Hot Dog in Hanoi: (not) eating the Thịt chó
Day 6: Hanoi
Thịt chó: translates to mean hot dog....literally
This week's Time Out New York announces the City's best hot dog. Gray's Papaya Uptown won. But the dog we're talking about is not the hot variety, but the canine kind.
Our wanderings through Hanoi eventually led us to Dog Meat Alley. We look with fascination at the cooked carcasses hanging about. For a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to preparing dog meat for eating, and for background information about the practice go to Loupiote's Flickr photos and description. There are more photos too.
Deterrence
My biggest regret is that I didn't indulge in a sampling. I do have a long list of excuses: the ubiquitous puppies were so cute; my vegetarian traveling companion's eating practices quickly became contagious. At times I blame the reason I did not sample the meat on my sex. (The dog restaurants were for men, not women. Excuses, excuses. I know. I'm sure they would have made an exception.) And I won't be getting any dog meat during my trip to California. They made it illegal.
