Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Though hygiene standards have improved over recent years, basic food preparation know-
ledge in many places still falls behind other countries in the region. However, though a little
caution is a good idea, especially when you first arrive in the country in order to allow your
stomach time to adjust to the change of cuisine, it's best just to exercise common sense. Gen-
erally, noodle stalls and restaurants that do a brisk business are a safe bet, though you may
find that this denies you the opportunity to seek out more interesting, less touristy food.
TOP FIVE FOOD AND DRINK
Markets, street stalls and noodle shops
Morning markets
(
talat sâo
), found in most towns throughout Laos, remain open all day
despite their name and provide a focal point for noodle shops, coffee vendors and fruit stands.
In Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Luang Namtha, vendors hawking pre-made dishes gather
towards late afternoon in
evening markets
known as
talat láeng
. Takeaways include grilled
chicken (
pîng kai
), spicy papaya salad (
tam màk hung
) and in some instances a variety of
dishes, displayed in trays and ranging from minced pork salad (
larp mu
) to stir-fried veget-
ables (
khùa phák
).
Most market vendors offer only takeaway food, with the exception of noodle stalls, where
there is always a small table or bench on which to sit, season and eat your noodle soups. Out-
side the markets,
noodle shops
(
hân khãi fõe
) feature a makeshift kitchen surrounded by a
handful of tables and stools, inhabiting a permanent patch of pavement or even an open-air
shop house. Most stalls specialize in one general food type, or, in some cases, only one dish;
for example a stall with a mortar and pestle, unripe papayas and plastic bags full of pork rinds
will only offer spicy papaya salad and variants on that theme. Similarly, a noodle shop will
generally only prepare noodles with or without broth - they won't have meat or fish dishes
that are usually eaten with rice.
Restaurants
Proper
restaurants
(
hân ahãn
) aren't far ahead of noodle shops in terms of comfort; most
are open-sided establishments tucked beneath a corrugated tin roof. Ethnic
Vietnamese
and
Chinese
dominate the restaurant scene in some parts of Laos; indeed it can be downright dif-
ficult to find a Lao restaurant in some northern towns. Most towns that have even the most
basic of tourist infrastructure have at least one restaurant with an English-language menu -
even if the translation can lead to some amusement. Away from the larger tourist centres,
