Home Country Cook'n

After living in remote Tha Thom for two months without traveling outside the district we find ourselves craving western food. Although the food in Tha Thom always keeps us on our toes, the majority of the dishes leave us dreaming of a simple pizza, or warm loaf of bread…maybe even a taco salad! Of the more recent exotic delicacies small fried crab and seaweed soup top the list. Writing this blog from the comfort and familiarity of a western café in Vientiane, home really doesn’t seem that far away! Our cravings are being satisfied as I type this and we find ourselves thankful that Tha Thom doesn’t have western food. How much more we appreciate the cheese…oh the bread…the goodness of a person’s comfort foods.

JOMA Cafe

JOMA is one such restaurant that we find refreshing during our time in Vientiane. BLTs, Rubens, Lasagna, taco salad and their assorted drinks are our favorites. Although much of the food available in this restaurant is western, the service is very Lao. On one occasion we returned from Tha Thom quite tired, but still craving some good “home country” cooking. We decided to try JOMA’s take-out option. After I ordered I took a seat and while I was waiting was served an ice cold glass of water. How many cafés in the US would do that?! In the Lao context this hospitality is expected upon entering anyone’s home and it appears has carried over even into ‘western’ businesses!

Surfing the Web

A Random Entry

Five months ago we arrived in Tha Thom for the first time, by boat. Since then the river has dried up significantly, thus grounding any long distance boat travel. As we are in the dry season, dust is everywhere and trees are losing their leaves. It isn’t pretty like northern falls, but at times the cool nights and chilly mornings combined with the vivid blue of the sky almost remind us of the end of summer days.

With this change in season the sky is getting increasingly hazy as the hot season is ushered in. As one might expect the dust is somewhat to blame for the haze, but fires are another culprit. Farmers will traditionally burn the rice stubble from their fields and use slash and burn techniques in upland farming. The drying vegetation in the jungles is also reaching a perfect combustion point. The other day one of the largest mountains overlooking Tha Thom was encircled in a ring of burning forest. It looked eerie in the evening, almost resembling a glowing volcano. Villagers say that these fires occur every year, likely the result of hunter’s run away campfires. Our landlord also mentioned that unexploded bombs from the war will explode during these fires, although we have yet hear these booms.

Ring of Fire

Another contributor to the fine airborne dust continues to be the ongoing road construction. The road has undergone a massive transformation since we first arrived in Tha Thom. In fact this week the road through town received its first coat of tar! Travel to the nearest ‘large’ city (Paxan) is now fairly convenient, only 2 and a half hours by truck! This same journey was 6 hours by boat in the rainy season. Although the road is nearing completion two bridges still need to be constructed to allow for year round travel. The rivers swell significantly in the rainy season preventing a river crossing by truck (regardless of snorkel height).

As the road opens up, commerce and the diversity of things that we can purchase in Tha Thom continue to grow. We even purchased sour pork sausage from one vendor! Tha Thom also received its first billboard advertising a cell phone carrier.

Paved Road and Billboard

Even though we can get many things we still have to be creative with our meals. Stir fry and other Lao dishes are simple enough to make with all ingredients available in town. However, to make anything Western many of the ingredients are hard to find. We restock our supplies with the help of visitors coming from Paxan and Vientiane. Things we took for granted in the US like, bread, flour, potatoes, oats, milk, cheese and butter, all must be brought from the larger cities. In an attempt to ration our flour store we began making ‘sticky-rice’ pancakes. They are still quite delicious and very filling. Kaarina cuts most of the flour and adds pre-steamed sticky rice. Peanut butter is also a scarcity and very expensive in the capital, however, peanuts are certainly not scarce in Tha Thom. So we also tried our hand at home made peanut butter. Although not entirely ‘creamy’ it does taste like the real thing. A water buffalo steak and potato meal also brought us back ‘home.’

Sticky Rice Pancakes

(A Message Brought to you by Ovaltine and Skippy!)

