Can't Believe Anybody Could Eat/enjoy This "food"

[Lopburi99]

In the past I've gotten a whiff of something awful smelling in the markets before, but never got too close to it. Anyway, the wife brought some home yesterday. OMG!!! Smelled absolutely revolting! Like something rotten or almost like you-know-what. It comes in a dark brown paste and has a very, very strong odor - quick to saturate the air. She calls it (I have no idea how to spell this, sorry) something like "Kho Pit". Supposedly it is liked especially by Isaans and eaten with sticky rice but everybody in my wife's family likes it too (Aloy mah [delicious] they say!). Can't fathom a farang could ever stomache it! I couldn't even be in the same room with it (to everybody's belly-laughing!), escaping to the kitchen to turn on the fan for relief. Does anybody know what it might be? Any expats actually LIKE it ??? I enjoy most Thai food but this dish is over the top for me!

Edited September 29, 2008 by Lopburi99

[Farma]

You discovered Kapi. Wait til she brings home some Pladak.

[Lopburi99]

You discovered Kapi. Wait til she brings home some Pladak.

What animal/fish/reptile/critter is it made from, out of curiosity? Do you know?

[Farma]

Pickled mud fish is the name I believe. A good mate loved the suck the bones dry.

[PeaceBlondie]

I originally posted similar threads here until we got the Western Food forum. I realized that it is not polite to tell people in the next stall that their shit stinks. Not kosher to tell football fans they follow a silly sport. Yes, to some of us Thai food is wretchedly wretching. Three well-dressed Thai ladies clumped in front of some food booths at the Tops market and I thought they forgot to change their underwear. I held my breath and made a hasty retreat. I used to just think it was ginger that stunk up the food, but there are several guilty culprits. But it is like insulting another person's sexual preference - they do not want to hear it.

Had hamburger today with crisp bacon, fries, lettuce, cheese, etc. Then bought a bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese chips. That's real food.

My apologies to all the offended little old Thai ladies..

[Bizz]

Pickled mud fish is the name I believe. A good mate loved the suck the bones dry.

Out of curiosity is this paste the same stuff added to Sum Tam.

[BigSnake]

I concur LopBuri99, in spike of the smell the Thais (some) love it, it's their culture. My I suggest get use to it or do as I do, when she and her friend/family start to eat the STUFF use it as an excuse to head off to your local watering hole(Pub/bar) for a few beers with your friends. .

[imaneggspurt]

My wife is BANNED from making that if i am within 5 miles of home, ill eat anything but that is about the only thing that makes me urge,....

[Lopburi99]

... Three well-dressed Thai ladies clumped in front of some food booths at the Tops market and I thought they forgot to change their underwear. I held my breath and made a hasty retreat.

PB, I enjoy the articulation of your sense of humor in your TV posts - often quite humorous!

(I realized the possibility of offense so I tried to keep the posting light-hearted. However, this is an ex-pat forum after all so I decided to go ahead and make the post knowing you mods would kick it off if inappropriate)

[chiliwasabi]

Does anybody know what it might be? Any expats actually LIKE it ??? I enjoy most Thai food but this dish is over the top for me!

It is actually just regular shrimp paste (kapi) or possibly Nam Prik Kapi (which is made from shrimp paste and looks more like diarrhea) not pla ra (fermented mud fish). While I have used it for years is when cooking I don't like to eat it straight out the pack.

I don't mind the smell though.

Edited September 30, 2008 by chiliwasabi

[Chaimai]

Had hamburger today with crisp bacon, fries, lettuce, cheese, etc. Then bought a bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese chips. That's real food.

My apologies to all the offended little old Thai ladies..

Only offended by the Falang sh!t that you found it necessary to eat That is worse than admitting to not deviant sexual practices (not that I am suggesting for one minute that PB would do such a thing )

[phaethon]

I remember coming across a fish market somewhere between China town and Wat Po (I was on one of my wanderings...) and the stink from huge vats of fish guts etc. almost had me hurling, into the vats if I hadn't got out of there sharpish. Probably wouldn't have stopped them selling it though...

They should put some of these in the markets (from Gulliver's gents' toilet, the Thai word is onomatopoeic ):

[Tim207]

In the past I've gotten a whiff of something awful smelling in the markets before, but never got too close to it. Anyway, the wife brought some home yesterday. OMG!!! Smelled absolutely revolting! Like something rotten or almost like you-know-what. It comes in a dark brown paste and has a very, very strong odor - quick to saturate the air. She calls it (I have no idea how to spell this, sorry) something like "Kho Pit". Supposedly it is liked especially by Isaans and eaten with sticky rice but everybody in my wife's family likes it too (Aloy mah [delicious] they say!). Can't fathom a farang could ever stomache it! I couldn't even be in the same room with it (to everybody's belly-laughing!), escaping to the kitchen to turn on the fan for relief. Does anybody know what it might be? Any expats actually LIKE it ??? I enjoy most Thai food but this dish is over the top for me!

I will admit to liking nam pik kapi but I am not sure if this is what you are talking about. I don't think it smells that bad, thus my doubt.

