Snake Village – No, this isn’t Indiana Jones’s worst nightmare. Rather, it’s a small suburb a quick cab ride away from Hanoi, Vietnam, known as Le Mat. In 7km, or about 15 minutes, you too can find yourself staring down one of the deadliest reptiles in the world – from a plate. Famous for having multiple restaurants that serve serpents in various forms, the locale is a haunt for both the Vietnamese and tourists alike. Naturally, the chance to devour yet another exotic animal was too good to pass up, and I hopped in a taxi to check off another piece of the animal kingdom.
Rather nondescript in appearance, several restaurants dotted the backstreets. Le Mat seemed another residential area, with denizens going about their everyday lives. I selected one restaurant that advertised itself on a billboard with a large image of a King Cobra. Into the abyss, here we go.
After entering, I was pulled off to the side by the owner, who gave the price per snake. King Cobras are the most expensive, due to the difficult and deadly task in capturing and removing their venom. Grass snakes are the other option. The latter was my choice, as a result of not having enough Dong to afford the cobra. The snake handler looked slightly relieved. Several wire cages lined the walls, filled to the brim with writhing snakes of various sizes. He confirmed the grass snake, showing arms that were covered in scars, bruises, and bite marks. Plunging his three-fingered hand into the cage with the grace of a dancer, the handler pulled out an enormous snake, about 4 feet long. “Now, we start” he smiled a toothy grin. The traditional way to start the feast is to take a scissors to the snake’s head, cutting it clean off, then using the same pair to cut open its stomach lining. The heart and blood are squeezed into a shot glass, which is promptly slammed. The still-beating heart and blood is said to improve virility, ever-enhanced by the excessive taste of iron.
To complement the taste of snake, a special concoction is prepared. This turns 6 shot glasses each filled with the snake’s blood and bile. The bile tastes exactly as you think it does. Not much longer after, the chef emerges with a feast of snake – no less than 8 separate dishes. Imagine a selection of tapas / small plates, but all snake-related. Spring rolls, salad, fried snake skin, soup, rice, porridge, and spare ribs were included. Surprisingly, snake tastes like chicken. If you can get past the imagery you’re dining on a tasting menu of Snakes on a Plane, it’s well worth the experience.
Not able to finish the serpentine banquet, I was left with several shot glasses worth of the blood and bile. In the spirit of leaving no crumb behind, I vowed to finish them off. Drinking is always easier (and more socially acceptable) in groups, so I picked up a shot of bile, turned to the trio of Vietnamese diners behind my table, and cheers’d them. They looked puzzled, but broke into wide smiles and they raised their beers to match my bile. Not thinking anything of the matter, I turned around to stomach the remaining six pack of misery. Promptly, the server tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the aforementioned trio. They waived me over. As I got to the table, one excitedly yelled to the server, who went for a round of beers for the now four musketeers. Them speaking no English and myself zero Vietnamese, we introduced ourselves with a mixture of yelling and charades. Suddenly, the server reappeared with a tray full of beers, as they grabbed one each, handing me an ice-cold Saigon. Much more appealing than either blood or bile. We raised the beers and chanted in unison “Mot, Hai, Ba, yo! (1,2,3 cheers). We clinked beers and in one swoop, chugged the entire bottle. Despite promptly forgetting each other’s names quickly and no chance of meeting up in the future, this small window into the life of local culture was eye-opening.
After the fact, the trio took around one hundred photos of us together. In Vietnam, whiteness is correlated with success and greatness. Having paler skin means that one is less likely to work in the rice paddies, and don’t need hard labor to make ends meet. As a result, you’ll see women and men clothed head-to-toe in track suits, umbrellas, and face masks during the heat of summer to prevent tanning. In addition, having white, western friends is seen as social capital. The photos were likely meant to show their friends they had a white friend, but I like to think they truly enjoyed the encounter. Vietnamese views on skin tone are interesting, especially when compared to those in the West. Tan skin shows leisure time, not being constricted to office work all day, and is valued whereas the opposite is true farther East. Whitening lotion is sold in stores and yes, actually makes ones skin lighter. I bought some by mistake and after turning my palms the color of whipped cream, promptly threw it away. But I digress. Being able to share a toast with natives, them generously buying the beers, despite zero shared language, is something to cherish forever. Being friendly and slightly inquisitive will open doors.
All in all, the Snake Village is worth a visit. Even though it may be viewed as a tourist attraction versus a culinary hotspot, the chance to eat an entire snake and take part in cultural lore breeds an authentic experience. Always know the local phrase for cheers and be friendly – you never know to where a shot of bile will lead.
Dispatches by Alec 