Thursday, October 14, 2010

food

One of the first posts on our first travel blog - the Vietnam blog called The Other Side, and the source of the name for this one - was about fried dog. Our research ahead of time suggested that fried dog was a common food, and sure enough, we did see pyramidal stacks of fried dogs in the markets in Hanoi. There was something strange about their extreme uniformity in size, as if they were farmed. Anyway. Food is an important part of our travel pleasure. (Or not.....I'm looking at you, India.) So we're anticipating the food in Cambodia and Laos, doing internet research, watching food travel programs. Anthony Bourdain, the guy who eats bizarre food, a young couple who took off for a year, all kinds of food travel programs.

If they're in Cambodia, they always feature deep-fried tarantulas. Always. Without exception. The shots are the same: lovely Cambodian women sitting in their market stalls behind large flat baskets mounded high with deep-fried tarantulas, others piled with fried grasshoppers, others with beetles. The Cambodian women smile beautifully, and then the camera shoots them crunching happily on tarantulas, with the little legs sticking out the corners of their mouths. The American tv host grimaces, gags a little, pretends to be game, and typically will not eat it. (Though they do usually agree to eat grasshoppers, I guess so they don't look like spoiled snotty Americans, or something.)

Anyway, I will not pretend to be game. I will not eat the tarantula. I will not eat the grasshoppers or beetles, either. I will not even pretend. Call me snotty, call me provincial, call me narrow-minded, I really don't care. NO.

 REALLY???
 note: i am not looking at this while typing the caption.
they're supposed to be crunchy, tasty snacks. I'll never know.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! We read them all and try our best to respond.