Vietnamese Blood Soup (tiet canh) @ Flickr

Vietnamese Blood Soup (tiet canh) @ Flickr

Queasy-E.

Erik, you have identified my limit for blood-based meals. Thank you.

That would be one hell of a backdrop for a John Woo fight scene.

JeffB wrote:Erik, you have identified my limit for blood-based meals.

That is useful, I suppose.

My God, that last picture is positively gruesome.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:My God, that last picture is positively gruesome.

Yeah, you know, I had myself convinced that I could eat this (having quite enjoyed czarnina as a child) until that last picture. The froth was just too much.

The accompanying text doesn't say anything beyond it being raw duck and geese blood. But what's in the cyan tub (4th pic)? "Here, a few drops of this will round out the flavour."

The last picture - don't miss the "bowl on the left, it is still warm and not coagulated" - makes my blood curdle.

Surprising though that this is still around (given H5N1). I remember hearing last year/time around that pho ga (chicken) was being taken off menus - and at a point, easier to find here than there...

A friend of mine lived with the Masai people of northern Tanzania for a while, but she never tried their blood "soup" that they would have almost daily. I gave her hell for it, because, hey, new experience.

She did bring me back a pretty nice spear though, so I didn't give her much hell for it.

reciprocity wrote:A friend of mine lived with the Masai people of northern Tanzania for a while, but she never tried their blood "soup" that they would have almost daily. I gave her hell for it, because, hey, new experience.

At the tender age of ten I watched as several Maasai tribesmen drew blood from an ox.*

There was no way in hell that I was going to drink the blood after witnessing that.

And, it wasn't any easier for my parents.

E.M.

* They shot the ox in the neck with a bow and arrow at close range.

She described a process by which they would bleed the ox, but keep it alive, then mix the blood and milk of the same ox. I guess this has the effect of preserving their largely migrant, pastoral way of life while keeping protein in their diet but not forcing them to actually slaughter the animals.

Breakfast of champions!

reciprocity wrote:She described a process by which they would bleed the ox, but keep it alive, then mix the blood and milk of the same ox. I guess this has the effect of preserving their largely migrant, pastoral way of life while keeping protein in their diet but not forcing them to actually slaughter the animals.

Breakfast of champions!

Yeah, it's interesting. They have two people hold the ox's head in place. A tribesman then brings a small bow and arrow (yes, bow & arrow), holds it up right against the external jugular vein, draws back a few inches and then lets fly - POKE (note the arrow does not lodge into the jugular). A steady stream flows out and they collect w/ a gourd. Somehow the ox is able to clot fairly swiftly and it automatically stops the flow of blood. I thought it was quite gruesome to observe (on TV).

Anyone eat at Carnivore when you were in Tanzania/Kenya?

Also, I wonder if anyone has ever run into a Masai fellow named John Oletome? He was sort of the local goodwill ambassador for a major Kenyan lodge (can't recall which) ten or twelve years ago. To my utter disbelief, I saw him a year or two after visiting East Africa: he was walking down Franklin near the Sears Tower, wearing his full warrior outfit and carrying his club and spear. It turned out that he was in the states trying to drum up interest (and money) in a new tour venture. He was in Chicago because he had become engaged to a woman from South Bend whom he had met at the lodge. A very interesting character. I'd love to know what became of him.

JeffB wrote:Anyone eat at Carnivore when you were in Tanzania/Kenya?

I did not. Did you?

It would appear to be Nairobi's answer to Fogo de Chão.

JeffB wrote:Also, I wonder if anyone has ever run into a Masai fellow named John Oletome? He was sort of the local goodwill ambassador for a major Kenyan lodge (can't recall which) ten or twelve years ago. To my utter disbelief, I saw him a year or two after visiting East Africa: he was walking down Franklin near the Sears Tower, wearing his full warrior outfit and carrying his club and spear. It turned out that he was in the states trying to drum up interest (and money) in a new tour venture. He was in Chicago because he had become engaged to a woman from South Bend whom he had met at the lodge. A very interesting character. I'd love to know what became of him.

That is a great story.

E.M.

Erik, I did visit the Carnivore. It was really very good, though some of the wild-kill game was, no surprise, more gamy than other choices on the same plate. It was very much like a Brazilian rodizio.

As for Oletome, a quick Google revealed from a few folks' travel blogs that he is still doing his rap in Kenya for the tourists, but travels extensively in the US as well speaking at schools and whatnot.

You've seen all photos from loupiote tagged with bloodsoup. Would you like to start again from the beginning?

Sir, no sir.