THROW ANOTHER SHRIMP ON THE BARBIE

Fresh local shrimp ready to bbq in Cambodian market.    

Enticing exotic food in Asian markets are so very tempting & so very scary for many Western tourists, especially on their first trip. You can see their minds being torn, arguing with themselves, desperate to join the 'I've eaten insects' club but hearing the well meaning words of loved ones, warning them of the hazards of consuming second rate food in a third world country. While staring at a fried bug in their palm, they're wondering if the taste will stick forever in their mouths or be puked up immediately? Will it be an enlightening experience, opening the gourmet gates to a new world of taste sensation? Or will the experience kill them? Or worse? The in between when one is alive but wishing they were dead. When heaving into an already disgusting toilet bowl in a cheap hostel with shared bathroom. Usually the bug is thrown down whole with a squirmish swallow, followed by lots of water. And they have crossed a new threshold. Bolder next time for having joined the club.

Personally l'll give anything a go. Except deep- fried spiders! Point blank, no discussions involved. No amount of money or assurances that ' It tastes just like chicken,' could coerce me into eating an arachnid. Never ever ever! Not even under the heavy influence of alcohol. In fact even the sight of one would be so sobering an experience, that it would be a terrible waste of a night's allowance of tequila.
Fortunately I have never been ill while travelling (touch wood). I have eaten everywhere from Bali to Delhi without the associated belly being slightly upset. I think the trick is to know your own constitution. Some people can become ill drinking a boiled cup of tea at the poshest hotel in the world. While I've eaten street food in Calcutta & gone back for seconds!


I become a bit disappointed at people who are afraid to try new food experiences purely out of prejudice. They recommend a restaurant because it serves Western style cuisine. Or only eat from McDonalds because they know what they are getting. Oh really!! And McDonald's is so much more expensive than the local food.

An enormous part of a country's culture is its food. And l sympathize with anyone who has a delicate constitution. For me one of the best reasons to go to Mexico would be for its burritos & enchiladas, washed down with its tequila. The entertainment of food markets is to see the weird & wonderful. Pigs' ears, jumping frogs, bird's nests, schools of fish swimming in small buckets, chicken foetus, fried scorpions & locusts, along with aromatic fruits that look like medieval weapons and vegetables that you know on sight will taste terrible but are guaranteed to be good for you. Possibly even aphrodisiacal.

The flavoursome sauces in Asia can transform common grubs into great grub. The Americas would never have been discovered if Columbus had not been in search of a shorter route to the spices of Asia. That along with silk & opiates.


I am so looking forward to getting back to Asia for a $2 talli & a green coconut. My tongue dances with the delicious diversity of food there. I swear I can start smelling it already.

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