It sounded like a scene straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. When asked by Taste of Country what the weirdest thing he had ever eaten was, he quickly replied with the following:
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"Monkey brains. I ate monkey brains on the border of Costa Rica and Panama one time."
With that image now seared into your brain, let's explore how the "Redneck Yacht Club" singer ended up eating primate cerebellums during his military career.
Craig Morgan Ate Monkey Brains Serving in the Army
Morgan served 17 years in the U.S. Army, with nine and a half on active duty and six and a half in the Reserve.
He was part of elite units like the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, completed Airborne, Air Assault, and Rappel Master training, and deployed to Panama during Operation Just Cause in 1989.
It was likely during this time that Morgan cracked open a monkey skull to slurp what was inside.
"We were pushing rebels south down through there, and we came up on this village, and in order to get the information, we had to sit down with them, and that was one of the things that they served," he said.
What Do Monkey Brains Taste Like?
Later in the interview, Morgan was asked what monkey brains tasted like.
He answered, "Like a bloody sponge."
And yes, he would eat them again.
He explained, "If they gave me the information needed to take care of bad people, then yeah."
Morgan Reenlisted In the Army
All joking aside, we truly do appreciate Morgan's service to our country.
Morgan reenlisted in the Army in 2023. Although this increased the possibility of encountering unique cuisine again, his reasons for returning were unrelated to food. As we reported earlier this year, he cited two reasons, neither of which was related to exotic cuisine.
"Recruiting was worse than it had ever been in the history of our nation," said Morgan. "It was terrible, and I felt like I could bring something to the table to help with that. Secondly, I had 17 and a half years, and I never got a letter that said, 'Thank you for your service.' I wanted that retirement letter so bad, so this was an opportunity for me to do that."
Photo by Nate Griffin
