My brother is the worst person in the world to photograph. One day, when we are all dead and gone, hopefully he will be remembered for his compassion, art, and generosity. I hope his isn't remembered by photographs of him. If so, people will think he's a drunk, bi-polar lunatic.
Balut (pronounced: bah-lute) = a fertilized duck egg, boiled and served just like a hard-boiled egg; baby chick and all. They are usually served warm with vinegar and salt.
The process:
1) Crack the egg in the "right spot." This is impossible to determine if you're not from The Philippines. But if you're eating balut, you're in the Philippines so ask a native. They'll tell you exactly where to open it.
2) Slightly open a hole in the egg about the size of a dime.
3) Tip the egg and drink the "juice." Alot of people put vinegar in the hole before they drink, but this is disgusting.
4) Open the egg up the rest of the way. Disregard the small feathers, legs, and head you see, that's all part of it.
5) Apply salt and or vinegar
5)Eat.
Important Safety Tip concerning steps 1 and 5: If you open the balut in the "right spot" the yoke will be at the bottom. DO NOT EAT YOKE. It's hard and rubbery.
Random facts about balut and baby ducks:
Every single duck egg incubates for 28 days, and on that 28th day the egg hatches. Balut eggs are incubated for 16 - 21 days, then boiled and served. Between day 18 and day 21 the beak and skull begin to solidify.
We went to a communtiy that's built on top of a cemetary. They're called the tomb-dwellers. Those cement blocks are graves - alot of them are broken and open. Bones. There are homes built in and around the graves. This is, with out a doubt, the most indescribable thing I've ever seen. The pictures don't do it justice. Most of the group. Poor Eric had to take the pic.