A spoonfull over ripe sataw bean pith and some rice, or use as a dip for raw makhua. That is definitely good eats.

[pampal]

I have seen some revolting stuff in Europe in my travels, like Green Haring, which is Haring in various stages of putrifaction.

I believe the Scandinavians also eat rotting shark meat, but it's only done once a year.

Some farang can eat this stuff and enjoy it.

[Lopburi99]

I have seen some revolting stuff in Europe in my travels, like Green Haring, which is Haring in various stages of putrifaction.

I believe the Scandinavians also eat rotting shark meat, but it's only done once a year.

Some farang can eat this stuff and enjoy it.

Yes, I remember seeing the TV guy Anthony Bourdain going to Iceland to sample the food there. He ate some of that rotted shark meat and said it was the most awful food he had ever eaten. He travels worldwide reporting on TV his various "adventures".

[aircut]

One of the more revolting foods i encountered was a salad in an Hilton hotel in the states. i would not feed my rabbits with this grade of lettuce. oh. and they did have onion tower on the menu as well....

note the sophistication of the food style and the branch sauce served in a disposable cup.

[Lopburi99]

Actually, another highly popular food in Western countries is bleu (blue) cheese. I read somewhere the Chinese find this cheese totally repulsive, which honestly does not surprise me. Perhaps Thais dislike it as well. Gotta say though, an ice cold wedge of lettuce smothered with creamy, rich Roquefort dressing sounds mighty good right now! Aloy Mah !!

Edited October 1, 2008 by Lopburi99

[AmeriThai]

I have seen some revolting stuff in Europe in my travels, like Green Haring, which is Haring in various stages of putrifaction.

I believe the Scandinavians also eat rotting shark meat, but it's only done once a year.

Some farang can eat this stuff and enjoy it.

Yes, I remember seeing the TV guy Anthony Bourdain going to Iceland to sample the food there. He ate some of that rotted shark meat and said it was the most awful food he had ever eaten. He travels worldwide reporting on TV his various "adventures".

Andrew Zimmern is another who enjoys sampling bizarre and sometimes revolting foods around the world. In one or two segments, the food was so gag-inducing that he had to spit it out.

[desertrat]

maybe there is a reduced sense of smell here, to see foxy office girls supping their noodles next to a klong full of turds is not unusual.

Notice also asian tourists can sit ankle deep in garbage at the street food tables.

Maybe Bear Grillz could come here.

Edited October 2, 2008 by desertrat

[chiliwasabi]

I guess it depends what you are used to. I have never had a problem with any of the smells Asia has to offer and have always enjoyed odorous foods that seem to be somewhat off putting to a lot of farangs.

For me the most offensive smell I can think of is cheese. Especially grilled cheese

[IMA_FARANG]

In the past I've gotten a whiff of something awful smelling in the markets before, but never got too close to it. Anyway, the wife brought some home yesterday. OMG!!! Smelled absolutely revolting! Like something rotten or almost like you-know-what. It comes in a dark brown paste and has a very, very strong odor - quick to saturate the air. She calls it (I have no idea how to spell this, sorry) something like "Kho Pit". Supposedly it is liked especially by Isaans and eaten with sticky rice but everybody in my wife's family likes it too (Aloy mah [delicious] they say!). Can't fathom a farang could ever stomache it! I couldn't even be in the same room with it (to everybody's belly-laughing!), escaping to the kitchen to turn on the fan for relief. Does anybody know what it might be? Any expats actually LIKE it ??? I enjoy most Thai food but this dish is over the top for me!

I don't eat that....but sometimes the strongest most offensive smelling food turns out to be very good tasting....if you can get by the smell.

Everybody who spent any time in South Vietnam (other than shooting at the locals) came in contact with the Vietnamese fermented fish sauce, Nouc Mam (or similar sounding spelling). It's made from the parts of fish that can't be cooked and eaten. Traditionally it is made in a clay pot with a faucet at the bottom. The fish parts are put in the clay pot, and heavy wieghts are placed on top. As the fish guts ferment (i.e. rot) a liqued gathers in the botom of the clay pot. At some point the faucet is opened, and liqued is drained off. This is fermented fish guts, Nouc Mam. Smell....well what do you think rotting fish guts smell like? If you can get by the smell it has a wonderful taste on rice, sweet but also adds a distinctive nutty taste to the rice. We used to call Air Vietnam Air Nouc Mam, because they served it on incountry flights. Nouc Mam is much stronger smelling than Thai Nam Pla. The best Nouc Mam comes from an island just offshore in the South of Vietnam. There is a local type of small fish, like a sardine, unique to that area, that is used.

And then, to show Farangs have terrible smelling foods also, here is an example from Faroyar, the Faroe Islands. These islands are in the North Atlantci, roughly between Iceland and the Orkney Islands. These hunt pilot whales. They have a meat they make with whale blubber and whale meat. It consists of a layer of whale meat alternating with a layer of whale blubber. About 5 or 6 layers are stacked together, then wrapped very tightly with wax paper, and bound tightly with string. It is then buried in the ground over the winter (a good 6 months in the Faroes). In the spring it is dug up, opened, cooked and served. The Faroese consider it a delicacy. It smells like someone opened a clogged sewer. I don't know what it takes like, I couldn't get close enough to it to taste it. The Faroese say it tastes wonderful.

