(R-rated WARNING: the video and pictures at the bottom of the text are of very explicit nature)
When it comes to food, I definitely have the reputation of being a human waste bin. Being a triathlete certainly doesn’t help either, calories are my dearest friends. Nonetheless, I’ve always been a huge fan of the finer cuisine and I just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to eat a Vietnamese delicacy, the cobra.
Snakes are mindboggling creatures, not only for their ecological value, but also for the symbolic fear they have represented over the ages. Make no mistake though, snakes are more afraid of us than any other predator. Still, I wouldn’t sign up for a wrestling match with a boa or a game of chicken with a cobra.
A few months ago, my colleagues and I went to a small snake restaurant in a dodgy alley near our work. As we entered the kitchen, we could see all the cotton bags and metal cages where the snakes were being held. Being the curious self, I couldn’t resist the temptation of picking up one or two bags and looking into the cages. The chef quickly pulled me back, wagging his finger, not this cage: spitting cobras. Oeps!!!
“Time to rock and roll”, thought the chef. He grabbed a snake and with the assistance of a female relative, he used some scissors to cut off the cobra’s head. The reptile’s body was incredibly tense. Then again, how would you feel with a snipping guillotine next to your head? Immediately, the chef took a knife, cut open the snake’s “belly” and let the blood run into a plastic cup. The heart and other major organs were also removed. The blood and organs were later mixed with a bottle of vodka. The belief is that it has an aphrodisiac effect on especially men. I had one shot, didn’t feel the difference to be honest.
The main meal turned out to be a bit disappointing. The adrenaline rush the snakes had before seeing the big shiny gate opening, their reunion with Adam & Eve and the infamous red apple, had a bad effect on the meat, resulting in a chewy culinary experience. If the animals were killed in a more humane manner, I assume the flesh would have been much tastier and more succulent.
Is going to a Vietnamese snake restaurant shocking? Most definitely! Does an animal rights organization have the right to call me a barbarian? On this occasion, yes they can. It was an interesting cultural experience to say the least, but that was about the only positive note. I’m a passionate omnivore with an animal-loving heart (I know, it’s a contradiction). The snakes deserved to meet their end in a more civilized manner.
When it comes to food, I definitely have the reputation of being a human waste bin. Being a triathlete certainly doesn’t help either, calories are my dearest friends. Nonetheless, I’ve always been a huge fan of the finer cuisine and I just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to eat a Vietnamese delicacy, the cobra.
Snakes are mindboggling creatures, not only for their ecological value, but also for the symbolic fear they have represented over the ages. Make no mistake though, snakes are more afraid of us than any other predator. Still, I wouldn’t sign up for a wrestling match with a boa or a game of chicken with a cobra.
A few months ago, my colleagues and I went to a small snake restaurant in a dodgy alley near our work. As we entered the kitchen, we could see all the cotton bags and metal cages where the snakes were being held. Being the curious self, I couldn’t resist the temptation of picking up one or two bags and looking into the cages. The chef quickly pulled me back, wagging his finger, not this cage: spitting cobras. Oeps!!!
“Time to rock and roll”, thought the chef. He grabbed a snake and with the assistance of a female relative, he used some scissors to cut off the cobra’s head. The reptile’s body was incredibly tense. Then again, how would you feel with a snipping guillotine next to your head? Immediately, the chef took a knife, cut open the snake’s “belly” and let the blood run into a plastic cup. The heart and other major organs were also removed. The blood and organs were later mixed with a bottle of vodka. The belief is that it has an aphrodisiac effect on especially men. I had one shot, didn’t feel the difference to be honest.
The main meal turned out to be a bit disappointing. The adrenaline rush the snakes had before seeing the big shiny gate opening, their reunion with Adam & Eve and the infamous red apple, had a bad effect on the meat, resulting in a chewy culinary experience. If the animals were killed in a more humane manner, I assume the flesh would have been much tastier and more succulent.
Is going to a Vietnamese snake restaurant shocking? Most definitely! Does an animal rights organization have the right to call me a barbarian? On this occasion, yes they can. It was an interesting cultural experience to say the least, but that was about the only positive note. I’m a passionate omnivore with an animal-loving heart (I know, it’s a contradiction). The snakes deserved to meet their end in a more civilized manner.
The removal of the snake's internal organs
Snake soup with gingerThe cutting open of the snake stomach
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