zondag 5 februari 2012

Pat thai
(thai fried noodles)

Pad Thai or Phat Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย [pʰàt tʰāj], "fried Thai style") is a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce (Thai: น้ำปลา), tamarind juice, red chilli pepper, plus any combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime.
 The dish had been known in ancient Siam in various forms for centuries. The variant of noodle was brought to the ancient Thai capital of Ayuthaya by Vietnamese traders. However, it was first made popular as a national dish by Luang Phibunsongkhram when he was prime minister during the 1930s and 1940s, partly as an element of his campaign for Thai nationalism and centralization, and partly for a campaign to reduce rice consumption in Thailand. The Thai economy at this time was heavily dependent on rice exports; Phibunsongkhram hoped to increase the amount available for export by launching a campaign to educate the poor in the production of rice noodles, as well as in the preparation of these noodles with other ingredients to sell in small cafes and from street carts. Nowadays Pad Thai has become a widespread staple food and is one of Thailand's national dishes..

vrijdag 3 februari 2012

One Cobra. please.

Cobra eating in Le mat, hanoi, vietnam
Le Mat is a small village located in Long Bien District in the capital city of Hanoi. The village has long been famous for a traditional job: catching snakes. It is rumored that even the kids there are skillful in doing the job, and that's why there is no snakes left in the village and its surroundings. Nowadays, hundreds of families breed snakes to supply the snake restaurants in the village.

Not only famous for the talent of catching snakes, the village is also well-known for serving dishes made from the reptiles. Just half an hour's driving from the center of Hanoi, you will find yourself in Le Mat village

 The most popular snakes served in these restaurants are cobra's and they are all alive.

Guests can see how the chosen snake is prepared. Its heart and gall are poured into glasses of wine to drink. Other parts of the snake are cooked in different ways to make around ten dishes, for instance: grilled, fried, wrapped in leaves, rice soup, etc... Besides, snake alcohol is quite popular because it is believed to make ones healthier.
when the snake is butchered they show-off the poison spraying from the fangs