Food for Thought (in Laos)

Coffee - coffee with condensed milk. Mmmmmmm..... 

Sticky Rice - grab a pinch, roll it into a ball, dip in sauce(optional), and pop in mouth. The Laos people call themselves the children of sticky rice so one can only assume how beloved this staple is in Laos. 

Jeow Bong - dipping sauce with tomatoes, garlic, buffalo skin, sugar, and chili.

Ivy Gourd Soup - very gentle soup of ivy gourd leaves, tofu, and scallions. 

Soop Phak - a mix of fresh steamed vegetables topped with roasted sesame seeds. 

Laab - the unofficial dish of Laos. Minced meat and vegetables with lots of fish sauce, lime juice, and fermented fish sauce. The one pictured below is fish but can also be made of any meat you can mince. 

Khao Soi - spicy flat noodle soup.  Many street stall kitchens only serve one kind of dish and it's usually a type of noodle soup. It's nice and spicy and always comes with a basketful of mint, Laos basil, lettuce and another basket of chili flakes, chili peppers, and chili sauce. Only downside is that it's usually made with pork. Sad face.

Laos phô - much like its Vietnamese neighbor's phô but lighter.  It's a beef noodle soup with slices of beef and lots of herbs. Although it takes seconds to serve, the broth itself takes hours to prepare. 

Sandwich - We see these everywhere and I'm not sure if it's because it's a simple meal for tourists or it's something the French gifted the people. It's lacking the crackle of the crust but not a bad baguette. (I'm a baguette snob)

-Priscilla