Chicken Head Soup

I finally awoke and could open both of my eyes. The left one was only a little swollen and red, but I was good to go. One more day and everything should be fine. After breakfast, we took our purchases, and my fanny pack, Sarah, to the post office to mail home. Sarah was not working out. Imagine that! She was too awkward and cumbersome with the big backpack. I purchased another small backpack to use as a day pack and to wear on my chest when my big pack was on my back. Sarah was sent packing and did come in handy to cushion our purchases. We shipped our box by sea and were told it would take 3 months. Thank gawd we were not in a hurry to get it home. Our work done for the day, we returned to the pool. On the way we passed a street food vendor who had quite a crowd.

P- What is he selling?

G- Looks like some kind of soup. It sure smells good.

P- Oh my gawd! Come see this...............

G- What is it?

P- The soup has chicken feet and chicken heads, with beaks and combs on them!!! Yes. Most definitely chicken heads.

The locals looked at the horror on Phyl's face and started laughing.

P- Is it good?

Locals – Yes. Very good.

Hawker -You buy?

P- Um, no. Thanks anyway.

G- I'd taste it because it smells good. Just don't get heads and feet in your bowl. It smells like it has a nice chicken stock, lemon grass, and veggies. But I'm not even remotely hungry.

P- It does smell good, but I don't think I could take the chicken eyes looking up at me.

G- Oh, please. The eyes aren't in the head. It's just a skull.

P- Ok. But I still see the sockets, which means the eyeballs must be floating somewhere in the broth.

G- Might I remind you that you take live, squirming crawfish, pour the poor bastards into a cauldron of hot, spicy water, then when they're cooked, you rip their heads off and suck the juice out, careful to pick out the fat in the heads, then eat the tails with the shit line on it.

P- I don't care. That's different!

G- It's not different. It's all in what you grow up eating.

P- Maybe so, but I'm still not eating soup with chicken heads and feet in it. I don't even like chicken breast, I'm surely not eating a head.

G- Ok, Gladys, you don't have to. Move along.  Oh look!  The bakery cart is passing us.  Would you like a chicken head pastry?

P- No Agnes.  I'm not eating anything made with a chicken head!!

We returned to the hotel and washed some clothes in the sink.

G- Did you wash the clothes with the shampoo in this packet?

P- You mean the one the hotel provides?

G- Yes. The dandruff shampoo that looks like a vitamin C or energy drink packet.  The chick on the packet looks like she's pouring it into her mouth.

P- If that's all we have, then yes that's what I used. I like to scrub with the soap powder, then let the clothes soak in the shampoo so they'll smell good.

G- Ok. And since we're washing our underwear in dandruff shampoo, we never have to worry about dandruff in our nether regions.

P- I do constantly worry about that. You're crazy, Agnes!

For our last dinner in Bali, we returned to Patrick Warung. The food is good, the selection is good and the girls who work there are friendly and sweet. Plus, we agree with the sign, they really do have the coldest beer in Bali.