I've got dog breath and my puppy might know...

In the continuing interests of trying to give a full, 'tell it like it is' probe on Vietnamese cuisine, on Independence Day, the dog meal came to pass. Let it be known, here and now, that it was no testosterone-charged, boys getting blind, Dutch courage, medieval gnashing flesh from bones type feast. The atmosphere was sombre last supper. In my mind, a soft voice was barking, "You've got a little puppy at home. He will know! Your relationship will never be the same."

Jesus wasn't around to deliver us from this evil, so the other two disciples, JC (true name!), Vietnamesegod (also a mortal!) and I decided to push on for the cause of 'research'. Beer was required and was duly delivered with two huge crunchy rice crackers and a plateful of split cucumber logs to be dipped in chili salt.

The main fare, some of which is grilled roadside, is plonked down on the practical newspaper tablecloth soon after. This traditional seven dish dog spread has been described really bloody well by Vietnamesegod, our more than willing chaperone:

"Cooked Dog meat is just like other dish in Vietnam, served with different herbs and ingredients according to a very special recipe. What we ordered was Grilled dog with galangal and lemongrass, Boiled Dog in a bamboo stock, Stewed Dog with finely chopped lemongrass, Steamed Dog black pudding with peanuts, apricot leaves and sweet basil, Stir fried Dog meat with finely chopped lemongrass, ginger and chilli, Steamed Dog meat over Dog stock, but our favourite was Boiled Dog leg in Dog bone stock with young bamboo. All of these dishes have to be eaten with "mắm tôm"(fermented shrimp sauce), chilli, chopped lemongrass, fresh apricot leaves and squeezed lemon."

It sounds exotic, no doubt offensive to some, but the epicurean experience is a bit lost on me. The head space is too weird and the dog meat (thit cho) itself is only appealing in part: much of it is fatty or chewy or....something! The promise of a surge in virility, while considerable, is just not enough. I do need to dispel this one misconception about the dogmeat dinner. In general, it seems that it is not an unsavoury blokes-only get pissed and horny atrocity. In fact, on our visit, it was Mum, Dad and the kids sitting on the rattan mats splashing out, having a special meal on Independence Day. Not quite like Maccas but not far off!

Along the dyke road, out towards the night flower market, there are several hound houses, all serving it up. I do hope you get the waitress wearing the pyjamas with 'Pe Pe dog' emblazoned on the front to bring your bill.

Doggone it!
Seven dog dishes, five Hanoi beers, for three disciples - 180,000 VND (USD$11.35, AUD$14.75)

Anh Tu Xin Dogmeat Restaurant,
248 Au Co

Comments

[pieman]

So... Did you get any?

Just back in this nutjoint and am looking forward to carving my way through your archives later this week.

Nice work. Woof.

[Sticky]

No...but got doglicked on my return. He knew nothing!

Much Fido action down south?

[violet]

i'm a bit disturbed. i cannot lie. but i love adventurous gourmet so im intrigued as well.

[Sticky]

Intriguing is a good word for this, Violet. Tasty, delicious, beautiful....nah, they belong with other dishes.

[pieman]

Not much dog here at all. I haven't seen any restos and only one dog butcher. They also call it Thit cay, not thit cho down south.

[omih]

What puts me off dog, isn't the fact that it is dog, it's just that it always looks so horrible. Whenever I have been offered dog it has always been boiled, is extremely fatty and it just looks unappealing.

Give me a nice lean char-grilled dog steak and I'm up for it. It's strange, the longer I stay in Vietnam the less adventurous I become. Given how often I frequent Foodshop 45 I'm praying that my next volunteer posting will be India.

Or perhaps Sri Lanka - never been before but I kind of think of it as India-lite.

[violet]

a funny thing i forgot to mention previously is that apparently in los angeles a chinese restaurant (i believe) creates fake dog meat for its customers. i read an article about it forever and ever ago which i goggled and found here www.laweekly.com/ink/04/40/counter-gold.php

[Sticky]

That whole idea, Violet, of creating fake meat - whether it be from other meats or veg. products - has always been beyond me. I overheard a conversation recently where the following was uttered, "It tasted just as good as real chicken", in relation to a fake chicken dish ordered in a restaurant in Hanoi.

Just order the bloody chicken!

[megan( sticky sis)]

well I dont know I may be weird but I prefer to go walking with my dog

[anonymous]

those images are effing DISTURBING!! GET RID OF IT AND TO ALL THE ASIANS OUT THERE STOP EATING DOG AND PET MEAT!!!

[farside]

Loosing my pet dog in Hanoi was a distressing situation. She was a medium dog...that is ten kilos. The going rate for dog is 10 usd a kilo, so I posted a reward millions of dong above her bodyweight. One week and no reported sightings. Two weeks later and I could only imagine the Hunters had dognapped her. I had witnessed this in Danang. A dog fitting after it had been whacked over the head...the hunters returning to drag the dog semi concious onto their bike and race the dog to a local thit chow restaurant.
I imagined I saw my dog...that it was her body shape, crispy skin roasted on a table of a thit restaurant.
I am reading here...the "novelty"and "dare" of dog meat. All I ask is that you consider the origins of what you are consuming. The manner in which dogs are hunted, caught and killed. You may not be eating" farmed' canines. By the way, none of you have consumed my dog. A VN man found the dog and returned her two weeks after she first went missing. He had found her, cared for her and refused the reward money. So for those people do not eat dog meat for cultural reasons and who think eating dog meat is a joke or dare...one word...choke:)

[AuCo]

I could never bring myself to try thit cho, despite the fact that I never shy away from anything in form of food stuffs. I saw a lovely charred dog head while in sapa and could not stomach the thought of eating that feral angry beast, roasted til black..

And I can not help but notice the name of the street... it shares itself with me. I lie not. Have you ever heard the story/history of our name? It's nearly biblical.

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