thai buffet - duck, mussels and king prawn

today has been a day of extreme hungover state, after going to a barbecue yesterday and drinking far too many french stubby beers, atleast a litre of weston's extra strength scrumpy and at some point after i had the will power to stop myself from doing so, a shot of absinthe was drank and it was all over. though i did eat a lot of pig and cow at the barbecue, unfortunately offers of rabbit, pheasant and partridge did not pull through. though apparently somewhere nearby there are two partridge waiting for me in a freezer, which i hope to eat in the coming weeks.

so, hungover and hungry, the girlfriend and i headed off to the local thai buffet - the taipan in uxbridge. i managed to eat six animals whilst i was there, though that does include teriyaki chicken, tastes very nice with peanut sauce, chilli pork, honey pork, and crispy shredded beef with chilli, the latter being really tasty - sweet yet spicy. the other three animals were three new strike counts, and i decided not to have squid since i could only choose three animals for the list and did not want to waste one!

mussels and king prawns were the first two animals, which i am proud of eating since these are two animals i would never have eaten if it wasn't for this meaty quest. i complemented them with some bean curd ball things and some crispy spinach. the mussels came with a nice white sauce with peppercorns. the mussels were actually quite nice, the taste reminded me of getting a face full of sea air when walking along the coast. they look a bit rough and the consistency is quite hard to describe being rather like chewing soft bubble wrap. i got over this and could quite happily eat them. the king prawns however, were staring at me from my plate, with their many legs and there mouthparts making me feel a little apprehensive.

though, on finally cracking them open and getting to the meaty bit, i dutifully knocked back a few. not keen on the taste and i still hold by the fact i don't like eating them! but a strike is a strike and i never expected to like every animal i eat, but am keen on finding some new tasty animals for some return visits. next came the duck, and was delicious. made a couple of pancakes with hoisin sauce, spring onions and cucumber. i would have eaten twenty more if i wasn't already full of five other animals!all round a good eat, and left me feeling very full. managed to squeeze in some tiny desserts and then off home once more.

this week i have been trying to get in touch with one Arthur Boyt, the man who finds and eats roadkill. if anyone has any contact information for him, please put it my way, you'll find my email address on the right menu somewhere. also, if anyone knows of anyone else or anywhere else that cooks/serves some of the more exotic animals, i'd also be grateful of this information!