So it gives us great pleasure to introduce another Watson Fellow, Radhe Franke, who’s traveling the world to study global grilling. Sound familiar? Radhe sent us this guest blog from Vietnam:

I’m doing a Watson Fellowship on open-fire cooking in different countries. During my fellowship year, I am looking at the way people cook over open fires and how they organize around the food they create. I recently spent a week in a rural area outside of Dong Hoi, Vietnam. When I was touring the Phong Nha National Park, I bought a live chicken, which quickly turned into our mid-afternoon lunch! (Above, I am fanning the coals over my skewered chicken.)

During the week, I also purchased my first livestock—a 38-kilogram sow. I transported it back to Phong Nha Farmstay on the back of an old Soviet motorcycle and learned how to properly barbecue a pig in the local fashion. We utilized the entire animal, making a variety of dishes from savory blood and organ meat sausages to pork belly braised in sugar and fermented fish sauce. It was an incredible and fascinating way to experience Vietnamese food culture!