Recipes for Pig Noses – or something or another

AKA I’m Glad I’m in Cambodia and not the Philippines

It is early evening in the Playboy Mansion, when there is an unexpected knock on our front door ? very unusual again ? it is my Filipino neighbour, Dr Fil, a very congenial gentleman is our Dr Fil, in addition to his work with AIDS victims in remote areas of Cambodia, he alsos helps sponsors a basketball team here in Phnom Penh and this particular day they had their very first win (55 to 54 I think it was) so he is throwing a small party; this is, I think, the tenth party in 2 months he has had, they only need the slightest reason!

So we pop over to the next door balcony, to have a beer and a bite to eat, just to be sociable you understand.

Along with the usual, barbequed chicken, barbequed pork, peanuts, et cetera, they hand me a dish of what they say is a great Filipino delicacy. It looked like some sort of pasta – a short relation of tagglieteli – but it was crispy and fried, also it seemed to be meaty rather than pasta, its texture was in parts like elastic and in parts like gravel. The whole thing had clearly been marinated in some sort of industrial strength chilli (or possibly hydrochloric acid).

After a couple of very unpleasant mouthfuls I asked – so what exactly is this??

After a swift discussion in Tagalong a translation was rendered – deep fried strips of pigs face, cheeks and ears.

My next beer was very, very, swiftly finished.

Lord Playboy Nibbles