If there’s one thing that Thailand has achieved international acclaim for, this is a distinct cuisine. Known across the world for it’s spicy and all around strong flavors, many feel Thai food is one of the best in the world, and I’d have to agree on that front. But when you finally do step in country, you’ll find other foods that are even more distinct than you can imagine and would be perfect candidates for any episode of Bizarre Foods.

Here’s a few to get your taste buds working.

Fried Bugs

Everyone knows about the fried bugs when they come to Thailand, and for many more adventurous tourists, this is one of those—“gotta do it once” experiences. Indeed, if you fly into Bangkok, and most people do, and find your way over to the main tourist area of Khao San Road, many street vendors will be selling them on the road, which implies to me that there’s enough of the market among tourists to do so.

I personally found fried bugs rather tasty—a little bit of a toasted popcorn flavor going on. Most of them carry big grasshoppers about 3-4 inches long, small worms, grubs, and little beetles. Give it a go—they’re really not that bad.

Ant Larvae

Another strange dish from the insect side of the fence is the ant larvae. This will be more difficult to find as it isn’t eaten much in the cities anymore, but if you find your way out of town you may find it being sold by villagers. The ant larvae is typically made into a soup or an omelet of sorts and has a sweet flavor to it—but in most dishes it is too mild to really stand out from the food they cook it with.

I tried this only once, and what I did was bring the larvae into a restaurant I frequented and asked the chef to get creative. They made a couple different dishes for me and we had a good laugh. I have heard that it is sometimes served uncooked, and apparently, that’s a more bitter taste and not so pleasant.

1000 Year Eggs

I believe this food originally comes from Chinese culture. My first experience with this food was in an intercultural communication class when I was studying in Switzerland, and the teacher gave each group a black egg without telling us what it is. None of us had seen anything like it before and no one had a clue, but after a bit of messing around I realize it was an egg and cracked it open—at which point the whole room was filled with this sulfur smell.

I tried a nibble but everyone was freaking out so much about it that it was hard to keep my stomach primed, but the taste stayed in my mouth for hours.

I felt the teacher’s lesson was misguided. I got her point—yeah, cultures are different, okay—but a better lesson in intercultural communication would have been to teach us how to enjoy it and show us that if you try to figure out what another culture might like about something, you can see it better through their eyes. I was convinced that put into a setting where people were actively eating the egg and enjoying it, I could do just that, but the professor didn’t even mention it as a possibility.

It turned out I was right. 1000 year eggs, also known as century eggs, are not bad at all in the right dish—and I’ve never seen them eaten on their own. I still find them a bit strong and I need strong herbs and vegetables to balance that, but I don’t notice a smell anymore and in small amounts they offer a nice touch.

Oh, and I should mention the eggs are not 1000 years old.  They are normal eggs from ducks, quails, or chickens that are buried in a mix of clay, ash salt, lime, and rice hulls. The process can go anywhere for a number of weeks to months, and the end result is an egg that is black with a dark green yoke and a strong sulfur smell. The white of the egg when peeled looks like a dark brown gelatin.

Doesn’t sound very appetizing, but give it a go.

Blood

Yes, I’m serious. And I’ve tried it. I have to admit, my stomach was a bit squeamish and I wondered how safe it was, but as always, I dove in against my better judgment. This was served like a soup and if I remember correctly, it was cold when served (but I’m hoping it was cooked first).

Even my Thai buddies girlfriend seemed grossed out by the whole thing, so don’t think everyone’s eating this stuff over here. That said, you’ll find a few Thai dishes that are cooked with a healthy dose of blood for flavor. Some are pretty tasty.

Dancing Shrimp

By far the biggest challenge for me was the dancing shrimp. They are called dancing shrimp because, well, they’re dancing. These little suckers are still alive, covered in a spicy lime sauce that has them jumping all over the place, and the dish is served with a lid on the top because they literally get out and jump across the table. The idea is to take a whole spoonful of them and put them in your mouth, at which point they’re jumping all over the place—I imagine trying to escape your gnashing teeth.

Freaky, huh?