Yet another great post, Dave.

Just how did that snake blood go down anyhow?

Love your site, but I have to burst the bubble a bit here….as much as we all love eating the exotic creatures of the planet, sometimes we have to draw the line. I have travelled to Viet Nam several times, and it is a great country. However with the pressures of development/population, and the toll of the war, the wildlife in the country is diminishing rapidly. Add in the insatiable demand from some of their close and large neighbours (guess who?) for exotic and endangered animals for dining or medicine (monkeys, birds, bears etc.) and we have a major problem.

Like everyone else I had the snakewine on my first visit and tried some snake meals…If you love food and different cultures hard to resist local specialities. However after a friend who works with the World Wildlife Fund described the dire situation that the wildlife in their country is in, I made sure to avoid any of those offerings in subsequent visits….many of the snakes don’t exist in the wild in Vietnam anymore and are caught in Laos, Cambodia and even India to satisfy demand.

You may have noticed in the Mekong Delta for instance or in some of the areas outside Hue or Hoi An the almost complete lack of birds even with such lush country…..much of this is due to the war and extensive use of Agent Orange in these areas…..it has taken over 30 years for some parts of the country to have native birds return.

Anyway a good story and not trying to give you a hard time, just want all travellers and foodies to be aware of some of the issues around the world when it comes to consuming native fauna, often not the simple issue it would seem……stick to eating dog…plenty of those around……Just kidding.

Cheers and again love your site……I am Australian by the way, and I am yet to Visit the USA, so I really enjoy you culinary travels around the states….keep it coming.