Pangasius is our nature

“You are looking at our virtue,” he says.

After a quick speedboat ride across the Mekong River, Khon directs me to a square pond. On Khon’s signal, a boatman shovels dime-size pellets into the water. A few dimples dot the surface. A splash here and there. Then, as if the entire pond is moving to engulf the skiff, the water erupts into a froth, drenching the boatman and showering those of us on shore. The pond is almost more fish than water. Two-foot-long creatures, gray on top, white on bottom, with faces resembling a slightly dimwitted “Star Wars” character, interlock and wriggle. Appraising the fish, you might feel that the motto for Bianfishco, the company for which Khon works — “Pangasius is our nature”— is slightly creepy. Khon smiles broadly, though, for the roaring of the feeding frenzy is literally the sound of money earning interest.

more from the NY Times Magazine here.