Duckus Fetus Isus Delicious

in vietnam, november 20 is teachers' day (the day after is 'japanese tourist day,' in case you were wondering). coincidentally, i became a teacher november 19, and the school where i did my teaching practice invited us all to a celebration there in the evening. all the vietnamese teachers were friendly and hospitable, serving us a truly excellent dinner before karaoke-ing the night away. i performed 'beat it,' minus the fire eating and hoola-hooping.

well if you haven't already guessed what i might've eaten at dinner, then maybe i'll just tell you. the waiter brought out several courses and the last one was a plate of eggs next to a pot of boiling water. carrie suspected they were half-born chickens, but in fact the eggs contained duck embryos, which is a delicacy here. she said she'd try one if i had one, and i of course agreed. so the waiter picked up an egg and cracked it open over the pot. i held my hand over my mouth as i watched some blood ooze out just before a baby duck plopped into the water. it looked really nasty - absolutely the worst kind of disgusting. mike, who's been living here for quite some time and who's tried both dog and snake, later told me that he refuses to eat this dish based on looks alone. the only thing that could have made it more appalling would've been if it screamed right as it hit the water. carrie, unsurprisingly, reneged on the deal. i sat there both horrified and hungry.

after letting it cook for what seemed no more than 30 seconds, one of the vietnamese teachers scooped it out and put it in my bowl - 'it' being a sac of yolk, maybe some kind of bloody placental organ (not really sure), and of course the fetus, which in my head i named george. i ate each section in this order and it didn't taste nearly as gross as it looked. when i got to george, i just wished he'd turn into daffy duck and slap me in the face and run away so i wouldn't have to eat him. but he didn't - he went in my mouth and i squished him with my teeth. (everyone's had that fruit snack 'gushers' right? ok now imagine that, except change the fruit snack to a duck fetus and the goo inside to guts.) i was just happy that his bones hadn't really formed yet because that made it easier to chew his frail, aborted little body.

after i finished eating him, i was surprised at how much less disgusting he tasted than he looked. and i was still hungry so i had another, which this time made me gag just a little. i think this one would have been beautiful because its bone structure was a little better formed. i ate it, namelessly, and then had another. this next one made me sad because he reminded me of george... so delicious, except just a little spicier because i dipped him in pepper. i named him jorge.

"so what did it taste like?"
"well i hate to say the obvious, but it really did taste like something halfway between a chicken and an egg, or more appropriately, a duck and an egg."

at this point i think i'd rightfully repulsed everyone at the table except the vietnamese teacher, who was either impressed or properly disgusted. but in my defense, the next morning i said a prayer for george and jorge and the one that was too beautiful to name as i was taking a dump.