 Do you like frogs? Yeah, frogs are cool. I love frogs. We don't get enough frogs here. Yeah. Although, they're also very different and this may be related to that study that this is like one of the most sinful cities in America. I actually saw a frog last night and it was what it said. Instead of saying ribbit, it said, rub it. Stupid. Juice! Hey, welcome back to our Stupid Drags, it's Tim Corbyn. I'm perverted. And you can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, for more juicy content. Thanks for paying attention to our followers, Twitter accounts, grab a deal, like button. One of these has more championships than the other. I'll let you guess who. I'm glad you said that. And Aaron Judge will be a Yankee for life. It's a large contract. He deserves it. Today, we got a Best Ever Food Review Show. Yay! And this one is not actually Indian, it's Sri Lankan. But why are we doing it? Extreme Sri Lankan, read this. I don't even need to read it. I know how many Indians are in Sri Lanka. Jaffna food and the neck bulge tamils. Neck bulge. The neck bulge tamils. So I was anticipating it to be Damillion, because I know about that connection with Sri Lanka, obviously. But neck bulge, babe. Do you know about the neck bulge Damillions? In Sri Lanka? Does Sri Lanka and neck bulge Damillions? I guess we'll ring a bell. I guess we'll learn in this video. Any Indians you know of that are the neck bulge fill in the blank? No. I have no clue. I'm guessing we'll figure out what that is. If not, that would be the random thing to put on the title. That would be... Here we go. Okay, mysterious Tamil cuisine. I don't mean either. But while you're sitting to have this meal, you're really going to feel like it's a miss. And the shocking ceremonies that take place right before the big meal. I can't help but notice there's so many people here who have a lump on the back of their neck. What is the lump? First, let's back up. Our cross country... I was not expecting it to be legitimate. ...to the northernmost region. That is a bulge on your neck. I'm super interested. You'll see the greatest concentration of Tamil people in the country. A community that takes up 11% of Sri Lanka. What is going on here? You get a chicken off your tongue. And lunges, I heard. Today, I'm on a mission to discover the unique food Tamil traditions have brought to this country. Is that a bad idea? And it all starts here. From the Navar Marka. It's the busiest and most prominent fish market on the Jaffna Peninsula. Smells a bit fishy here. Of course, it's a fish market. Dumbass. It was a breakfast. And maybe even made friends with some exotic creatures like this. It looks like a puffer fish. That's a blowfish, yeah. Oh, be careful, bro. Infamous for their tetradotoxin. Yeah. For each 20 minutes, after consumption can kill a grown man or even someone like me. Is that your name? My name is Renan, I'm from Russia. Oh, come on. We don't need a place to live, because Sri Lankan don't know how to pay properly. My guide for all things Sri Lankan cuisine, Ruzena. Joining us, Jaffna local, Joseph. When is the last time you are here? Two weeks before. I assume that with all the seafood here, you have more than enough for the people here. Yes, they are exporting to Seoul. Besides being a key seafood supplier to much of Sri Lanka, Jaffna stands alone as the cradle of Sri Lankan Tommels. So it seems the majority of Tamil people here are Hindu, right? 90% are Hindus. Separate from the Indian Tommels, who were brought to this country during British rule, the Sri Lankan Tommels have resided here since the 2nd century B.C. There's also a big Christian population here too. The Portuguese first and the Dutch came in and then they converted most of the Hindus. Are you yourself Christian? That doesn't exist. So we're going to go to your house shortly and we're going to be cooking up some different dishes. Is this food that you grew up with? Yes. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. That goes perfectly with anything on the table. I've never seen that. Cool. That is the coconut sambal. That's one heck of a mortar and pestle. It's a mashed onions, curry leaves, chili powder, and loads of scraped coconut. There's like a coconut crepe that's soft center and then this is just really spicy. That looks amazing. It does. It looks like a shredded coconut, but it's absorbed all the spice. Coconut overload. Sri Lankan Tommel cuisine is a melting pot of Indian cuisine, colonial influence, and foreign traders taste. In Jaffna, for those who eat protein, seafood, squid. go-to choice. The cuttlefish from the market is cut into rings. The layers of flavor begin with fennel seed, fennel grape, and garlic in coconut oil. That's a lot of garlic. Then curry leaves, onion, and green chilies. Finally, the cuttlefish. It cooks in combined with even more flavors before finally hitting the table. Wow. Let me try this cuttlefish. Looks like onion rings. It looks just like squid, but it looks more crunchy. It looks like a calamari. What's this wrong here? That's Jaffna curry powder. And how is Jaffna curry powder different from other curry powders? In the South, they don't use the cloves specifically in their curry powder. But that's cinnamon. Here, everything is there, but there's a little bit of extract now. Oh, that's interesting. That's our chili powder. Yeah, he's the chili powder. It's really spicy. With a rich Tamil culture of food, temples, and festivals, Jaffna is worth the visit to travelers who are willing to make the long journey here by