# Temple Of Doom Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725 "2002-12-10T06:25:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/1 "2002-12-10T06:25:01Z")
Ok, stupid question time :D. In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, in the part where they’re eating in the Bangkok Palace, the eating of bugs, snakes, and chilled monkey brains was just put in for a gross out factor, right? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/2 "2002-12-10T06:36:39Z")
I’m not sure I understand the question. The scene didn’t particularly add to the plot or characterization, so I guess it’s safe to say that it was included just for the “gross out factor,” but somehow I’m not sure that’s what your asking. Do you mean, “Do people really eat that stuff?” I don’t know for sure. Certainly no Indian restaurant I’ve ever eaten has had live eels on the menu, but then, I’ve never eaten at an Indian restaurant that was actually located in India, so what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Donut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Donut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donut)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/3 "2002-12-10T06:47:30Z")
Do people eat monkey brains? The master speaks (pretty inconclusively, it seems): [In Asia, do people scoop the brains out of a monkey’s skull and eat them?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010309.html) Apparently, they don’t eat them chilled… ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/4 "2002-12-10T10:19:44Z")
It’s a little bit of humor, sort of, plus the feast there is supposed to contrast the eating at the poor village. Plus I think the fact that she is looking for a late night snack, because she didn’t eat at dinner is part of the plot later. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/5 "2002-12-10T12:54:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*I’m not sure I understand the question. The scene didn’t particularly add to the plot or characterization, so I guess it’s safe to say that it was included just for the “gross out factor,” but somehow I’m not sure that’s what your asking. Do you mean, “Do people really eat that stuff?” I don’t know for sure. Certainly no Indian restaurant I’ve ever eaten has had live eels on the menu, but then, I’ve never eaten at an Indian restaurant that was actually located in India, so what do I know? \*\* Yes, what I mean is, back in 1930’s India, did they actually eat meals like that. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/6 "2002-12-10T12:55:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*It’s a little bit of humor, sort of, plus the feast there is supposed to contrast the eating at the poor village. Plus I think the fact that she is looking for a late night snack, because she didn’t eat at dinner is part of the plot later. \*\* Indi just brings her a platter of fruit later on. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/7 "2002-12-10T13:00:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Donut \* > \*\*Do people eat monkey brains? The master speaks (pretty inconclusively, it seems): > > [In Asia, do people scoop the brains out of a monkey’s skull and eat them?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010309.html) > > Apparently, they don’t eat them chilled… \*\* Man, that’s discusting. ---
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/8 "2002-12-10T16:22:23Z")
Indian from India checking in… I do not know of any Indians who eat monkey brains. In fact, the main religion of India, Hinduism, has many strictures regarding diet and there are most people who still follow those restrictions. For example, I was born in a family that was purely vegetarian; no meat, fish or eggs. Dairy was allowed. There are other sects of Hinduism that do not allow the consumption of vegetables that are grown under the ground. cheers ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/9 "2002-12-10T16:50:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Joel \* > \*\*Indi just brings her a platter of fruit later on. \*\* Yes but dosen’t that lead to something which leads to something which leads to them getting into the mines? It’s been awile but I thought he like asks her if she wants fruit and she is being gagged by a baddie and he makes some sort of joke yada yada yada guy gets hung in the fan with the whip. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/10 "2002-12-10T17:18:03Z")
As someone who has spent a little time traveling in Asia, I’ll agree with **ashtayk** and say that India is not the place to go if you want to be grossed out by your meal. (The people in southern China, on the other hand, seemed ready and willing to cook just about anything with four legs. I saw a critter in a Guangzhou market stall that I’ve _never_ seen before or since.) If you’re unfamiliar with Indian food, the spices may take some getting used to, but, honestly, the grossest thing I saw on a menu in India was okra. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/11 "2002-12-10T17:26:48Z")
It’s been a long time, but I went to an Indian/Pakistani restaurant in Carrollton and about half the dishes had brains as an ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/12 "2002-12-10T18:46:21Z")
I’ve been to several Indian restaurants in San Fran, and none served anything remotely like what was in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/13 "2002-12-10T20:25:56Z")
When I was in Delhi, most of the food was not much different than you’d get in US Indian restaraunts… meat wise. Some lamb, some chicken and such. Now many places in SE Asia do eat bugs and snakes ( I had some great snake soup in Hong Kong). I don’t recall seeing live snakes being eated. As an earlier poster said… Chinese food in China is often quite different than food in the Chinese in the US… different presenation, cooking methods, ingrediants… I had some really funky stuff. But some fabulous stuff as well. I think the point in the movie was to show how some westerners (AKA the singer… whatever her name was) have preconceved notions about what food is, and other cultures may eat things completely different. And to set up that plot point with the snack later. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/14 "2002-12-10T22:27:40Z")
The brain eating scene (I’ll bet producers love to hear that phrase) along with the violence (like the live guy being lowered into boiling lava, screaming as he bursts into flames!) in this movie were some of the main reasons for the creation of the PG-13 rating. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temple-of-doom-question/141725/15 "2002-12-11T06:52:48Z")
Everybody’s focusing on the brains. What about the bugs and the “Snake surprise”? I’m certain that the eyeball soup is purely for a gross out effect and has no basis in fact, but what about the other things, besides the monkey brains?