Bitten off more that we can Meoww

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Just a quick update on the culinary "delights" that we have subjected ourselves to in Vietnam. We said we would be open minded and try as much as possible and so far so good.

So in my previous blog I had mentioned trying crabs, buffallo, frog and different types of duck ... that wasn't so bizzare or out of the comfort zone.

But NOW we have recently been taken to try local delicacies on the street by our Vietnamese friend Kevin. First we tried Duck Tongue ... it was duck, but not the part that I had ever considered eating before. I must say that although it is quite crunchy, once you forget to be nervous about what you were eating, it tasted quite nice. The street vendors typically each have their own specal delicacy and they turn that one piece of food into countless dishes with different sauces or spices. My rating 6/10

Next we tried "black chicken", I had never heard of such a thing and visibly cringed when the plate of black chicken legs were brought out for the hot pot. No matter how hard I tried I could not like this. Even when cooked it remained the same horrific colour, and had the same soft, squidgy texture ... not to mention it was quite tough to stick your teeth into. I ate one leg and that was enough, I even psyched myself up to chew on the claw as apparently the Vietnamese eat EVERYTHING. Ha, what am I saying, they do eat everything. Even the heads were then cooked and eaten, including the mushy chicken brain. I think if I wasn't slightly intoxicated by the dozens of rice wine shots that accompany every traditional meal, that I would have been sick there and then. My rating 1/10

Finally we tried (and try not to judge us to harshly) CAT. It was a hard decision but we decided to give it a go as it is extremely common in Vietnam. Waste not, and all that malarky. My only way of describing the taste is a mixture between pork and beef, but slightly gamey. The look and texture of it simply reminded me of a cold meat presented at a buffet table. To be honest if I had not been told it was cat I wouldn't have known the difference. My only fault was that the cat meat seemed quite fatty at parts. My rating 7/10

Sorry to all of those that are grossed out by the thought of trying food like this but as the saying goes "When in Rome ..." To make up for it though I will finish by saying that despite all of the weird foods found in HaiPhong, it is possible to find some normal things. Recently a french bakery has opened and the pastries, pain au chocolat, and hot chocolates are divine. So check out the pics.

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