car or train. This building behind you, was that your inn before? Yes. When did you build an inn here? After the peace storm in 2002. For over two decades, Sri Lanka suffered through a civil war that killed over 100,000 people. With the war finally ending in 2009, tourism started to thrive. So I thought of renovating my house with the minimum facilities. We only put in a big game and it's picked up everywhere. It was Jaffna, why it was selected as top choice. As Sri Lanka gained its spot on the world tourism map, so did its cuisine. I thought this was just a plate of noodles, but they're kind of like individual and cake portions. Oh, wow. String hopper. Looks like spaghetti. Yeah, but I think that's like in a patty. Oh, wow. That's cool. That's really awesome. How do you eat this? What do you do with this? We stack about two, three together. That's right. All right, so let's get it soaked with all this coconut broth. This is a shrimp curry. Nice. Namely coconut milk. Green chilies, onions, liquid salt. Turmeric powder. Squeeze today. Did he say liquid salt? I think he did. That's good. Do you have a chili pancake inside? I have a shrimp wrapped up. I have some of that. Sun ball. And the people, you know, it's already down your throat. It's good. You're really good at soaking up the sauce. That's really incredible. Not too hot. I think the cuttlefish is the hottest pineapple. What's your favorite thing here? Crab. I get a handle of it. It makes me feel like I'm cleansing my insides, my impurities. Blue crabs are clean, portioned and immersed in coconut milk. And hopefully cooked fully through. Chopped in a curry powder. Oh, duh. I told you about that experience in Papua New Guinea. Oh, it was really rough. The crab. How do you eat the crab? Yeah, nope. He kind of squeezes out the meat. When you do this, do you get some of the cartilage? Can you eat like crab legs? Because that's a big-time finger food that you get to dip in butter. I have. I don't like. I like the taste. But breaking over the leg. I love everything about it. Breaking it open, dripping down your... And it's very nice with the noodles. It just helps it go down. Can you feel the difference of the robust flavors in this curry? Yeah. Jopna is where the crab curry was initially born. So Jopna has just been up and down and up and down more than anywhere else in Sri Lanka, right? When it comes to tourism? Yes. In 2019, Sri Lanka earned 12% of its GDP through tourism. But after a civil war, domestic terrorism, a pandemic, and now an economic collapse, those tourism numbers have been decimated. And perhaps no place is feeling the pinch more than this remote city of Jopna. What is the state of tourism now in Jopna? Almost no. Minus. No figure. So they can't come. Whether outsiders come to see it or not, holy festivals continue without pause as they have for generations. And with enormous events, always comes impressive feasts. Welcome to the kitchen. This morning, we got our dose of protein and now it's time for the veggies. Tonight is because right now we are in an in-view restaurant. People are going to be coming to this restaurant soon after the event that is coming up shortly. This is the 25-day Nam Nalore Festival. Without the usual tourist crowd, Jopna streets are still flooded with thousands of Hindu tomos from all over the country. After the ceremony, they'll be flowing in the tomo restaurants in search of this. We've got two foods right here. This is a kuruma. Here we've got spices, potatoes, peas, lots of vegetables. We've got sambar. We're going to have dosa. We're going to have rice, lots of feasting. 20-day, the Nalore Festival has begun. In July to September, this festival honors Kornuruga, the Hindu god of war, and the god of the tomo people. Have you been going to this festival since you were a kid? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Leland, whose restaurant we'll be trying soon, is taking a break. I thought it said Leland. Oh wow. Each evening before sunset, a different unique altar is strenuously carried around the Nalore Kovil temple. I can't help but notice there's so many people here who have a lump on the back of their neck. What is the lump? So it's like a form of thing that the god is sitting on your arm. The bigger the lump, that means you carry it for longer. And then they keep it like that in a way to show that you're proud of what they've done. But how do you make a lump like that? I have no idea. Dying to learn more about these mysterious neck lumps, I try approaching some of the men. Trying to shake her out? Well, just like girls in my high school. Can you come here? They all refuse my advance. Nielen has managed to persuade one of the devotees. But there's a catch. But I don't know where to put my mic. Turns out, as a sign of respect, any male from the age of three cannot dress above the waist. And doing so could cause great offense. Where do I put this? Right here. Wow! How are you doing? You're good? Can I ask you, how did you get this? The big of me? Pulling the weight. They had a big bamboo pull on the leg. The accepted lore here is that these curious neck lumps develop over time and are the result of carrying heavy loads during this festival. I happen to think they're more likely the result of synthol or oil injections. I can't prove this, but I do know whenever a physical attribute becomes a symbol of status, some folks will take a shortcut to obtaining it. That's very true. That's super interesting. Around its third corner, I take off to the restaurant to beat the post