Steak and Potato Meal

A diversity of fruits also grace our table. A tree in the front of our home produces a fruit that looks similar to a guava, but has bright orange flesh and two or more oblong seeds. Our landlord brought over a bag for us to try. We both think it tastes exactly like a cooked pumpkin!

'Pumpkin Fruit'

Another tree in our yard was recently wrapped in the traditional sihn. Our language helper explained that when a tree is flowering it is tradition to wrap a sihn around its trunk. This symbolizes fertility. Villagers believe that this practice will yield a good harvest.

Tree wearing a Skirt

Fruit and other forest and garden products can not only be purchased at the morning market, but also from ladies who tout various produce from house to house. As I was trying to find a chain to fit my bike at the local fix-anything-shop one of these women stopped by selling a greenish purple fruit from the forest. For 25 cents I purchased a half dozen. They have a white flesh and taste just like custard! Kaarina and I have also become fans of jack fruit and enjoyed some that was brought to us from Paxan.

Purple Forest Fruit

Posted by Jeffrey

Tha Thom's One-and-Only

Shivering at the entrance of the That Thom market, wearing my blue sweatshirt and traditional sihn, I feel about as awkward as standing on a California beach wearing a bikini. Being the only female foreigner in town makes it difficult to ‘blend in’ no matter what I wear or try to say.

‘Where is Lamphoon?’ I kept thinking to myself. Jeffrey and I had finally moved into our new home, the kitchen was finished and I was excited to start cooking on my own. But the difficulty lay in the fact that the one and only fresh produce market in town is open for business from 4am to 7am. Being still new to the area, I wasn’t quite ready to attempt the market, with local dialect and prices, half asleep and by myself, which is why I had asked the MCC Housekeeper, Lamphoon, to help me out. In our three months in Tha Thom, she’s been a great companion, showing me how to make traditional Lao dishes, and teaching me new local vocabulary.

‘But where was she?’ I just came from the office, where I thought we were to meet, but it was as dead as the rest of town, except for the small bustling market in front of me.

A women’s voice jolts me out of my thoughts,
‘Jao seu pea leur?’
‘Ha?’
‘Jao seu pea leur?’
‘Eu… Khoy seu Nalie.’ (My name is Nalie.)

She smiles and walks off, but the quizzical expression on her face makes me think I didn’t quite answer that one correctly. Why does this language have so many words that sound the same! ‘Seu’ said by inflecting the voice downwards means, ‘to buy,’ but ‘seu’ said by holding the voice flat means ‘name.’

Watching the woman disappear into the morning darkness, I realized that she actually was asking me what I had come to the market to buy, not what my name was, and I in my blumbering ‘pasa Lao’ told her I was going to buy myself!

‘Well, I’ve been standing at the entrance of the market for 15 min now, waiting for Lamphoon who didn’t seem to be coming, I’d already tried asking some women at the market if they’d seen Lamphoon today, but they hadn’t… I think it’s time to do something!’ I decided to give it a try ‘pu de-ow’ (by myself) and dove into the marketplace.

Shopping at a Lao market is an adventure in itself. Being part of a friendly, non-confrontational or pushy culture, the Lao market mirrors the people exactly. Oftentimes while shopping in the Capital, I will have to wake up the Lao shopkeeper to ask a price or buy something. Bartering seems to be more of a friendly conversation, then actually trying to get a killer price. Though common in the cities, I’ve hardly used it in the country. Here in Tha Thom shopkeepers usually give the rock bottom price, and I’m not too concerned about getting ripped off.

Walking through the market, I observe all the tables with neat little piles of mint, basil, chili peppers, forest flowers and other garden produce. There are also large piles of cabbages and pak choy. Some vendors are also selling baked goods such as fried fish and deep fried rice donuts. The market’s meat section consists of a single table, on which is heaped whatever animal was slaughtered the day before. There’s not much choice on the cut you would like, just poke around the pile and find something that looks good! Fish is also available at the market, though you have to arrive early to find it; once they’re sold out that’s it for the day.

