Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
imported black tea, mixed with sweetened condensed milk and sugar; it's available at most
coffee vendors.
Alcoholic drinks
Beerlao
, the locally produced lager, is regarded by many as one of Southeast Asia's best
beers, and is the perfect companion to a Lao meal. Containing five percent alcohol, the beer
owes its light, distinctive taste to the French investors who founded the company in 1971,
although the company was later state-owned, with Czechoslovakian brewmasters training the
Lao staff, until it was privatized in the mid-1990s. Nearly all that goes into making Beerlao
is imported, from hops to bottle caps, although locally grown rice is used in place of twenty
percent of the malt. Also available is the stronger Beerlao Dark, which has a smooth, malty
flavour and is generally more expensive than regular Beerlao.
Occasionally,
draught
Beerlao, known as
bia sót
and sometimes appearing on English signs
as “Fresh Beer”, is available at bargain prices by the litre. Often served warm from the keg,
the beer is poured over ice, though some establishments serve it chilled. There are dozens of
bia sót
outlets in the capital, most of which are casual outdoor beer gardens with thatch roofs.
You can usually get snacks here too, known as “
drinkingfood
” or
káp kâem
- typical dishes
include spicy papaya salad, fresh spring rolls, omelette, fried peanuts (
thua jeun
), shrimp-fla-
voured chips (
khào kiap kûng
) and grilled chicken.
Other Asian beers, including Tiger and Singha, are often available (sometimes on tap in
Luang Prabang), and closer to the Chinese border you'll find cheaper and less flavoursome
Chinese lagers on many menus.
In Vientiane, Luang Prabang and other larger, more touristy, towns, you'll find a good range
of Western spirits and liquors, and European-style restaurants usually have imported wine
available by the glass or bottle.
FESTIVALS
Lao festivals are an explosion of colour, where parades, games, music and dancing are
allaccompaniedbycopiousamountsof
lào-láo
.Ifyouhappentobeinatownorvillage
thatisgearingupforafestival,consideralteringyourplanssothatyoucanattend-un-
less you're a teetotaller, in which case you're advised to clear out immediately. In rural
areas especially, a festival can transform an entire village into a wild, week-long party.
Because the Lao calendar is dictated by both solar and lunar rhythms, the
dates
of festivals
change from year to year, and even just a few days prior to a parade or boat race, there is
sometimes confusion over just when it will take place. For the Lao this is not really a prob-
