Eating & drinking in Laos

I have photographed so much of what we have been eating because I get a thrill out of all the variety and wonderful flavours that Laos has on offer. If you love asian food, you may have seen the dessert below at many asian grocers. It is coconut, corn and sugar, thickened with ground rice, or rice flour and steamed in little banana leaf plates. Yum. These little parcels were 15 cents each and as a consequence, I think I’m packing on the kilos faster than I can sweat them off!

We went for a walk to the Thalat Sao or Morning Market, in Vientiane. When I came here 12 years ago, it was a fairly large market but was modest in its construction. Now it is a triple storey building with a rooftop carpark. There is still a bit of the old part left, which I prefer for its rambling lanes and tightly packed wares. However, the shopkeepers in these old parts would benefit from the air-conditioning of an extension. We walked around the shopping ‘mall’ for a bit and because we were doing it Lao-style, we stopped every 10 minutes or so for a snack or drink. Below is a snap of our refreshments, a fresh young coconut drink, a grass jelly and syrup drink and a black jelly and syrup drink. This little stand at the Thalat Sao also made coconut or corn waffles for 4000kip each (AU60cents) while you wait, delish!

Later on that day, we went roaming the streets of Vientiane after being given cooling relief from the blistering hot sun, by the storm the previous night. We end up again at Phimpone mini-mart, a French-run convenience store that stocks everything that you would ever need during your stay in Laos, steaks, salmon, antipasto, gourmet yogurt, ice-creams, you name it. We go there almost every day for an espresso and their delicious home-made icecreams. We sit outside, our chairs facing the street and watch the world go by. When we came here the day before, I was startled by a man who was begging. He appeared before my unobservant eyes and presented us with mangled stumps where his hands used to be. He was clearly a victim of land mines. I was very shocked by this as I am from an area quite close to the city and to be honest, I have never seen a person without limbs.

Yet another cafe in Vientiane. I couldn’t tell you where it is because for some reason I walk around and remember my way via people, landmarks and street stalls and don’t even notice the street signs that say Rue Whatever. However, Vientiane is a very small city and you will easily find it. This French cafe has fantastic pastries and great coffee. Coffee is about AU$1.20. We like it here because you can sit here all day with a book, not move and you won’t be bothered.