Edited October 2, 2008 by IMA_FARANG

[kedawi]

Extract of cow or sheep's mammary glands mixed with bile (drained from stomach/liver) infused with bacteria and then left to ferment.....mmmm delicious!

[Lopburi99]

I have seen some revolting stuff in Europe in my travels, like Green Haring, which is Haring in various stages of putrifaction.

I believe the Scandinavians also eat rotting shark meat, but it's only done once a year.

Some farang can eat this stuff and enjoy it.

Yes, I remember seeing the TV guy Anthony Bourdain going to Iceland to sample the food there. He ate some of that rotted shark meat and said it was the most awful food he had ever eaten. He travels worldwide reporting on TV his various "adventures".

Andrew Zimmern is another who enjoys sampling bizarre and sometimes revolting foods around the world. In one or two segments, the food was so gag-inducing that he had to spit it out.

Yes, Zimmern is another one. Also on TV I once saw him eat a heart which was still beating! I think it was in Japan. Actually, I think it is he who eats the most bizarre. Anything for a TV buck, I guess!

[Lopburi99]

Extract of cow or sheep's mammary glands mixed with bile (drained from stomach/liver) infused with bacteria and then left to ferment.....mmmm delicious!

Isn't about the same which would be found in a butcher house's sewer? Tell me kedawi, what food do you find repulsive? Maybe something like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?

(These posts are light hearted, nobody takes offense I hope Dramatically different cultures and tastes are interesting [and enlightening] to discuss.)

Edited October 3, 2008 by Lopburi99

[Lopburi99]

I have seen some revolting stuff in Europe in my travels, like Green Haring, which is Haring in various stages of putrifaction.

I believe the Scandinavians also eat rotting shark meat, but it's only done once a year.

Some farang can eat this stuff and enjoy it.

Yes, I remember seeing the TV guy Anthony Bourdain going to Iceland to sample the food there. He ate some of that rotted shark meat and said it was the most awful food he had ever eaten. He travels worldwide reporting on TV his various "adventures".

Andrew Zimmern is another who enjoys sampling bizarre and sometimes revolting foods around the world. In one or two segments, the food was so gag-inducing that he had to spit it out.

That just reminded me of a TV show called "Fear Factor" which was on in the USA a few years ago several nights a week and I think in many other countries. I remember singer Donny Osmond (of all people!) eating something like a bowl of living slime worms. Said he was trying to overcome fears by facing them head on. Hey, good for him, whatever floats his boat. Anybody remember that show?

Edited October 3, 2008 by Lopburi99

[AmeriThai]

Yes, Zimmern is another one. Also on TV I once saw him eat a heart which was still beating! I think it was in Japan. Actually, I think it is he who eats the most bizarre. Anything for a TV buck, I guess!

I could be wrong, but I think it was the heart of a fish. Then too, there are a number of others involving fish or monkeys that are just too weird.

I recall Fear Factor. The "tests" involving eating live insects or worms seemed pretty senseless, unless you were actually in a situation that meant your survival.

[dantilley]

The most foul smelling substance I've ever encountered over here is a herb called "cha-om". It's a long, dark green, grass like herb and is often included in omelettes. It doesn't smell particularly bad when it's cooked, but while cooking it is absolutely repulsive. I can stand the smell of kapi and pla raa (can eat both too from time to time, though not my favourite ingredients), but while cha-om is cooking I'll have to leave the house. The Mrs. is banned from cooking it while I'm there - but she snuck some in the other day and it filled the house with this pungent odor, I had to go out to escape it.

Durian is also strong smelling and if exposed to it for a long time can become quite sickly. Tastes dаmned good though!

Edited October 4, 2008 by dantilley

[toptuan]

Your thread title: Same reaction I get from Thais when I introduce them to sacred European/Scandinavian traditions of Limburger cheese, Lutefisk, and Saurekraut.

Matter of fact, same category (i.e. "rotten foods") as the Thai stuff, isn't it?

Edited October 4, 2008 by toptuan

[GungaDin]

Does anybody know what it might be? Any expats actually LIKE it ??? I enjoy most Thai food but this dish is over the top for me!

It is actually just regular shrimp paste (kapi) or possibly Nam Prik Kapi (which is made from shrimp paste and looks more like diarrhea) not pla ra (fermented mud fish). While I have used it for years is when cooking I don't like to eat it straight out the pack.

I don't mind the smell though.

Otherwise known as "Blachan"

I emptied a mate's pub in the uk when I was making up a litre of satay sauce for him.

He wasn't happy.

[farmerjo]

Stinks like sh!t,wont let my wife keep it in the house.Reminds me of walking down bangla road at 8.00am in morning hungover dry reaching.