One creature that hadn't thus far made the list was the humble frog. Whilst being happy to scoff snails by the bucket (as long as they are smothered in garlic butter - I draw the line at sashimi), there is something off-putting about frogs. Perhaps its because they can usually be seen in the market either hopping around in a string bag with their friends and families, or freshly skinned highlighting their pink skeletomuscular systems ready for a dissection workshop in a biology class.
Sooner or later I thought I would get past this squeamishness. And that day came yesterday at the outdoor night food stalls in the riverside town of Chau Doc, deep in the Mekong Delta. Perusing the menu, one dish jumped out at me - Fried Cooperative Chilli Rice Frog.
Having walked through the market earlier where pretty much everything that wasn't dried was either squirming, squawking, flapping or jumping, I was confident it would be fresh. At just $1 a plate, including rice and vegetables the price was right as well.
I was intrigued as to what made the frog cooperative. It is not often you have the opportunity to collaborate with your dinner. Regretably enquiries of the staff and a couple of helpful fellow diners were unable to shed any light on this.
Still it had to be done. Taking a deep breath I pointed to the first item on the menu.
So how was it? The sauce packed a good chilli punch and included peanuts for added crunch. The frog had been chopped into bite sized pieces and a little bit of work was involved in dealing with the small bones. The meat was tender and flavoursome.
So what did it taste like? In all honesty - a bit like chicken.
I never did find out what makes a frog cooperative.
Perhaps the next challenge is duck embryo's!
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