On the Menu

It must be said: People in rural Laos have been known to eat dog. It's not usually on the menu, but apparently not out of the question. In the bigger cities, however, it seemed that more dogs were kept as pets than as protectors (or meals), and on a trip to a supermarket in the southern town of Pakse, I found canned dog food on the shelves, which I took as a good sign. If you love your dog, you buy him fancy dog food, right?

The irony is, the city pooches would be better off eating like their village counterparts – scraps of fresh, unprocessed meat, and organic fruits and vegetables. Top Dog (the brand on the shelves) might look fancy, but is probably pretty crappy.