First time eating dog meat, Western guests praised it as delicious

Andrew was quite apprehensive when he tried his first piece of dog meat and felt like the pet was licking his face. But then he continued to try the dog's stomach and also ordered grilled dog meat.

Not all foreign visitors to Vietnam dare to try dog ​​meat. But Andrew, a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, is an exception. He and his companion, Yip, had the chance to try dog ​​meat while in Saigon in 2013. Here is Andrew’s account of his memorable meal in Vietnam:

We arrived at the dog meat restaurant late in the afternoon in Saigon. Motorbikes were on the road, passing by the restaurant without anyone paying any attention to the dog being roasted on a pile of charcoal. It was only the size of a sheepdog. The staff prepared various dishes before bringing it to my and Yip’s table.

There are many ways to prepare dog meat. Photo: Alamy.

The dog meat was already on the tray, Yip's mouth watered as she picked up a piece of meat with a thick layer of skin and fat. She dipped it in a bowl of shrimp paste seasoned with lime and chili before bringing it to her mouth to bite. Yip stopped chewing when she saw me trying to remove the fat from the lean meat, and grumbled as she picked up another slice of meat on the plate: "You have to eat the fat to get the full flavor of it."

When I put the first piece of dog meat in my mouth, everyone in the restaurant stopped to watch. I chewed slowly as if all the dogs I had ever owned were running through my mind and licking my face. The meat was tough, dry and had a gamey taste, reminding me of overcooked kangaroo. The dog meat dish cost 60,000 VND and was best with beer.

The chef turned the dog meat on a skewer, making sure it was crispy on all sides. Next to it was a plate of dog sausage, next to what looked like lamb steak and rice rolls. There were other dishes on the menu made from other parts of the dog, like tails and legs. There were many dishes the restaurant didn’t serve, but the chef was so kind as to make them.

Suddenly, a grumpy-looking old woman looked at me, waved to her table and offered me a piece of meat. Yip said it was stomach, I tried to chew without letting the food touch any of the taste buds on my tongue. She watched me swallow the stomach and gave me a thumbs up in satisfaction. I said: "Ngon", to indicate the Vietnamese mouthfeel, but I misread it as if I was about to spit the food I had just swallowed at the old woman.

The grilled dog meat was served, I gave the stomach and tail to Yip and used my chopsticks to pick up the minced dog meat stuffed with leaves, green beans and onions. The grilled flavor melted in my mouth. With our stomachs full and our eyes hungry, we only finished half of what we ordered.

Yip asked for a takeaway bag, trying to explain how much our neighbors would enjoy the food. A friend at the next table must have been impressed by my eating, as she came over to touch my beard and tell Yip that I was very handsome. Dog meat really does have the effect of increasing people’s charm.

According to VNE