Thailand: Don't Eat that Rat Already
Updated: Dec 1, 2020
For many of us, our protein diet is primarily made up of meats or animal products. However, the recent corona virus pandemic is causing us to rethink what we eat and how we eat it. This latest strain of corona virus is believed to have spread from a market in China that sells live animals for consumption. Included in the selection of available animals at the market are rats, snakes and wolf pups.
These are animals some of us would never dream of eating; not on an off day, and not on any other day either. Yet, reptiles and rodents are common dishes in many countries and eating them as fresh as possible is usually the safest way to have them. Some of the reasons behind eating these animals are 1) Rodents and reptiles live in abundance in certain regions and therefore make easy preys for those higher up on the food chain. 2) Eating these animals as fresh as possible cuts down on the risks of diseases which develop in warm temperatures and when food is left lying around for long periods. 3) Eating these rodents and reptiles aids population control. So you see, there is some common sense behind eating these animals and eating them as fresh as possible.
Where I come from, rodents and reptiles rarely if ever make it to the dinner table, which is why whenever I visit countries that serve up these rarities, I make use of the opportunity to improve my palate.
Floating Market The Sarika WaterFall
About two years ago, my husband and I were returning from a countryside excursion near Bangkok, Thailand. It was a warm day and we had just visited the floating market, a waterfall and a few other attractions. Our blood was pumping fast and we were in high spirits.
As we drove along, I spotted a street vendor selling meats which hanged from a pole. I asked our interpreter what the meats were and he told us that they were grilled field rats. He went on to explain the importance of the field rats in his community. Grilled field rats are a delicacy in the region of Thailand that he comes from. They are available in abundance and provide many poorer families with an affordable source of protein. They are one of the best meats anyone could have. Their chicken- beef taste makes them appealing to a wide variety of meat lovers and when cooked properly, the meat falls off the bones. His mouth was literally drooling by the time he got done talking and when he got done describing those cooked rats, our stomachs were rumbling with desire. We had to get some of this delicious goodness that he had just described so we told him that if he spotted any other street vendors selling rats, we would stop and get some.
Sure enough, just before taking that turn that leads back into Bangkok city, we chanced upon a woman, who was standing by the side of the road, next to a field with a river running through it. It was a scene from a food lover's poetry tour. The vendor was selling live catfish, flayed fish and grilled rats. The interpreter explained to us that the fish was caught from the adjacent river and the rats were caught in the fields. They were as fresh as they come. We could hardly contain ourselves. As he ordered a dozen live fish to take home and share with his family, I placed an order for a serving of grilled rat.
I was twiddling my thumb and doing internal cartwheels at the thought of tasting this highly appraised dish when the interpreter walked up to me and interrupted my enthusiasm. "I honestly don't think I would eat these rats," he exclaimed.
I look at him puzzled. "What do you mean? You just told me that field rats are the best thing since sliced bread."
"Yes," he replied, matter-of-factly. "The field rats prepared in my village are delicious but these rats look as if they have been hacked in the field and sloppily prepared."
I looked around me. He was right. There were flies everywhere, feasting on exposed meat. The grilled rats still had blood dripping from them. My goodness! I was about to eat rare-cooked rats when I never even eat meats that are not at least medium done when cooked. What was I thinking? It must have been the heat, the excitement of the vacation or plain uncensored curiosity. Chances are it was all of those things combined, but the fact was that I was not thinking. In that split moment, I made a decision to ingest a product without giving it due consideration. I know what you are saying; "Well, we do this everyday." "We eat all sorts of things without thinking about what they are, where they are from, how they were prepared." You are probably right. We make these hasty decisions everyday without thinking about what we are doing to our bodies. However, once in a while something happens that reminds us that we should exercise prudence in our meal choices.
The present corona virus was not known to me back then when I was on vacation in Thailand.
However, the presence or absence of this virus does not absolve me and us from the duty to take care of our bodies. Wherever we are, whether at home or abroad, we need to exercise caution about what we eat, where we eat it from, and how it is prepared. Don't be fearful but also don't allow curiosity to cause us to stuff just about anything down our throats. Once it goes down, the repercussions can be sickly or even deadly. This is a lesson I learnt before this last strain of corona virus hit. Now of course, the corona virus is spread in more ways than the consumption of infected foods. However, the point remains that we have to be careful about the foods we consume.
I am still a food lover and I still like to try new and exciting foods. I don't think I will ever stop trying to improve my palate. However, I do approach foods differently and with a new sense of discretion.
After our interpreter alerted me to the unhygienic state of the rats, I opted not to eat them and instead we moved along to the other street side vendors where I sampled from the wide array of fresh fruits. Fruits may not be as adventurous as eating a rat but believe me, our palates can develop quite a bit from eating new fruits. Take the dorian fruit for example; it has a smooth, custard-apple taste and an ice cream texture but you will only know those things about it if you can manage to put it in your mouth and bite down on it. That in itself is a challenge because the dorian fruit has a scent that could kill a skunk. So, there's a fruit food challenge for you!
Don't take my word for it. Next time you travel or vacation outside of your country, go to the nearby food places, enjoy the exquisite rat and snake stews, sample the dorians but remember to eat from reputable places that you know are clean.
Until next time:
Venture Out. Keep exploring. Travel Smart and Stay safe.
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