7/13 Boo-WHAT?!

Today was an interesting day. I went out of my Ger (house), walked to the cooking hut and observed a meat filled goatskin being held up by it’s backend (legs cut off), and burning hot rocks being shoved into the goat through what would be the buttocks if it was there.  Then, Pec, Jake, and Mok sewed and tied off the back end to keep the rocks, and meat in.  Finally, they took a blow torch and burned the skin to a crisp (making sure all the hair was off). My sister tells me it is customary for Mongolian’s to kill a goat for Nadaam.  The goat had been killed and cleaned the night before and it took about an hour for them to cook the goat inside and out! This type of Mongolian dish is called Boodog. It is really interesting to watch and pretty tasty as well, at least the insides are. The meat ends up being rather tough but is left with a smoky taste from the rocks. The skin itself is edible. On one side the skin is really tough, and on the other side, there is layer of fat. I was not a huge fan of this part because of how tough it was and how fatty it was.  Before eating the goat, it is customary to take out the rocks and flip them around in your hands. The belief is that the hot rocks will give you energy. Some of the family members put the rocks to their ears as well flipping them from hand to hand.  When the rock cools off, you put it down.