-^-for posterity-^-

the year of the goat has been upon us for almost an entire month. we celebrated by eating goat. i could think of no better way to further my understanding of the year to come.

it was a combination of roasted goat and goat in a hot-pot (pot of boiling vegetables). a small, camping-type stove is brought to your table and you’re appointed chef. the goat meat came sliced thinly.

it jumped and screamed on the grill. it tasted like beef with thick skin. skin that tasted something like rubber and plastic. it seemed to wallow in your mouth for hours as you mindlessly chomp.

there was a sign on the wall that said something about fresh bear. i asked some of my vietnamese friends but no one could thoroughly explain. they said that there was a bear in the back and that, if you wanted, you could pay for one of its kidneys. it didn’t make too much sense to me. i wrote the word down and came home. the word was bile.

you could go to this fine establishment and order fresh bear bile. i guess it has some medicinal value. the bear bile was fresh as fresh can be. it was important that you saw them extract it from the bear because, if you didn’t, it could be watered down. watered down bear bile. who would want such a thing?

so, evidently, you can walk into the back and see a slumbering bear (i’d imagine tied to some sort of a log with a chain playing with an old car tire much like a bear in a zoo). you’d then watch them stick a needle somewhere in the bear and remove some sort of liquid that, i assume, is bear bile. i guess it looks fluorescent green; something like liquefied kryptonite. i don’t know if they put the bear to sleep or not but they probably do. either that or they get a few guys to hold him down properly.

then you do something with the bile. i don’t know, maybe you drink it. maybe you inject it into yourself. maybe you make some sort of bear bile martini. maybe you toss it over your right shoulder (or is it left?) for good luck much like salt.

well, in any case, we ate goat to celebrate the year of the goat. it’s a shame that i’ll only be here for the year of the goat and monkey because i’m really interested to see how this whole bear bile system works.