Water bug flavor

South Asians seem to have a rather odd palate when it comes to snack food. Many things which we expect to be salty turn out to have loads of added sugar and, while the sweet things may indeed be sweet, they too-often also taste of fish. Imagine eating a chocolate cake which is light on the chocolate and sugar and cooked in cod liver oil. Yum.

 

Wander through any given market and you can find the most exotic tastes: Sugared Green Bean and Rye Cake, anyone? Or how about Butter Cookies With Pork Bits? And no, that's not a typo: I said Pork, as in Pig. Mmm-mmm, just like Mama used to make.

 

Of course, if you want something more substantial, then you can also find hard-boiled eggs which conceal a fairly well developed baby chick--beak, downy feathers, talons... I don't know if you add sugar or salt to that but in our case I doubt it would matter.

 

We saw a young lady (20's) in the market carrying two live rats by the tail. It appeared that she was looking for some fresh cilantro and I don't think it was to feed the rats. No, I'm pretty sure those poor rats ended up in a hybrid apple pie.

 

The market is also one of those strange places where you can find condiments with ingredients like "water bug flavor"; this, of course begs the question: Is it too expensive or perhaps too icky to harvest "real" water bug flavor?

 

Imagine if it were your job to create authentic-tasting water bug flavor in the lab.

 

Technician Wang sips a teaspoonful of liquid. "Hmm," he says. "I don't know, Yip. This tastes more like eye of newt to me."

 

Yip sighs. "Yeah, I know. Back to drawing board. Pass me some more rat pie."

 

Perhaps you can better understand the mindset here if I provide some Thai witticisms and maxims I found on a box of rice cakes:

 

"If one wants to go away, make other feel pity. If he passes away, make other praise and memorize."

 

"Asking is more expensive than buying, reputing is more expensive than saying."

 

"The steady house has many poles."

 

That last one actually makes sense to me. But this is my favorite:

"Look at the female beauty when she is searching for the fish; look at the male intelligent when he is drinking."

 

Ah, the things you can learn while munching on a rice cake...

 

NB 

Happy New Year!

We are in Vietnam where it has rained every day for the past week. Yuk. However, we are eating different types of weird food, which is pretty cool. We ate the best spring rolls ever in the Hoi An street market; 4 rolls cost us less than $1.5 CAD, which was a pretty good price. A lady customer helped us put our spring rolls together because we were so obviously helpless. Seriously.     Anne has fulfilled a life-long dream and bought two tailor-made dresses. For my part I've discovered that clothing shopping for women is a highly inventive level of hell. Remember the cute little raptor dinos that kill and eat the tourist in the beginning of Jurassic Park? Well, our tailors were rather like those beasties--small, cute, and aggressive. "You buy now!" Aye, comrade. Just don't shoot.   So, overall everything is pretty good.   Happy New Year!   NB

Merry Holidays! From Vietnam. And South East Asia.

'Tis the season to say, "Ho, ho, Ho Chi Minh..." or at least it is this season. For us.

Peace and much love to all of you.

NB

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's tough to remember that it's the holiday season when it's 25 degrees Celcius, but there are a few cues, even here in Laos.  There are lights and decorations in a few places, but there is no Christmas music and certainly no snow.  The natives think it's very cold right now.  I'm actually okay with the fact that it's not 35 degrees.  They shiver and wear all their warmest clothes, though I must admit that our blood must be thinning, since we shiver along with them, especially in the early morning when the sun has not yet warmed the streets. 

 

We have been passing our time innertubing down rivers, kayaking and shooting rapids, getting our fill of pastries in the French influenced city of Vientiane in Laos.  We were on a river boat tour for 2 days down the Mekong river (which is very grubby looking, though the hills around are great and craggy and green).  We were in Luang Prabang for a few days looking at temples and climbing mountains.  We also went to a Laos sauna (it's actually quite cool here in the evenings - it might even go down to 15 degrees celcius!) and hung out in the hot hot hot (there are no thermometers in these saunas - you just stay until you can't stand no more!) steam for a bit - very relaxing. 

 

We seem to be moving quickly through Laos - too quickly, really.  I don't know what we think we are trying to accomplish - we have barely begun our travels.  At this rate, I will be ready to expire in a couple of months! We are looking, it seems, for the "perfect" place to spend an extended period of time.  For Nathan, this entails the beach.  For me, I'm not even sure.  I just need some non-travel time every few weeks so that I don't feel like I'm living life out of a bag every day.  I guess in the end, I like having a place to call home, even if it's only for a week.  A chance to catch up on my diary, read a book while sitting still and not swaying in a bus, recognize the streets that we walk through. Vientiane is quite small and gridded out, so we are able to find our way easily.  We are becoming world travellers. 

 

Wherever you are, I wish you the best of the season and happy times in the new year.  Stay warm!

ACDB

 

 

More Erawan Falls

Note that the clear water held many large fish. Some of these fish enjoyed nibbling at your toes when you dipped your feet. Excellent fun.

 

NB

 

More flowers, and odds and ends