‘Hmm… what to buy!’ I chose some cilantro, chili peppers and green onions. Buying is actually easier than I had thought, due to the fact that most produce is piled or bundled into neat little bunches, and each is 1,000 kip (about 12 cents). There isn’t much for fruit at the market, but I spy some nice bananas and buy them. I also buy some fried fish, a bit more expensive at 5,000 kip per kilo, but they would make a nice breakfast.

In a few minutes, I leave the market, my arms full of bags of produce, meat and fried fish. It’s a satisfying feeling to be able to have a simple conversation with the Lao vendors and to feel like, ‘Hey, I can do this!’ I hum a tune as I walk down the road to pick up my bike at the MCC office, not feeling half as awkward as I had in my sweatshirt and sihn. Returning to the office, I hear rustling in the kitchen and Lamphoon pokes her head out. I show her the things I had bought and she shares that she slept in this morning.

As she gathers her things to head out to the market she asks,
‘Bai ek bo?’ (Well, do you want to go again?)
I look at my cell phone, its only 5 am! What a morning! I’ve already conquered the market once this morning, why not do it again!
‘Bai ga dai!’ (Sure!)

Posted by Kaarina

Our Home

In our first year and half of marriage we lived in many homes…with Jeffrey’s parents and in a friend's farmhouse our first summer, traveling to Florida and living in a small primitive community while studying Community Development, spending the next six months living between both our parents in Minnesota and then Vermont, coming to Laos and living with a host family for two months and then moving to Tha Thom to spend the next two months in a guest house… and now after months of anticipation we have finally moved the seventh time… into our first real house!

If you are ever able to take a visit to Laos, don’t worry about the questions, ‘Where will we stay?’ ‘What will we do?’ ‘Who will we see?’ We can now answer all those questions for you!

Our Home!

Our new home is located a short distance down the main road from the ‘business district,’ directly across from the local temple (called a ‘wat’). We were happy when the home was not built on the road, but rather about thirty meters back. This will hopefully translate to less dust in the hot season and noise during village festivals. There are also a number of trees living in the yard, and we are happy for the shade they provide and hopefully fruit, too!

After a Thorough Cleaning

The house is a traditional style, raised-structure, and we hear that in the hot season families will spend more time beneath the home than actually in it! The home also consists of a traditional outdoor kitchen which is located directly behind the home. Some of our home’s ‘un-traditional’ characteristics are the porch, wooden walls and tiled roof. A traditional home would probably not have a porch, and would be built with bamboo walls and a grass roof.

Relaxing with a Bowl of Wai Wai (Ramen Noodles)

As you step into the house, you will enter our large living and eating area. After three months of sore rear ends, Jeffrey was insistent on the ‘comfort factor’ in our home. Most Lao homes will have various chairs or couches, but we have yet to see one with cushions on it. Our home will be furnished with a couch and sitting chairs (with cushions!) as well as cushions on the floor encircling our traditional Lao table.

We have two bedrooms, one for you and one for us! The guestroom is a bit snug and we actually had to cut the bed to fit it into the room! Part of this fact is due to a traditional custom we were informed of, ‘In Tha Thom people will never sleep against the grain of the floor boards, only with them. This is because when a person dies, they will be placed across the floor boards, demonstrating how that person can no longer do things as living people do.’ In our western point-of-view, we’d rather position the beds to maximize the space, but for now we’ve chosen to leave our beds the Lao way.

You can then make your way through the home and step down into our indoor kitchen. We were surprised to hear that even though they were building us an outdoor kitchen, we would still have an indoor one as well. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with all the space! One exciting item in our kitchen is the sink and a ‘running water’ tank that Jeffrey built for us. I find washing dishes this way much easier on the back. We also have a good refrigerator that does a great job at keeping food cool…when the electricity is on. As we are entering the dry season, electricity is becoming more and more sporadic.

Our bathroom is another step down from the kitchen. The interesting 4-different tiles used (all various shades of white and pink) are good at waking one up in the morning. There is also a large mirror on one wall, which to Jeffrey’s satisfaction, is high enough that he can shave without slouching to see himself! And yes we do have an Asian style toilet. We actually find we prefer it to the western style.
In our back yard we have the outdoor kitchen, well, coffee trees and the future site of our garden (more on that when it’s completed and green!). You can take a short stroll down to the river front, observing local villagers washing clothes, showering, fishing, children playing… or a perfect view of the starry sky on a dark night!