ritual rush. Are you behind this venue? Yeah. Yeah, I think we should try the dosa because it can lose its crunch. Yes. Dosa. You don't want the dosa to lose its crunch. No. Battered batter of lentils, rice, salt, and sugar all spread thinly over a hot flat top. Slathered with a complex paste of mashed potato, chili powder, curry powder, onions, garlic, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Ah. You know, paya's quite good. Then I can dip it in your sauce. Ah. A really crispy dosa which has its own yummy masala. The chutney is full of coconut flavor and super spicy. It's just a combination that you just don't really get where I come from. This is a koruma. Koruma. No koruruma. A symphony of flavor. Cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, onions, lemongrass, green chilies, tomatoes, garlic, pedal seeds. And the spices come together in hot oil. Then pandan and curry leaves. Then chickpeas, potatoes, carrots, and green beans. I don't know that there's a cuisine that incorporates more seasonings and flavors than Indian cuisines. Oh, no. The spices are different. I like that it's not mushy so it has some good texture. And you know, some places you have to also just taste the same distinctly different from what's inside the dosa and from the chutney as well. For you, what spice comes out the most? I'm getting a lot of like cinnamon, cumin, and star anise and nutmeg. So you're vegetarian. How old were you when you started being vegetarian? You never had meat ever in your life. Like both religions, the Hindu tomos and Christian tomos beliefs are reflected in their diets. Oh, wow. Christians pretty much anything is fair game for the Hindus. This means no meat. Why is it important to you to not eat meat? His family is very involved with the temple so they don't eat meat, you know? It's a form of respect to the animal. Is it more like a high respect or like actual worship? Bless you, ma'am. Bless you, ma'am. Bless you, ma'am. So we've tried the Kurama. What is this one called again? Chilli paratha. Chilli paratha. It's an advance worship of our familiar roti paratha. I was like, what is he doing? Parathas are delicious. Oh, that looks amazing. And cut into squares. Oh, my goodness. On the griddle. Toss on chopped onions. Green chilies and tomatoes. Let the roti finish with a handful of chili powder and some heat from the chili sauce. Yeah, wow. No, chili sauce. This is just one portion of the old-fashioned roti. Wow. That's interesting. It almost looks like a sweet and sour like Chinese dish. Yeah. Sure, it tastes nothing like that. They got to say, I love meat but this is very satisfying. It feels full of flavor. It is sweet, sour, and spicy all at the same time. India vegetarian is the most filling vegetarian. The most filling and flavorful. Yes. Nothing comes close. You don't miss the meat if you're just eating a vegetarian. Totally agree. So filling. Absolutely agree. Which is not normal. Absolutely agree. The vegetarian diet, they either picture a loaf of bread or a salad and it sounds boring. What? It's when you come to places like this where you go, maybe I can do this. Oh, they destroy American diet. Oh, yeah. It would seem that an event like this it is such a spectacle. It's so fascinating. So interesting. I would think tourists would want to come to see this, right? Usually not a lot of people came here at the mall. That's your time. But last four years, many people did not come because of the bomb blasts and corona effect. This year also, economical collapse. I want to ask you this one time. In 2019, Lonely Planet named Sri Lanka like the number one tourist destination. And then now it's like, I mean, Sri Lanka has fallen so far from that point. Can it ever get back there? Sri Lanka is a magical island. I always kept saying this because it is. We've got beautiful beaches. We've got beautiful landscape. We've got beautiful estates. And if you want the beach and hot weather, you come here. If you want really nice cool weather, you go to the central province. And we have resilient people. We've been through the years of civil war. We've been through bomb blasts. We've been through an economic crisis. We've been through the rut. But we still keep, you know, coming back again and again and again. So we've got everything here. All we need is a simple plan from the leadership and we'll get back to it in no time. Is it true? Yes, it is. So what? Oh, wow. Geez. That's magical. That was cool. Oh, that was a really cool video. The next review show is a small team of independent creators. And everything we do here works because of you guys. Click the link in our description and join our Patreon and receive exclusive benefits. Okay. Go support them, obviously. Yeah. One of our favorite channels. Love the best ever food review show. Yeah, that was super interesting. And I know we have a bunch of Sri Lankan stupid babies. Yeah. Like it's obviously... Does Sri Lanka actually have its own film industry? Wouldn't surprise me. Let me know that, obviously. But I do know like there's a bunch of Sri Lankans and also Indians that have transferred to Sri Lanka. Yes. That do follow the channel. So if you are a Sri Lankan stupid baby, let us know down in the comments below. Thank you so much. But yeah, that was super interesting. A lot of super interesting dishes in there. Really? Chopped up the paratha, put it in the meal. That neck ball just super interesting. It is. It's like a self almost... I don't think self mutilation is the probably wrong word. But like it's like... It's