Back to the west and the dog story

Green

Jr. Biffling

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Yes, I'm made of people.

Back to the west and the dog story

« on: August 27, 2007, 09:21:30 PM »

I have returned from the east! And I must say, I am astounded at how much has changed around here after only six weeks. When I left, I still knew all of the regulars and was a well-respected member, but now there's a whole slew of folks that I have never seen before, and several have even passed me in posts (or stars, or whatever people these days are using to determine forum status)! Anyway, I'm Green.

After that comment in the nibble-nabble thread, I realized that the safest thing to do would probably be to give the full dog story, so here it is...
I've been volunteering for a Bible college in a small village in the western hills of Thailand, on the Thai/Burma border. The school has about 50 students, all refugees of the Karen tribe. Read here for more information about that.

Anyway, Dogs were all over the place in the village (called Noh Bo) - scroungy, considered vermin. I knew that the students ate a dog from time to time, so I mentioned to one of the students that I might like to try it if they were having it, just a passing "if you do, then count me in" type thing. But a few days before I left the student - a fourth year, relatively good English speaker - came up to me and asked half slyly, half soberly if I wanted to eat dog, and he began to tell me of a plot hatched with two other students to buy a dog off one of the villagers for 100baht ($3), and all they needed was for me to be the founder of the feast, as it were. A stray dog, an urchin of the street was one thing; but a dog that had been raised, had learned to live by and trust humans? Besides, although there were only three westerners there, most of the students know the westerner/dog relationship, which put this sly grin on his face like he was some kind of canine pimp (not helping matters).

So I asked him if he could just shoot up a stray with a ridiculously long-barreled rifle that he had, as I had heard happened on one occasion, and he said that it would look bad for the school if the kids went around stealing the neighborhood dogs. I asked if the dog was destined to be eaten whether I bought it or not, and instead of answering me (I don't think he understood the question) he started off on a discourse about how they had already worked it all out with the family and how the family really needed the money (100baht was a considerable amount). Everything was all set to go on my signal, and indeed I noticed behind him two other students waiting expectantly on borrowed motorbikes, his own motorbike vacant but ready to zoom off and buy the prize. Finally I carfed up the 100 baht, and the next day we had a bit of a feast. I was amazed at how much meat this little Thailand dog could produce. It's head, cooked but intact, was in the pot, and I could tell that it wasn't a very big dog. It was enough to feed about 8, and later I came across two of them carefully scouring the bottom of the pot for the last small bits.

You have to realize that the vilagers didn't see dogs in the way we do. Having a pet dog is a quite a luxury lifestyle feature; you see it in the cities, but rarely in Noh Bo. This dog was probably just something that hung around the family's hut because they gave it their scraps. It almost certainly didn't have a name, and didn't see its "owners" as a family, but rather something to beg for a handout. But even then I didn't want to do it!

It was alright. Very, very dark, a little spicy. In the dingy city markets they sell live frogs; piled up in sacks like carrots. Later, on my way back, I actually bought one and smuggled it through Bangkok, Korea, and all the way back to the United States. It now resides in a tank. It was X-rayed four times, but it's better than being eaten...


« Last Edit: August 27, 2007, 09:48:43 PM by Green »	Logged

MagicParakeet

Sr. Biff

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Second Coming

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