We feel blessed to have such a beautiful place to call our home in Laos, and we think it’s been worth the wait! When you come visit us, we hope you will agree!
Posted by Kaarina

Motorcycle Tales (Part II)

After our time was spent we returned once again via the mountains to Vang Vieng another of our destinations just north of the Vientiane. Unfortunately, this city is popular with the party crowd, but for us, caves, limestone cliffs and an organic farm were on the docket.

Limestone Cliffs and Dry Rice Fields

Blue Lagoon Cave

 Our accommodations at an organic farm were simple yet comfortable. Guests can stay in a dorm setting, guest room setting or even rent their own bungalow. The farm’s main products come from mulberries. Mulberries, mulberry tea, mulberry wine, mulberry shakes, deep fried mulberry leaves and goat cheese are all sold. I include the goat cheese as part of the mulberry product list because the goats on the farm are fed mulberry leaves too! The farm also has pigs that had a big litter of piglets during our stay. Workers and volunteers just planted pineapple and are putting in garden beds. It sometimes seems strange starting gardens in December! The farm is beautifully located on the edge of a large river. They demonstrate the use of mud buildings as sustainable alternatives to concrete and offer them as living quarters to those visiting at the farm. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the farm and if we get the chance may go back to volunteer.

Young Mulberry Trees

A Modern Mud Home

Rows of Mulberry Trees

On New Year’s Eve a group of kids from the community center, which is also associated with the farm, held a small dance performance at the farm café. We both concluded that Lao enjoy two kinds of dancing, Lao traditional dances and hip hop. Unfortunately as evening progressed the Indian food that we ate earlier began talking back! When the clock struck twelve and the fireworks in Vang Vieng went off we both ushered in the new year from our seats in the occupied the outhouses. Food poisoning sure wasn’t fun…but I told Kaarina that we would eventually be able to eat food again and it would be a good story for the blog. We are thankful that through all our travels, diverse menus and sketchy restaurants, food and water has not made us sick until now.

With our bike returned and the New Year ahead we are excited to get back to Tha Thom and move into our new home! (Stay tuned).
Posted by Jeffrey

Motorcycle Tales (Part I)

Two hours into the trip, straddling our rented 250 Honda Baja, we began asking ourselves if this really was worth it. Our butts and back hurt and legs were cramped. Dirt bikes were not made for touring! Then we reached the mountains, completely forgot our sorrows and realized why we wanted to do this trip. Stunning limestone cliffs graced by clouds and dotted with caves, strange almost monument-like rocky outcrops, mountains wrapped in jungles and 15 foot “broom” grass, rice terraces in the lowlands, and the sun’s rays streaming through scattered clouds, decorated our route. Road 13 snakes its way along the mountain sides which perfectly suits motorbikes. For buses, cars and trucks it can be treacherous both in safety and to the stomach. The entirety of the mountain journey we found ourselves thrilled to experience the beauty from the saddle of a bike!

Starting Stance

Mountain Road to Luang Prabang

 This Christmas Kaarina and I traveled to Luang Prabang, a historic northern Lao city. When Lao was a kingdom this city was the capital of Lao. The royal palace, now a museum, is surprisingly well preserved. One room (Kaarina’s favorite) has its walls adorned with murals depicting Lao village life. The throne room is also stunning as it is adorned with murals of elephants, wars, villages, people and animals made solely out of different colored mirrors!

National Museum and Wat

 A strong French influence remains in Luang Prabang as stucco-ed villas and French-Lao food create an atmosphere that is strangely European. The night market reminds you that you really are still in Lao. An entire street is closed nightly when merchants set up tents and spread out their wares for sale. What makes this market uniquely Lao is that it is probably the quietest and most low-key shopping experience, second only to the silent auction.

