Incredible
edible
A pictured list of things that are eaten in SEAasia that we would not eat in the West. Most of them I tried.
Various insects
I have tried most of them. Bamboo worm delicious, all other ok, fully acceptable as food for me. Eating cockroaches is an urban myth, I have not found a reliable source.
Here a stall that has them all with their Thai name:
Fried spiders in Cambodia
On my first trip in Cambodia (Jul 2014), I saw these fried spiders on a stop halfway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. At that time I didn't have the courage, and after I never saw them again. (But ask a local in Jun 2017: one dollar per piece, he has eaten it recently.)
Fried scorpion
On sale in Khao San and other touristy places, but I have never seen it elsewhere, so it might be a gimmick and the locals lough about the stupid tourist.
Unhatched chicken
I have only my memories and one poor quality picture (unhatched chicken on the left, bamboo worm on the right) I took in 2010. After that, I haven't seen them again. Beak and bones are so soft, you barely notice when eating. Seems to be widely available elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(food).
Chicken ass
I wrote about chicken ass here: http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2014/10/oh-my-god-11-chicken-ass.html. Eating it was just by chance, I didn't know what exactly I was eating until I found out much later.
Chicken feet
No sorry, I won't get that on my plate.
Fried rat
I was in a hurry, so I took only pictures but didn't try. (Wat Muang in Ang Thong)
Variations of frog
Raw frog at Klong Toey market:
I had frog in various forms (dried salted in Thailand, and fried in Malaysia 2010 and in Myanmar 2017), all fine for me.
Fermented Sala Loy Gaeow and guava juice
Sala Loy Gaew สละลอยเก้ว is delicious. Those I bought quickly (within 2 days) started to ferment, the plastic bulging and in one case the lid coming off with a bang from the pressure by carbon dioxide formed. Everyone else would probably just discard it, but I made a sensory test: smells good, and a small sample tastes good, and found the fermented is even more delicious than the original.
I forgot an opened bottle of guava juice before a trip, and when I came it was bloated and evolved gas upon opening, but still ok to drink.
Left: bloated plastic cans (usually they come with a label on the lid; contents 200 g for 40 THB or 3 cans for 100), right glass (Tops Silom Complex, 680 g for 115 THB). In glass did not ferment.
Papaya seeds
I read somewhere [citation below] that large amounts of papaya seeds are unhealthy, whereas elsewhere [citation below] multiple health benefits are claimed. I have to try myself: eating up to 1 kg of papaya including seeds per week for a month did not have any ill effect on me. They have a spicy taste similar to capers or nasturtium (the entire plant is edible!) or orange lily flowers or mustard, which I all like.
Side Effects Of Eating Too Much Papaya Seeds https://www.boldsky.com/health/wellness/2015/side-effects-of-eating-too-much-papaya-seeds-94321.html
Health Benefits of Papaya Seeds: To Fight Cancer, Healthy Digestion and to Detoxify Your Body
http://www.1mhealthtips.com/health-benefits-of-papaya-seeds-to-fight-cancer-healthy-digestion-and-to-detoxify-your-body/
See here as well:
http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/5626-gross-things-to-eat-in-thailand/
Copyright 2017 ChristianPFC
A pictured list of things that are eaten in SEAasia that we would not eat in the West. Most of them I tried.
Various insects
I have tried most of them. Bamboo worm delicious, all other ok, fully acceptable as food for me. Eating cockroaches is an urban myth, I have not found a reliable source.
Here a stall that has them all with their Thai name:
Fried spiders in Cambodia
On my first trip in Cambodia (Jul 2014), I saw these fried spiders on a stop halfway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. At that time I didn't have the courage, and after I never saw them again. (But ask a local in Jun 2017: one dollar per piece, he has eaten it recently.)
Fried scorpion
On sale in Khao San and other touristy places, but I have never seen it elsewhere, so it might be a gimmick and the locals lough about the stupid tourist.
Unhatched chicken
I have only my memories and one poor quality picture (unhatched chicken on the left, bamboo worm on the right) I took in 2010. After that, I haven't seen them again. Beak and bones are so soft, you barely notice when eating. Seems to be widely available elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(food).
Chicken ass
I wrote about chicken ass here: http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2014/10/oh-my-god-11-chicken-ass.html. Eating it was just by chance, I didn't know what exactly I was eating until I found out much later.
Chicken feet
No sorry, I won't get that on my plate.
Fried rat
I was in a hurry, so I took only pictures but didn't try. (Wat Muang in Ang Thong)
Variations of frog
Raw frog at Klong Toey market:
I had frog in various forms (dried salted in Thailand, and fried in Malaysia 2010 and in Myanmar 2017), all fine for me.
Fermented Sala Loy Gaeow and guava juice
Sala Loy Gaew สละลอยเก้ว is delicious. Those I bought quickly (within 2 days) started to ferment, the plastic bulging and in one case the lid coming off with a bang from the pressure by carbon dioxide formed. Everyone else would probably just discard it, but I made a sensory test: smells good, and a small sample tastes good, and found the fermented is even more delicious than the original.
I forgot an opened bottle of guava juice before a trip, and when I came it was bloated and evolved gas upon opening, but still ok to drink.
Left: bloated plastic cans (usually they come with a label on the lid; contents 200 g for 40 THB or 3 cans for 100), right glass (Tops Silom Complex, 680 g for 115 THB). In glass did not ferment.
Papaya seeds
I read somewhere [citation below] that large amounts of papaya seeds are unhealthy, whereas elsewhere [citation below] multiple health benefits are claimed. I have to try myself: eating up to 1 kg of papaya including seeds per week for a month did not have any ill effect on me. They have a spicy taste similar to capers or nasturtium (the entire plant is edible!) or orange lily flowers or mustard, which I all like.
Side Effects Of Eating Too Much Papaya Seeds https://www.boldsky.com/health/wellness/2015/side-effects-of-eating-too-much-papaya-seeds-94321.html
Health Benefits of Papaya Seeds: To Fight Cancer, Healthy Digestion and to Detoxify Your Body
http://www.1mhealthtips.com/health-benefits-of-papaya-seeds-to-fight-cancer-healthy-digestion-and-to-detoxify-your-body/
See here as well:
http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/5626-gross-things-to-eat-in-thailand/
Copyright 2017 ChristianPFC
