Dear Folks,

 

Anyone who loves roast meat must, IMHO, choose either Pork Loin or Suckling Lambs, but never Breasts of Chicken, at least in Chiang Mai.  After many years here, I have found this to be just too true.

 

This is why I am now planning to pay a bit more for the meat of the lamb, or the pig, rather than the chicken, anytime I am in the mood for a roast.

 

My all-time favorite roast meat must be lamb, and there is no other meat which can compare for its succulence and decadence.

 

Back in the early years of 1990, I sometimes travelled to Dalian, China, where I visited a restaurant that served up one of the best roasts of suckling lamb I had ever tasted.

 

It was tender, and it was fragrant.

Also, there in Dalian, the habit is to roast the lamb with plenty of cumin seeds.

Cumin seeds are just right for roast suckling lamb.

 

 

 

But is it really possible to buy the same suckling lamb in Chiang Mai, for about the same reasonable price you might expect to pay in Dalian, China, up around the Northeastern Part of the Middle Kingdom?  And if not, then why not.  And if so, then where?

 

Here is just one recipe for suckling lamb I found on YT, but it is not, most likely, the same recipe that I enjoyed so much in Dalian, when I was there, multiple times:

 

 

 

The only point I am making here is that if one can find a suckling lamb in Chiang Mai, for a decent price, then one might be able to adjust the recipe, and also be able to replicate the fine meal I had in Dalian, China, even without the camaraderie and drunkenness at almost every table.

 

For example, is there some sort of Lamb Farm which sells lambs, here in Chiang Mai?

 

Or, even better, is there a reliable Thai importer of flash-frozen suckling lambs, those which have been raised in the North of China?

 

Since early childhood, my favorite roast has always been lamb.

Some prefer a roast beef thing.

Yet, roast beef cannot compare to lamb.

 

Do you remember, for example, in the 1967 film “Far From The Madding Sheep”?

When that dumb dog caused an entire flock, en masse, to jump off the cliff to the rocks below, and the crashing sea, and the cruel wind?  It was an ill wind that blew upon Bates, that fateful day!

 

And, just how sorry it was for Alan Bates to see that sight, and the wastage of his flock of sheep….My heart still grieves for Alan, RIP.

 

I have not had roast suckling lamb in a very long time, about 29 years.

 

And so, why wait any longer?  Am I getting any younger?

 

“You only live Twice”, as the saying goes:  Once when one is born, and again when one tastes a suckling lamb, roasted to perfection.  These are the two truly significant moments in one’s life, as far as we know.

 

Naturally, I do not expect to eat suckling lamb every day.

Maybe once every two months would be enough for me.

Otherwise, I might get bored with it.

 

By the way: I do not eat, and would never consider eating….mutton.

 

As I have stated above, the thing I love about eating suckling lamb in Dalian, China is that the guys in restaurants there seem to enjoy piling on the CUMIN SEEDS.  In America, when I was young, at least in my neighborhood on the Main Line, we never piled on the cumin seeds.  We had lamb, but not suckling lamb.  And, we had our lamb withOUT the cumin seeds…  What a total waste!

 

In truth, I must admit, whenever I recall my several times visiting Dalian, China, during the 1990s, my mouth cannot help but water.

 

Those days, sadly, are now long gone…..(Same with those glorious days when I lived in Hong Kong, before the Commie-Takeover, 1997.)

 

Alas, alas, alas…..!!!

Gamma

 

Note:  Nothing good lasts forever, except, maybe, suckling lambs….and cumin seeds.

 

Note2:  What, exactly, might a suckling lamb actually be?.....

 

 

Note3:  And, what does a suckling lamb actually LOOK LIKE, in real life?....

 

 

Note4:  I know that it might seem almost heartless to eat one of these suckling lambs. But..... You Only Live Twice  (Ian Flemming).......

 

 

 

==============

 

Poor Alan,

He lost his sheep....

It happened one day, as Bates did stray Into a meadow hard by, There he espied their tails, side by side, All hung on the rocks to dry.

 

 

 

 

Forgot to add:

 

Just in case you might think me cruel in my love of lamb....

 

Before I dine on suckling lamb,

I bow my head,

Give thanks...

 

And recite the anthem, Beasts of England, for this is the least that I can do, 

Just to give thanks in my small way.

 

"Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland
Beasts of every land and clime
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time

Soon or late the day is coming
Tyrant Man shall be overthrown
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone

Rings shall vanish from our noses
And the harness from our back
Bit and spur shall rust forever
Cruel whips no more shall crack

Riches more than mind can picture
Wheat and barley, oats and hay
Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels
Shall be ours upon that day

Bright will shine the fields of England
Purer shall its waters be
Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes
On the day that sets us free

For that day we all must labour
Though we die before it break
Cows and horses, geese and turkeys
All must toil for freedom's sake

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland
Beasts of every land and clime
Hearken well and spread my tidings
Of the golden future time."

 

Is it wrong of my to love roast lamb?

Maybe....

 

Still, it tastes delicious.

 

Hope I can find it for the right price here in CM.

 

Thank you,

Gamma

 

 

Xinjiang has BBQ stalls selling lamb skewers all over the place.

 

Those guys know how to party, man. 

 

 

Never liked it always has a gamey taste.

18 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Never liked it always has a gamey taste.

 

Perhaps, you should just add more CUMIN, and then try it again?

 

The Chinese know how to cook lamb so that it tastes like something almost akin to the mythical taste of ambrosia.

 

Western recipes might not be as good.

 

Therefore, try again, next time you are in Dalian.

 

 

8 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Perhaps, you should just add more CUMIN, and then try it again?

 

The Chinese know how to cook lamb so that it tastes like something almost akin to the mythical taste of ambrosia.

 

Western recipes might not be as good.

 

Therefore, try again, next time you are in Dalian.

 

 

Ok thanks