[HarleyD]

http://ww2.saukvalley.com/news/282448822718557.bsp

BO TALO, Thailand (AP) — The economy of this frog-farming village nearly croaked when the price of its plump product slumped on the international market. But Bo Talo may take a leap back from financial ruin with an innovative product: frog-in-a-can.

People in the central Thailand village have long raised muddy brown-colored, bumpy-skinned frogs for export to places like Taiwan, where frog legs and frog soup are favorites. But in 2000, the price of live frogs fell. So the people of Bo Talo invested $15,200 and started producing canned, ready-to-eat frog meat — under the Big Frog brand.

"Our product's been well received because no one's ever done it before, so it's quite strange," says Yupa Sangnet, who came up with the idea and heads the group of villagers working on the project. "If you're the kind of person who doesn't like your frog fresh, you can have it in a can."

The frogs are raised in large cement pools, slaughtered and cleaned, and then deep fried and tossed with two different sauces: spicy chili and sweet and sour. The chopped-up meat can be eaten with rice or as a snack with beer, much as fresh-cooked frog is consumed by Thais.

It's still a small-scale operation for the village of about 100 families, with just 15 workers. They produce only about 1,000 cans a day, paste on blue labels with a yellow cartoon frog licking its lips, and sell each can for 25 baht, or about 65 cents.

Things are looking good — all cans were snapped up at the launch here in December, and a Thai businessman in the United States is talking about an export deal. Bo Talo also escaped the tsunamis that devastated coastal areas of Thailand.

and other Asian nations.

So, how do the frog farmers persuade the public to buy?

It helps that Thais sneer at very little when it comes to food. No city, town or village is complete without its fried insect vendor. Even in hip, modern Bangkok, a bag of crickets, water bugs or larvae goes down like a treat.

Big Frog is also pushing its wholesomeness, at a time when Thailand's chicken and duck industries are still fighting the blight of bird flu.

"No offense to those other producers, but our food's completely organic, and it's high in calcium and low in cholesterol," Yupa says. "We've done our research on its nutritional value. Our food's not just any food. It's healthy food, too."

[tabitha]

Okay that is just gross.....WAY too early in the morning........
EWWWWWWWWW...................

[IamAddicted]

Yummy for my tummy!

[tabitha]

Yummy for my tummy!

If you ate a frog, then we would hear "Ribbet Ribbet " ( that is my frog sound) soming from a gorillas tummy ......doesn't seem right .

[Keggster22]

a bag of crickets, water bugs or larvae goes down like a treat.

no wonder there are sooooo many

[kmarie1965]

Phone rings
Hello?
Hi Honey... what's for dinner?
MMMM...canned frog
Great..we will be right home...should I pick up white or red wine?

uh huh, I see that happening.

[Xtempore]

The Frog God is not amused! ------------------>

This post has been edited by Xtempore: 1-28-05, 10:20am

[basset]

Kermit in a can?

years ago in the store there was a chicken in a can

People have zero problem eating eyeballs or Bambi......

[kas]

I prefer the old fashion way. Just gig 'em and fried their legs.

[Nickster]

I prefer the old fashion way. Just gig 'em and fried their legs.

Me too, nummy nummy.

[L4Zy AzN bOi]

hey frog is good.. tastes like chicken

[tabitha]

I prefer the old fashion way. Just gig 'em and fried their legs.

That is sooooooo gross.

[Nickster]

hey frog is good.. tastes like chicken

Very small chickens....

[Keggster22]

  Very small chickens....

just don't try to stuff them

[Nickster]

just don't try to stuff them

I heard you were a really good chicken stuffer.

[tabitha]

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww this is a NASTY thread!! Can't we have one about chocolate or something??

[HarleyD]

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww this is a NASTY thread!! Can't we have one about chocolate or something??

Dipped....

[tabitha]

OMG ---TOO FUNNY

Thank you Harley

[georgi55]

Dipped....

http://www.plumparty.com/Merchant2/graphic...large/15875.jpg[/img]

I woke up by gf laughing too loud on your post, good one

[kas]

What's green and red and goes 90 miles an hour?




































Kermit in a blender.

[Cirrus]

mmm...spicy chili flavor?

Man it's making me hungry thinking about this, although I'm not too sure about the sauce choice.

And no, I'm not joking since frog-meat is actually quite tasty. Like more flavorful chicken. Although I've never had it with spicy chili sauce, and I wonder what canning does to it.

Come to think of it, I'd still prefer it freshly made.

Also, squab is pretty tasty too, roasted to a dark brown crispy goodness...*drool*
(it's pigeon if you don't know)

Oh what I wouldn't give to have some roasted squab right now. And I had a pet pigeon so I love the things in a non-food manner too, but damn are they tasty.

Anyways, frog really isn't any more or less nasty than chicken or fish, lol. Fish are pretty slimey too when you catch em. And I guess most people don't kill their chickens themselves.

Heh there's actually a really funny story about killing chickens I can remember from my childhood. Not that the killing itself was funny, but everything else surrounding the killing of this one chicken was pure stupidity...

This post has been edited by Cirrus: 1-30-05, 11:32am

[tabitha]

Thanks for sharing Cirrus......................





Now back to the CHOCOLATE.....................Oh Harely................