The attractions advertised didn't do much for me - temples, temples, more temples, and a water tank. Late in the afternoon, and feeling a little dispirited, I took a walk along a path that skirted the village. It ran around the peak of the mountain, with a drop on one side down through thick jungle onto the plain, and more thick bush on the other side too.

It was a scenic walk, as I'd been assured. Beneath me the plains of Rajasthan stretched out as far as I could see and the sun was just beginning its quick descent. That worried me. I had already been walking about twenty minutes and was beginning to feel the bush closing in on me. The light was fading, and I remembered my fear of snakes, a fear born of experience. I was alone. The walk was supposed to take thirty minutes, just ten minutes more left, so there was no sense in backtracking. I walked resolutely forward, appreciating with fear all that was around me.

Every movement in the bush was suspect - it had to be a snake, or maybe a big, wild cat. Then as I turned a corner hoping to see the village that was meant to be not far off, I was confronted by something terrifying, mysterious and compelling. Just yards in front, in the direction I was walking, a storm of color and dust hovered above the ground. It was like a miniature tornado developed in a science lab and was accompanied by a fury of squawking and flapping. I froze. Thoughts charged through my mind about retreat, escape, death and defeat. This dervish moved along the ground, throwing up dust, laced with scarlet, green and black, squawking and squealing and tearing leaves off trees.

After a few seconds the colorful, flapping torture lifted further from the ground. The hideous noises had stopped and the tangle began to free itself to stretch back into its normal shape. Bit by bit, when the dust had fallen away, the flapping shock evolved into a bird with an enormous wing span. It flew up from the bush, above the trees, and dangling from its claws, as it swung away from the mountain, hung the limp figure of a snake that it had snatched from my path.

Adobong pusa or cat adobo

Do you know that even cats are eaten by people in the Philippines? They cook it in adobo style, sautéed with garlic, onion and laurel leaf seasoned with soy sauce and vinegar. This is a favorite appetizer during their drinking spree.

Adobo/ prito o litsong daga or adobo/ fried or roasted rat

Rats from the rice paddies are also eaten. They would skin them, cut the head, the tail, and the legs then all internal organs are removed. Actually these rodents are clean because they only feed on rice. Cooking is done the adobo way deep fried. It can also be roasted like chicken.

Kilawing bunog (raw young of a mudfish)

These are eaten raw spiced up with vinegar or citrus juice, pepper, and salt.

Kilawing bunog

Adobo o pritong palaka (adobo or fried frogs)

Frogs can be cooked in adobo style or deep fried. It's tastier than chicken. There are also some people in the Philippines that eat legs of bullfrogs cooked in the same manner.

deep fried frogs adobo style

Adobong ahas (snake adobo)

This is cooked in adobo style. Snake is commonly eaten in Asia because of its medicinal value. It's also a good aphrodisiac.

Snakes/ snake adobo

Adobong bayawak/itlog (monitor lizard meat/eggs)

It is sautéed in garlic and onion, ginger and laurel leaf with pepper, soy sauce, and vinegar or more popularly called adobo. This is perfect for “pulutan” (food appetizer while drinking wine or liquor). The eggs are usually cook by simply boiling it, it taste salty and delicious. Their eggs are considered exotic because it's rare and hard to find.

Lizard adobo / a lizard/ lizard's egg

Prito o sinangag na salagubang (fried beetle)

This is common among provinces where mango trees abound where beetles usually thrive. It's crunchy like its grasshopper counterpart.

A beetle fried beetle

Adobong paniki (bat adobo)

Cooked in adobo style or cooked in coconut milk.

A bat

Kilawing aso o kambing (Raw meat of goat or dog)

Raw meat spiced up with chopped onions, pepper and salt. Others would grill it medium rare first. A kilawing kambing (raw goat meat) become more bizarre when added up with fresh liquid extracted and drained from the stomach or intestine of the goat.

kilawing kambing

Sinangag o adobong susuhong/camaro/ararawan (adobo or fried mole crickets)

This is a kind of edible insect usually found in the rice fields before planting season. It is sautéed in garlic, onion, and olive oil or cooked by simply frying it.

