3 Ginger Snaps

Hil is a wizard on trip advisor. In fact, when it comes to finding places to eat that are good for the kids, good for the budget, and good for our bellies, she hasn’t missed yet. And tonight’s dinner was no exception. 

We spent the morning of today on a bike tour of Bangkok. It was very challenging. We cycled through all kinds of back alleys, the markets of Bangkok’s China Town, and farm fields. A lot of the trip was spent on paths that were 1.5m or less in diameter. We also spent some of the trip on a long tail boat cruising the canals in the city – and that part was pretty awesome. 

We visited an awesome Wat where we met a 16m tall Buddha and got to ring the bell. 3 times is good luck. 4 times is bad news. 

And we fed some crazy catfish!

But I’m way off topic – back to dinner. The bike ride was physically and mentally demanding and we needed a place for dinner within walking distance of the hotel. Hil nailed it by finding a place that was just about 500m away and filled with locals which we always interpret as a good sign. The menu was extensive with all kinds of Thai delights and for some reason or another, the one that was calling out to me tonight was frog. 

Let’s back up a minute. For the year preceding our departure I ate an almost vegan diet. I cheated on the diet at Christmas, at Thanksgiving, and when I ate the smoked pork chops from Maple Grove Farm, and a few other times too. I wasn’t much of a vegan. I was more of a flexatariane. And, truth be told, this trip has really made me want to get back to a less environmentally taxing diet – but that’s a blog post for a different day. On the other hand – one of the most amazing things about Asia thus far has been the food and everything is on the menu. So tonight it was frog!

When I ordered the frog the kids were less than impressed. Ruby and Charlotte both reluctantly agreed to try it so that could tell people they had and Hil said she was in. But things changed fast for the table when we watched through the window right beside our table as a cook from the kitchen walked over to a large glass tank, reach in, grab an enormous live frog and walk back to the kitchen. A good reminder for all of us as to where food comes from. 

The frog arrived at the table minutes later, gutted, skinned and deep fried And with the spiciest sauce we have encountered in Asia yet:

No turning back. 

Charlotte in anticipation:

Ruby contemplating her first and only bite:

Honestly… It tastes like a chicken wing – only its chewier. My traveling companions were good sports about the whole thing – but I ended up eating most of the frog. And I enjoyed it. And now these guys are down to 3…