LOOK YAY! ⛅️

When I first launched Pong Thea Koun aka Balut, I shared stories about our summers in Stockton. We’d sit on a kathal (woven mat), with baskets of Pong Thea Koun in giant metal steamers and just eat away. 🥹

But as we bring Pong Thea Koun back for those who are new here (HI 👋🏽), I wanted to share a different kind of memory. 👀

As an adult, I started thinking about my childhood and how I wanted my own son to have those same core memories. SO I went to the nearest Asian market, saw trays clearly pink stamped as fertilized eggs and grabbed a whole tray. I remembered how many I could eat as a kid and I figured I could probably eat even more now.

I asked the grocery worker, “Are these ready to eat?” They said yes. I went home, got my steamer going, and made our little sauce of salt + black pepper + lime. I was READY to show my oldest how we do it. Would he like it? I had no idea, but I was excited to pass down a little piece of my childhood.

The eggs finished steaming. I grabbed one, ready to crack the top with the back of my spoon like I remembered. Except… it wouldn’t crack. 🤨

AH! Wrong side. I flipped it over. Still wouldn’t crack. 🧐

So I picked up the whole egg, started peeling it, and y’all. IT WAS A REGULAR SHMEGULAR BOILED ASS EGG. 😭

I opened another one. Same thing. And another. SAME THING.

I was laughing at myself because somehow, I had managed to steam an entire tray of eggs. 😂

So much for passing down generational flavors. Instead, I got about 20 eggs for egg salad.

And this will always be one of my favorite memories as an adult. I was just a mom trying to recreate her childhood for her son, and it turned into a whole different kind of core memory.

Which is kind of what LOOK YAY! is about for me. Sometimes it’s the memories we grew up with and sometimes it’s the ones we’re trying to create for our own kids. Sometimes they go as planned and sometimes you end up with 20 boiled eggs. 🤷🏻‍♀️💛

What was your first time like eating Pong Thea Koun | Balut?