Duda Online » laos

Where ant eggs come from

admin — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 12:16:27 +0000

Red ant nest

If anyone’s been wondering where they get those ant eggs that are used in several Isaan foods, then here you go. This photo is actually from Laos, but these ants are very common all over Southeast Asia. As you can see the red ants live in trees and kind of stick a few leaves together to make their home. You definitely do not want to get caught standing under one of these since the ground is usually swarming with the ants as well. And they bite a lot which can be pretty painful when there’s a dozen of them going at you. Many times I’ve been out on the golf course trying to hit my ball from in the trees only to come running out with red ants attacking me (and my ball in an even worse lie if I managed to hit it). It’s amazing that when people try to collect the nests they just knock them out of the tree with a stick. Brave souls, since they ants are not pleasant when they’re going ballistic.

The tastiest part of the chicken is…

admin — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:15:04 +0000

Laos snack

I just had to snap a photo of this snack from a roadside stand in Laos. It was somewhere between Luang Prabong and Vang Vien, to be specific. I’m not exactly sure what part of this is edible, but there they were, a couple trays full of them, all nicely bundled up. Unfortunately the photo is a bit blurry as I was trying not to attract attention and the glass case they were sitting in could certainly use a cleaning. In case you can’t tell, what we have is a chicken head (with neck), some bigger chicken bones, and chicken feet all wrapped together with chicken tendons. That’s some prime chicken right there. This is one strange food that I was not even slightly interested in trying.

Ain’t nothing like grilled frogs on a stick

admin — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 12:13:04 +0000

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. 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. 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. Probably nutritious, too. The taste is somewhat salty, somewhat fishy, somewhat something else and the texture is crunchy and mushy at the same time. Really a conundrum of tastes since it’s something I’m not used to.