Balut

We now travel to Southeast Asia, where we will again translate the language of food delicacies. This time, we will investigate Balut, or fertilized duck eggs that are boiled and eaten with a pinch of salt.

Largely considered delicacies in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam, balut (Trứng vịt lộn or Hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese, Pong tea khon in Cambodian) contain 15-day-old crunchy duck embryos that are seen as a high-protein aphrodisiac. Produced in mass quantities, ferilized duck eggs are incubated in warm baskets until they are ready to be boiled and served.

What I want to know is, where do you find a baby duck to keep the balut farm running? It's like, "Oops. We ate the last ferilized duck egg. Oh well, let's try chickens."

I can see the importance of balut as a high-protein food source, but I must say that the textural elements of crunchy duck embryos and squishy yolk scare me a little. I'm not sure if I understand the language of balut. Can you help me translate?

The Toilet Bowl

Let us now head to Taipei, Taiwan, where we can grab a meal at a local favorite: The Toilet Bowl. That's right, a potty-themed restaurant where you can "rest" while eating. The first thing that came to mind was: WHY?

I guess these children seem to be enjoying themselves. But I can't think of any reason, other than sheer gimmick, why I would want to eat in a restaurant filled with old crappers.


Wait. There was this Chinese place downtown in which I did get some pretty freakin' bad food poisoning. I guess that place could've used seats made out of toilets. Then I wouldn't have had to leave the table when I shat acid violently out of my burning ass and vomited for 36 hours until my lungs came out of my mouth with bits and pieces of my ruptured bowels.

That wasn't fun.

But I still don't really understand why you would want to eat at The Toilet Bowl in Taiwan. I guess people have their reasons.

I just don't get it. Can you help me translate?

From Odd Culture.

OFRO The Robot Guard

We now travel to South Korea, where scientists have developed the world's first robot designed to protect children. Dubbed OFRO, the contraption "...could be useful in alerting staff in case outsiders intend to seduce students. "

Seduce students?

What is this, the world's first mechanical chastity belt? I guess seduction is a major problem in South Korean schools. Not drugs or violence. Just seduction. A little wine, a little candlelight, and...

Anyway, whatever happened to good old human labor? Or fences? Don't you think schools should safely keep their children on school grounds using fences and HUMAN security guards? I mean, the article said OFRO "...is able to patrol pre-programmed routes or it can be controlled by a human..." Ok, so if you're gonna have some guy driving the damn thing, why not just pay a security guard?

Here's a better idea. Save the remotely-operated robots for the battlefield - where we can save the lives of our soldiers. And let's design the thing a little better:

Let's call it OPRAH! What do you think?

I think it would scare the hell out of our enemies! Now that makes sense.

Or what about AFRO? That would be awesome!

South Korea, you've got some splainin' to do about OFRO. Robotic seduction-preventing guards? That's the best you can do?

I just don't get it. Can you help me translate?


Via Shoutwire.

Durian Fruit

Our adventures now take us to Southeast Asia. Let’s say that you are sightseeing in Malaysia, and you get a hankering for a snack. Next, just for the sake of argument, let’s imagine your appetite is piqued by something for which the following can be said:

... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia.

– Travel Writer Richard Sterling

Sound good?

If so, you will probably love the durian fruit. From Wikipedia:

The durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits," the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and a formidable thorn-covered husk. Its name comes from the Malay word duri (thorn) together with Malay suffix that is -an (for building a noun in Malay), meaning "thorny fruit."

Ok, as someone with a background in Biology I did a little thinking. Why would the fruit smell like that? Probably to attract animals to eat the fruit. Why would a plant want animals to eat the fruit? Seed dispersal. Then why cover the fruit with a thorny husk? Probably to discourage tiny, inefficient agents of dispersal.

Animals I can understand. But why in the hell would any human want to eat something that looks like entrails and smells like pig shit?

I just don’t get it. Can you help me translate?

Beenzzz's Translation: "Shit flavored fruit sounds so tantalizing."