Fishing and a Picnic

We got a call on Thursday morning inviting all of us to Ms. Nung's house to watch someone catch fish. I say someone because we really didn't know what to expect, but we knew her tank was getting low on water since we've been in the dry season for a while. We knew she wanted to get her fish out before they all died.

I dressed appropriately just in case I was going to be catching the fish also. I didn't help catch the fish but stayed up on the bank emptying the buckets that held the fresh catches.

First catch of the day!I'm not sure what that look is for, but I was having fun even if I was a little afraid of the jumpy fish!

Rusty had no problems at all. He fell back into the fish groove very easily!

Cleaning the fish was not as bad as I expected. Of course it's easier in Thailand where all you have to do is scoop out the insides and scratch off the scales.

Base found some entertainment with playing with this crab that was part of the catch.

Some fish were going to be "steamed" over the open fire in the banana leaves. A piece of lemongrass and pandanus leaf were inserted into each fish along with a seasoning mixture seen in the next picture.

We crushed up a mixture of garlic, shallots, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and peppers to put inside the fish and a little bit on the outside.

The guys grilled some of the fish over the open fire using pieces of bamboo.

Then they threw the crabs on the open fire.

Finally it was time to eat! We had several varieties including the grilled that I have pictures of and also some excellent fried fish!

You can tell our table was full, but the plates emptied quickly! We had to leave early to get back in time for the evening ESL class at the house, but it was a very fun day! We were tired and hot by the end but very full and satisfied!