super, super interesting. There's certain religious practices throughout the world that do certain things like that. Yes. That always fascinate me. Me too. And that one's like no different. How the hell do you get a ball joint in your neck? I've never seen that before. That is insane. Yeah, I've never seen that before. But yeah, super great video. Love his videos as always. I do too. And it's sad that most of the time what happens in places with tourism is the people get injured in their hospitality attempts because of things that are going on, typically governmentally. Like for example, we were just mentioning how Indonesia just passed the law of the fact that now any sex outside of marriage is criminalized. And I was reading a follow-up article on that and how everybody in tourism there is now freaking out because that law is going to apply to tourists. So if you're a couple who's coming and you are not married, you can be imprisoned for up to three years in Indonesia. That's going to be a bit of a turn off to people who want to go there for any kind of a trip. Yeah, a literal turn off to anybody who's going there who isn't legally married. Yeah. It's a shame. Yeah. Yeah. But it looked absolutely beautiful. It looked absolutely beautiful. The food looked absolutely delicious. He's such a good channel. Yeah, he is. He should have, he has 9.45 million. He should have way more. Yeah. He should have upwards of 20 million. I was going to say he deserves like a 25 million. Yeah, his content is consistently good. And we've remarked over the years the improvement in his production quality has become top notch. He has an entire small team of editors and all that kind of, and they do a great job. I would love to do something like this, is just travel the world and eat different foods and see different cultures. And he does a great job at it. Great job. And great title. Jeff, really. Extreme Sri Lanka Jaffna food and the neck bulge demos. Yeah, I don't think I could eat that crab one though. Oh, I absolutely. Could, it's for you. It's the whole drippy finger thing. That and I don't, I've never liked food that looks like it's living self, or that I have to touch the bone. Like at a restaurant I went to the other day, they actually had mutton briyani. And it was delicious. But the mutton was still on the bone. And so I had a hard time. Well, I know that, but you said something I maybe I didn't know. So for example, if you went and you ordered like a half chicken. I don't do that. Or if you were served a fish that had the head attached. I don't know. I don't know. I don't eat fish very much anyway, because if it's fishy at all. So that's the thing with the bone is it's too closely approximate to the living animal. And then I also don't like the texture of biting into something and having a bone there as well. I don't like that. It's so interesting. Yeah, it's, I'm weird. I'm sorry. I've been that way since I was a kid though. Like I'd never really liked eating a drumstick of a chicken because I had to touch the bone and it would get all my hands. But in Hawaii, did you guys get a lot of fresh seafood in Hawaii? Yeah. And see it cleaned and everything? Yeah. And it didn't bother you as long as it was fully right. You just were fine with it prepared. And they could do it all they want. I ain't doing it. Yeah, no, my dad's obviously coast guard. So we would go fishing on the back of his boat, catch big old mahi mahi off the back of the boat. And they would clean it on the back of the boat. Would you clean it? No. No. Well, and I was like eight. So you don't want an eight-year-old touching a big knife like that. Sure you do. But also, no. I took, I took, I mean, they never shot, they never shot a rifle, but man, Ashley Alexis and Michael were exposed to hunting from the age of like two. Oh, no. So they were, they were learning how they were, they were learning how to field dress a deer before they were 10. Definitely not a hunter. I shot a bunch of guns because my dad, once again, was in military for 30 years. And so after a certain time, he also got a job that he taught people how to shoot guns. Right. And he had probably 27 guns in the house, but they're all locked up. Of course, they were locked up. Like he was the most responsible gun owners should. He's a very safe, but like I've shot a bunch, but I'm hunting is not. So you've never done it, never hunted anything. I've been hunting. No, no, no. You yourself pulled the trigger on it, on an animal. I haven't killed it, but I've shot the gun. I missed. But I have been there when people did it, but I don't like it. Interesting. It's not, it's not for me. But I do love Indian vegetarian, probably the best. It's the best in the world. Fun fact though, a bunch of vegetarian stuff, options. Not a lot of vegan options in Indian food though. No, that's very true. Because of they like the ghee and they like butter and egg. And, and yes, there's not a lot of vegan options anywhere in the world. Yeah. But it's extremely specialized. It's a very vegan, vegetarian friendly cuisine, but not a very vegan friendly cuisine. Yeah. But it is, we had mentioned, of all the foods I've ever tasted that fall into the category of vegetarian, it's the only one I've ever eaten where I don't miss the animal proteins. To me, yeah. Because it's already so filling. Yep. Anyways, if you have other videos we can react to, please let us know what they are. If you are Sri Lankan stupid baby or Tamil that's now in Sri Lanka, please let us know down in the comments below.