Bình Phước Province. December 2o1o.
Grilled goat udders. Saigon Beers. Snake hot pot. Ngọc Dương liquor. Late night karaoke session. More Saigon brews. Bed.
The next morning was a veritable grog-fest, and by 10 A.M. it's already searing outside in Phước Long. The mouth is dry and crusty like a day old baguette..need some aqua. This actually wasn't my main concern. In my happy-go-lucky stupor I had willingly agreed the previous night to a breakfast date of dog with a freshly met acquaintance. Normally not something I'd be apprehensive about but this morning my bowels were feeling dangerously volatile. Oh, there's the doorbell. Looks like it's brekkie time.
The next morning was a veritable grog-fest, and by 10 A.M. it's already searing outside in Phước Long. The mouth is dry and crusty like a day old baguette..need some aqua. This actually wasn't my main concern. In my happy-go-lucky stupor I had willingly agreed the previous night to a breakfast date of dog with a freshly met acquaintance. Normally not something I'd be apprehensive about but this morning my bowels were feeling dangerously volatile. Oh, there's the doorbell. Looks like it's brekkie time.
Như had sung the praises of this spot several times over the course of the previous night's festivities, so my curiosity was piqued. I had only sampled dog once before, and that was in South Korea where it came shredded in a spicy soup. In Vietnam there's quite the demand for canine- so much so that tens of thousands of dogs are smuggled from northeast Thailand each month. Như assured me we'd be eating local dogs in order to reduce our carbon footprint. Mind: at ease.
I'll admit bacon and eggs sounded better, but how often to you get the chance to enjoy boiled dog, fermented shrimp paste and rice whiskey for breakfast?! Not every day. Actually this plate of simmered bits and pieces was not my thing. Way to much floppy fat. Instead I decided to hit the bottle of rice wine to 'see what happens'- which by the way is completely different than winging it.
After unsuccessfully gnawing through bits of stringy meat, I was delighted to see the next dish arrive. Grilled chunks of dog coated with sesame seeds and a layer of finely minced lemongrass. The whole deal was grilled to the brink of blackened..just the way global likes it. I also appreciated the fresh herbs and roots on the side. Take a leaf the Vietnamese call lá mơ, drop your grilled hound nugget in the center, add more fresh lemongrass, galangal (riềng), then roll and dip in aforementioned mắm tôm [purple shrimp paste] for a mélange of textures and fragrances. Ngon dễ sợ!!
For dessert, some crisp-skinned roasted pork belly along with the usual suspects. What a morning. What a country.
Stay Resolute.
