Hanoi : Feast at the Snake City

After a stressful presentation in the morning where the chickens were trying to convince the ducks, we were all invited for dinner. A suggestion came from the host which mentioned something about 'cobras'. I couldn't believe my ears at first but in the end made up my mind to be just an accompanying guest and shall not dine!

It was 5.30pm when the transport came. In we go and along the way met up with the other MPV to snake city. Upon entering the restaurant, we could see all the decorative ornaments related to the dinner about to be served.
Having taken our seats, we waited while chewing on some rice crackers.

Our Viet host mumbled something to waiters and the next thing we knew they brought 2 cloth bags tied at the top. Upon releasing the knot, out comes our dinner, cobras. Some of us jumped upon the sight of the snakes.

I believed we were asked if the selection was good enough and the next thing we knew, there was going to be a live performance in the 'dinner' preparation.

I shall save the gory details on how it was prepared but each of us ended up having 2 shot glass. One was red in color and the other yellow. The red glass contains fresh snake blood mixed in alcohol or maybe chinese wine. The yellow glass contains extract of the gallbladder mixed in snake wine. The waiter left them on my table and all I wanted to do was to take the pictures. Then there was two beating hearts left on a sauce plate. Our Viet host insisted that one of us would need to take one. I am glad that I was not the chosen one.

It was then when everybody got up for a bottoms up cheers which seems inevitable for me despite pretending to want to take more pictures.

What does it taste like? Well I'd like to think its vodka and nothing else. After finishing both shots, here comes the main dishes.

The first dish seems to be snake stew in thick soup.

The second dish is deep fried snake wrapped in seaweed.

Then came the barbecue variety.

Next came the calcium rich deep fried minced bones.

Stir fried onion leaves with snakes.

Fried rice in snake oil.

Deep fried snake rolls/roe.

Herbal snake soup.

Our host also treat us to some nice folk song as we approach the end of the meal. It looks like its a popular song as we see other tables clapping to his performance.

Definitely a meal to remember by for most of us as foreigners not because of its great taste but rather the experience itself. I believe the entire meal should have costed us not more than US200.

According to our host, snake meals are beneficial to health especially for the elderly (which explains why I could not sleep for the next two nights and still feel energised!)