A Side Street of the Luang Prabang Night Market

Many fair trade shops sporting elegant fabrics in the form of clothing, wall hangings…you name it, can be found throughout Luang Prabang. Most of the textiles will remain in our dreams as many things came with heavy price tags. However, Kaarina did buy the most beautiful sihn in the world at one such shop, Gobnoi (Small Frog).

Another enterprise that both of my grandmothers would get a kick out of is Big Brother Mouse. This organization has translated and written many books in Lao for kids. We have also used their books to help our Lao learning. They employ local young artists and writers, usually collage age. The books are either sold or if they receive enough donations are distributed in various rural villages and schools where children don’t have books. Some books even reach their village on elephant back!

At the National Museum

 As some of you might expect, the city bustle wasn’t the only attraction for us. Luang Prabang is renowned for its picturesque waterfalls! We spent a perfect afternoon exploring jungle trails, reading by serene waterfalls and playing Tarzan, swinging off trees to splash into blue-green pools. The pictures tell more.

Tat Kuang Si Waterfall

Posted by Jeffrey

What’s for dinner?

Lao comestibles are truly a mix of good foods as they share many dishes with neighboring countries while having a few specialties. We have yet to try the more bizarre delicacies that are sold, such as ant egg soup, barbecued bat and duck blood, but we have tasted our fair share of peculiar dishes. Unfortunately, we don’t have pictures of the many meals described below, but maybe for those with sensitive stomachs, words are enough.

It is commonly said that the Lao people eat everything…thus far that statement has proven correct. Our experience with food began soon after we arrived in Lao, which was good since we were rather hungry after the trip! Lao victuals are best described as a conglomeration of Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines. It does have its own unique dishes, but usually when we ask if a dish is Lao or not people will say that it originates from one of the aforementioned countries.

We wet our pallets when Brennan and Kristina visited us on their whirlwind-world-honeymoon-tour. Some of you may have heard their colorful account of an afternoon snack of barbecued dog (entrails and tails included). I maintain that the sauce was excellent and the meat was tasty, but the extras didn’t have much going for them apart from turning our stomachs.

Spending time with a host family in our first two months here was not only extremely helpful in broadening our understanding of language, but also introduced our taste buds to a variety of foods. While with them we ate fish gill soup, buffalo skin (which is a delicacy even here in Tha Thom where it is deep fried), marinated chicken feet and snails. To our chagrin we missed out on eating the 2-inch-long grubs, frogs, and song birds that we saw gracing the counter top of the kitchen.

Dragon Fruit

Eating Seaweed Soup with Bounpheng

Close-up of Slimy Goodness!

Little did we know that our lips had only been moistened for the culinary experience of rural Lao in Tha Thom! Here, roasted duck feet, embryotic eggs, iguana, sparrow, monkey, mouse deer, seaweed soup, many new fruits (mak kho, mak ko, mak tao) that sound the same, pickled garlic, innards soup (very common in the office), stir-fried cucumbers (one of my favorites) and a type of  "jay-o" (a dipping sauce) made from a cows fecal matter, are some of the special items on the menu.

As you might expect, rice is the staple in our diet and just as there are hundreds of varieties and flavors of potatoes in America so there are many varieties of rice here…and they all have a name! The most common and enjoyed rice in South East Asia is sticky rice (gluttonous rice). It is steamed in a basket, not immerses in water and cooked as normal rice is, and is eaten with other food by forming a ball in the hand and then using this ball to pick up veggies and/or meat. Interestingly, just as potatoes come in many colors, rice comes in a variety of hues! One of our favorites is purple (or black as the locals label it) sticky rice. Most commonly this is sweetened, stuffed into a piece of bamboo and then roasted over the fire. The bamboo is them pealed back and the rice column can be enjoyed.

White and Purple Sticky Rice in the Traditional Rice Basket

For the most part we enjoy the wide variety of foods we are served, but the normal meal in Lao isn’t all that foreign. Noodle soup is available at almost every shop and fried rice, omelets, fried eggs, wai-wai, steamed veggies and corn on the cob are some of the foods that remind us of ‘home.’
Posted by Jeffrey