Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
strongly influenced by that of its other neighbours, Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants
have made their mark on the culinary landscape by opening restaurants and noodle stalls
throughout the country, while the French introduced bread, pâté and pastries.
Vientiane
and
Luang Prabang
are the country's culinary centres, boasting excellent Lao
food and international cuisine. Towns with a well-developed tourist infrastructure usually
have a number of restaurants serving a mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese and Western dishes, usually
of varying standards, but once you're off the well-beaten tourist trail it can be hard to find
much variety beyond fried rice and noodle soup.
LÀO-LÁO AND OTHER RICE SPIRITS
Drunk with gusto by the Lao is
lào-láo
, a clear rice alcohol with the fire of a blinding Mis-
sissippi moonshine. Most people indulge in local brews, the taste varying from region to
region and even town to town.
Drinking
lào-láo
often takes on the air of a sacred ritual, albeit a rather boisterous one.
After (or sometimes during) a meal, the host will bring out a bottle of
lào-láo
to share with
the guests. The host begins the proceedings by pouring a shot of
lào-láo
and tossing it onto
the ground to appease the house spirit. He then pours himself a measure, raising the glass
for all to see before throwing back the drink and emptying the remaining droplets onto the
floor, in order to empty the glass for the next drinker. The host then pours a shot for each
guest in turn. After the host has completed one circuit, the bottle and the glass are passed
along to a guest, who serves him- or herself first, then the rest of the party, one by one.
Guests are expected to drink at least one shot in order not to offend the house spirit and
the host, although in such situations there's often pressure, however playful, to drink much
more. One polite escape route is to take a sip of the shot and then dump out the rest on the
floor during the “glass emptying” move.
Another rice alcohol,
lào hái
, also inspires a festive, communal drinking experience.
Drunk from a large earthenware jar with thin bamboo straws,
lào hái
is fermented by
households or villages in the countryside and is weaker than
lào-láo
, closer to a wine in
taste than a backwoods whisky. Drinking
lào hái
, however, can be a bit risky as unboiled
water is sometimes added to the jar during the fermentation process.
Where to eat
Food is generally very inexpensive in Laos, with the cheapest options those sold by hawkers
- usually fruit, small dishes like papaya salad, and grilled skewered meat - and the most ex-
pensive being the high-end tourist restaurants (usually French or European) in Luang Prabang
and Vientiane.