A mole cricket / fried camaro/ dried adobo/

Sinangag o adobong tipaklong o balang (fried or adobo grasshopper or locust)

They are cooked just like the way mole crickets are cooked.

A grasshopper / Fried grasshopper / Adobo

Ginataang kuhol (Snail cooked in coconut milk)

There are varieties of snails being cooked and eaten in the Philippines. Only two are being shown here. Ginataang kuhol or suso is sautéed with garlic, onion, ginger and pepper plus coconut milk. There are also other ways of cooking these snails.

A Golden snail (kuhol)/ Ginatang Kuhol

This kind of snail (suso) is sautéed w/ fresh tomato. I cooked and photographed this one myself.

Papaitan (came from the Filipino root word, “pait” which means “bitter”)

This is consists mostly of goat or cow innards. This is sautéed in garlic and onions (ginger is optional). The bitter taste is from the bile or stocked produced from the stomach of the goat or cow. This is also a delicacy for us but exotic for others.

A pinapaitan

Dinuguan (dog meat or pork blood stew)

It is a common delicacy here in the Philippines like the balut. Yes, vampires and mortals alike may find this viand so tempting. It is a combination of pork/dog meat and innards stewed to perfection with pork blood (“dinuguan” means “bloodied”). It is best eaten with a puto (steamed rice cake). When it is cooked dried it is called tinumis or pinaputok. A variant of dinuguan cooked by the Ibanags in the Northern part of the country is what I considered exotic, the cooked dinuguan is added up with fresh blood before serving it. Bizarre isn't it?

Tinumis / Dinuguan w/ puto

Balut

This is a 2 to 3 week-old hatched duck egg (with embryo), which is hard- boiled. It can be spiced up with salt, vinegar w/ diced garlic and onion, and chili.

A balut

Jumping salad (Shrimps jumping salad)

It is called jumping salad because the shrimps are prepared alive and eaten alive. Spiced up with citrus juice or grated unripe mango, salt and msg. as easy as that.

Prito o ginisang tateg (fried/sautéed huge worms)

This one is what I consider the most bizarre of them all. These worms can be found on rotten trees or rotten stack of rice hays. They are usually cooked by deep frying it. It can also be sautéed with garlic, onion, tomato and pepper. I haven't tasted this one yet.

Pigs Brain and Chicken Feet Soup

This herbal soup is boiled with the Chinese herb kei chi (for good eye sight), dried longan fruit and Chinese yam. The pig's brains and chicken feet are said to nourish the brain and strengthen muscles.

Boiled Jellyfish

Shredded jelly fish takes just 2 minutes to boil. You don't want to over cook it and spoil the texture. However, if you are using the head and eyes too, it will take a few minutes longer. Apparently this is best served ice cold.

Fried Spiders

These street hawkers are selling fried spiders on the street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They are said to be a very popular snack.

Balut

Filipinos enjoy balut which is an egg containing a half developed duck foetus. When you crack open the egg you find a miniature duckling complete with feet, a beak and feathers. The smell is is said to be quite horrible.

Guinea Pig Roast

Guinea Pig is a popular but expensive dish in South America, especially in Ecuador and Peru. It is said to taste just like chicken with a similar texture.

Frog Sashimi

This sushi dish is enough to put you off for life.

Frog! What more can I say?

Hairless Rats

These hairless rats are very popular in Taiwan. They are a special kind of rat bred for food and not the same as the ones running around the sewers. However, I don't think that fact helps them sound any more palatable.

Roast Snake Soup and Tonic

This Cantonese dish is said to make men virile and women healthy and strong. It relies on fresh ingredients for a perfect dish. Oh, yummy, fresh snake.

It is often said that the main difference between cultures is in the food eaten. Most of these dishes sound quite intimidating to the western palette but they are all favourites in someone's culture.