T H I S+W E E K Sex! Sand! Surf! Po Bronson at Club Med Documenta X Avant-garde art out of control in Germany Melatonin Mania Is the jet-lag remedy a super drug in disguise? D E P A R T M E N T S >Mondo Weirdo Strange foods and other tales The Surreal Gourmet Barbecue 101 Readers' Tips and Tales Road trips - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Your virtual travel agency - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LA S T+W E E K Tuesday, July 8 Favorite travel books Peter Matthiessen, M.F.K. Fisher, Diane Johnson, Mark Twain and other great literary adventurers A full list of all Wanderlust articles

_______M__O__N__D__O____W__E__I__R__D__O More strange food tales from around the world BY DON GEORGE | This week Mondo Weirdo is proud to share with you two tales of strange eats, from Tongduchon, Korea, and Cameroon, in Central Africa. Keep sending your tales of odd and wondrous edibles -- and share more of your off-the-beaten-path discoveries. Strange festivals? Obscure temples? Bizarre rites? Send them to wanderlust@salonmagazine.com. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dog today, dinner tomorrow in 1970, as a U.S. Army Public Information Officer in Tongduchon, Korea, I bargained with a Korean printer in Seoul to produce our post's first orientation brochure at a very good price. Turned out, it was such a bargain because it was also the printer's first English-language job. To ensure the brochure was properly produced, I spent a pleasant week at the printer's plant in an industrial park on the outskirts of the Korean capital. As lunch time approached on the first day, the printers asked what I would like to eat for lunch. Being an adventurous eater, I replied, "I'll just have what you're having." They were having what they called yakimondo, which were tasty little stuffed fried dumplings, dipped in a fiery pepper soy sauce. They were so good that I ate them for lunch each day until the job was finished. My work done, I took a taxi back downtown and was lucky that the driver spoke very good English, giving me a chance to ask many questions on our drive. "You know, you don't really see many dogs in Korea," I said as we both noticed a big white shepherd mix standing on the street. "That's true," the driver said. "In Korea, we have a saying. 'If a dog barks tonight, he will be yakimondo tomorrow.'" Gulp. -- John Paul Moore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It's fat! It's fresh! It's juicy! It's larvae! It seems that Mexico is not the only place where one can come upon some delectable delicacies. In the heart of the second largest city in Cameroon, you can get the fattest, juiciest, crispy white termite larvae that you ever wanted! I mean, have you seen the Michelin man? Imagine no arms, no legs, just head and body of that guy over an open flame for a few minutes. Sprinkle that baby with pepper, red-hot pimento and a little salt, and you're ready with an appetizer that's worth the wait. It might sound gross and greasy, but I assure you, it doesn't taste like chicken. It's much sweeter. Enjoy! -- Johnnie Nomad July 15, 1997 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - How about you? Do you have a weird travel tale to share? Send it to wanderlust@salonmagazine.com. And join our Table Talk discussion on travel and food.

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