Fried Rat Snacks

[junki3korean]

A woman selects grilled rats in Suphan Buri province, 120 km (75 miles) north of Bangkok, November 1, 2007. Once struggling to make ends meet in pest-infested villages, Thai rice farmers are now making money out of the very scourge that has gnawed at their finances -- rats. Thailand is the world's biggest rice exporter and roasted bandicoot rat has become a popular delicacy at roadside stalls despite costing twice as much as pork or chicken.

[junki3korean]

** costing twice as much as pork or chicken**

if its more dear then pork or chicken it must be AROI MAK??

has anybody here tried it?? i think if i ever saw it i`d give it go....

would you??

Andy.

[473geo]

** costing twice as much as pork or chicken**

if its more dear then pork or chicken it must be AROI MAK??

has anybody here tried it?? i think if i ever saw it i`d give it go....

would you??

Andy.

Yep had barbque rat cooked on farm in Surin...carried a sweet taste on the meat which wasn't quite to my taste.....not cooked in Sauce......I would not say it could become my favourite purchase.....I will stick with the cheaper pork and frogs thanks.....especially after witnessing one guy crunch his way through the tail!!!!

[AmeriThai]

Some of the mom and pop shops around Saraburi province sell bbq'd rat-on-a-stick. They aren't cheap, but there seems to be plenty of locals who enjoy gnawing on them. Years ago, we stayed at my wife's sister's place. Early one morning a bunch of nieces and nephews grabbed me and lead me through a small grove of bamboo to one shop so I could see the owner skinning a number rats and dropping the pink, naked carcasses in a pan of water. The owner was just grinning away.

Never tried eating any of them, and have no desire to do so. Although the rats are field rats (as opposed to those that live in sewers), they certainly must drink from some of the large water ponds surrounded by houses. Sewage from all the outdoor hong nams ultimately drain into the ponds, so just how safe it is to eat these rodents seems pretty risky to me.

[473geo]

Some of the mom and pop shops around Saraburi province sell bbq'd rat-on-a-stick. They aren't cheap, but there seems to be plenty of locals who enjoy gnawing on them. Years ago, we stayed at my wife's sister's place. Early one morning a bunch of nieces and nephews grabbed me and lead me through a small grove of bamboo to one shop so I could see the owner skinning a number rats and dropping the pink, naked carcasses in a pan of water. The owner was just grinning away.

Never tried eating any of them, and have no desire to do so. Although the rats are field rats (as opposed to those that live in sewers), they certainly must drink from some of the large water ponds surrounded by houses. Sewage from all the outdoor hong nams ultimately drain into the ponds, so just how safe it is to eat these rodents seems pretty risky to me.

And to think I blamed the headache the next day on the gallon of chang........and all the time it could have been the rat.....

[AmeriThai]

And to think I blamed the headache the next day on the gallon of chang........and all the time it could have been the rat.....

Might explain eating the rat though.

Look familiar?

http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/08/05/2bkk/index.html#28

[aircut]

just to clarify. those rats are sold half bbq'ed, just to keep them going. they are not ready to eat. you have to cook it further. the most common dish for rice paddies rats is "Pat Pet Noo Na" (ผัดเผ็ดหนูนา) which is quite delicious. You can find it on the menu of the many "jungle restaurants" that are abandon on the BangYai, Saraburi, Supanburi and Ayudthaya routes around bangkok.

A side road stall that sells rice paddies rats and cobra snakes can earn up to 10,000B per day.

and its not bad, actually quite tasty.

Edited October 2, 2008 by aircut

[chiliwasabi]

and its not bad, actually quite tasty.

Agreed

[Cuban]

A side road stall that sells rice paddies rats and cobra snakes can earn up to 10,000B per day.

Not tried it myself, no desire to but I've read/been told rat from sugar cane fields are nice. If there such a demand for rat meat - and selling that amount - they must be farming them. Anyone consider rat breeding?

[PhilHarries]

A side road stall that sells rice paddies rats and cobra snakes can earn up to 10,000B per day.

Not tried it myself, no desire to but I've read/been told rat from sugar cane fields are nice. If there such a demand for rat meat - and selling that amount - they must be farming them. Anyone consider rat breeding?

I think the rats are fairly competent at breeding themselves.

Takes me back to an instance in the site canteen at Sullom Voe. A colleague asked the woman behind the counter if the meat in the stew neighed, moo-d, barked, hissed or growled when it was alive. She replied in a broad Scots accent "Dae yae nae want tae eat yerr dinnerrr or would yae rather wearrr it?". She was of a build you'd not want to tangle with so he shut up and took the offered plate load.

[lazeeboy]

us westerners find this disgusting,but if you know no better what the heck..

[Cuban]

Takes me back to an instance in the site canteen...

When dinning at such places and you are confronted with any meat product that is questionable try this little test, take a small wooden toothpick and toss it across your plate so that it lands near the center of the table, if the sausage or other meat item chases after the stick you can be fairly sure it was dog.

[jts-khorat]

they certainly must drink from some of the large water ponds surrounded by houses. Sewage from all the outdoor hong nams ultimately drain into the ponds, so just how safe it is to eat these rodents seems pretty risky to me.

If you see how fish, chicken, pigs or any other for-meat animals are kept here, field rat meat has no added risk-factors; on the contrary, would you not prefer the meat of free-ranging animals to those kept in intensive-industrial farming compounds?

And as other stated, quite good with a strong gamey taste, very lean meat, and as such surely preferrable to, let's say pig.

Following this logic, us foreigners should actually prefer field rat to steak

[dmax]

i would give them a try , with a few chang in me off course