekong River.
Many of you might be disgusted by this so-called snack, but it’s actually very tasty. Â Probably nutritious, too. Â The taste is somewhat salty, somewhat fishy, somewhat something else and the texture is crunchy and mushy at the same time. Â Really a conundrum of tastes since it’s something I’m not used to.
Peanut sprouts
This is an interesting vegetable I’ve had near Phuket in Southern Thailand twice now. Peanut sprouts (tua ngawk [ถั่วงà¸à¸], although this is the same as bean sprouts). I think most Westerners have had bean sprouts or alfalfa sprouts, but I had never even heard of peanut sprouts as a food. These ones were slightly pickled and actually served as a condiment for some kanom jiin [ขนมจีน], a curry with rice noodles where you add your own assortment of vegetables and seasonings. I’ll have to do another post about kanom jiin sometime since it is really interesting in all its varieties and combinations.
Chicken feet soup
Chicken feet are probably one of the more well-known oddities that are common in Asia. They are actually a very versatile ingredient as they can be put in soups (shown here), salads, and deep-fried, amongst other preparations. To be honest, though, I’m not really sure why people enjoy them. They are hard, crunchy and chewy from the combination of skin, bone, and cartilage that makes them up and otherwise just taste (sort of) like chicken. And let’s not forget to mention that those feet usually haven’t been walking around the cleanest of places. I’ll pass on these and go for the chicken breast, please. Which brings up the point that supposedly many chicken farms in the US just keep the white meat, drumsticks, and wings (the good parts) for US consumption and ship the rest over to Asia and they think there getting the better end of the deal. I’m not so sure this is true, though, since chickens are in abundance over here so I don’t see any need to ship them. Well, as long as both sides are happy…
Hi, I'm Joe, your typical cyber traveler and world tourist currently based in Thailand. This blog is about:
