Oh my beer

There may be critics of Asian beer, but I am not one. I happen to be a huge fan of every Asian beer I've tried and the cheap price makes it even easier to be a fan. Here's a run down of the beer's I've tried so far:

BeerLao: I'm completely biased and think Beerlao is the best beer in the world. Beerlao was my first Southeast Asian beer experience and I have Beerlao to thank for some hazy travel memories. It has a distinct flavor but if light beers aren't your thing they also make Beerlao dark. Head to your local Asian market in the States and you might be able to find some. If you can't figure it out where Beerlao is from then move along.


Leo: Leo beer is from Thailand and I thought it was quite nice. It's similar to all Asian beers in that it's a pretty light beer, but I found it had a slightly stronger flavor than Beerlao and Angkor.

Bia Saigon: Again, it tastes like most other Asian beers, light and easy to drink in this heat and humidity. Bia Saigon comes in two varieties red and green, no the beer isn't that color. For the life of me I was never able to tell the difference between the two, but I usually go for the red.

Angkor: Angkor beer is from Cambodia, named after Angkor Wat. You can get Angkor draft for about .50 cents and for .50 cents you can almost forgive the lack of flavor. I would compare it to a Keystone Light, it's got that nice watered down taste. Be careful when ordering at the bar in Cambodia, there is  Angkor and Anchor beer. Just like Bia Saigon, you probably won't be able to tell the difference but if you ask most people will have a preference.

Tiger: Tiger is eponymous with Southeast Asia and for a good reason; it's good and cheap. Tiger is one of my favorites, especially Tiger Crystal served with a giant ice cube. I know, sacrilege, but don't knock it till you try it.

If you decide to try one of these beers back in the states and think its horrible, don't blame me. Book a flight to Southeast Asia and grab a Beerlao in Laos, I promise it will taste a whole lot better.

Adventurous Eating

I've been a little behind in my blog postings. The training program I'm in has actually been a lot of work. I'll get into the training experience in a later blog. There's a way more important issues to deal with right now and that's food. 

The food in Cambodia wasn't as good as I was expecting, but I did try some interesting dishes.

Tarantula: Not as bad as you'd think, but still not good. It tastes a little like fried tempura with a little hair mixed in. YUM!

Sticky rice in bamboo: sticky rice and mung beans are cooked in a bamboo stalk. Amazing and delicious road side snack!

Crocodile: Tastes like chicken, no really, just chewier. Although I think our crocodile cooking techniques could use some work.

Snake: Tastes exactly what you think snake would taste like; something that's been slithering around on the ground. 

Whole shell crab: This may not be unusual or interesting for some, but it was my first experience eating crab like this. It's delicious but for me it's not worth the work. There was no melted butter here, we dipped the crab into a lime juice, salt and pepper mix. Believe me, it's so much better than melted butter. Yes, I just said that.