Spicy Girl (left) took us to this shop where she and Prince Roy enjoy the traditional Lao breakfast dish – noodle soup. Michael Cannon gives it a try in this first photo.
This is what it looks like, close up – without the oil bread shown on the table in the previous photo. Not being much of a breakfast eater myself, I found this soup to be quite hearty, especially in the morning. Notice how much cilantro (or coriander) is present. That spice is a stable of SE Asian cooking.
As we were walking about town, we noticed several vendors setting up to sell their wares on the street. This is a typical cart used in Laos for transporting goods to the market. Often the goods are sold directly off the cart, as is being done here.
Later on we had lunch. This is a type of sour meat that is famous in SE Asia.
This is Lao style sausage. While not quite as good (to my tastes) as the Issan Sausage in NE Thailand, I don’t want to give you the impression that it was bad – on the contrary, it was very good. I just prefer the Thai sausage. But, I saw them on the menu and I had to try them, you understand!
This is a Lao style soup and it was very good. Rich broth and just loaded with fresh vegetables and pieces of fish.
This seemingly unassuming dish was my evening meal. This is “Lao Lap,” a version of “krapau mu” which is a Thai dish featuring basil and garlic. Readers of this blog probably know the Thai version by now. The Lao version was even better than most Thai versions I’ve had. The flavor was richer and even more delicate than I’ve become accustomed to by eating the Thai dish. I cannot say enough good about this dish. I ate it on more than one occasion and I’ve been known to go back and get a second order of it! Lao Lap is wonderful over steamed rice too!
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The Lao whisky bucket!
Former field engineer MJ Klein now lives in Taiwan, and writes articles that primarily feature photographs of travels of MJ and wife Hui-chen, plus daily goings on in the bustling island nation of Taiwan, and other places in Asia. Articles feature people, culture, food, situations and sometimes the trials and tribulations of traveling in places such as China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos and of course Taiwan.
