I don’t consider myself any type of foodie or gourmand, but I do make an effort to try local food wherever I travel. I’m willing to try anything once, even if I can only stomach a couple bites. Usually when I arrive in a new city I’m in Anthony Bourdain mode and will order several of the most exotic dishes, at the oldest and most traditional restaurants, several days in a row. I inevitably exhaust my tolerance (if not my curiosity) within a week; then it’s fruit smoothies, salads, and “western” food until I feel emboldened again.
While I have experienced some novel flavors in Laos, and never regret trying, I haven’t enjoyed much. The positive: there’s a unique smokiness to Laotian food, due to the local pepperwood, methods of fermentation, and charcoal grilling. The negative: most of the food is blandly herbal; many cooks seem frightened to prepare any spicy food for me even when they’ve asked and I’ve assented; the quality of meat and fish has been generally very poor; I’m quite concerned about the toxicity of the river seafood.
Maybe it’s just diner’s remorse for the money I’ve spent (wasted?) but I decided to document everything “local” I ate in Laos. Most of the categories are straightforward; ‘Loaned’ I’m using in the linguistic sense: fusion food that was once foreign but has been wholly incorporated into the local food ‘language’ for at least a couple decades (as opposed to imitation or real foreign cuisine). Within these groups, I’m ranking from least to most enjoyed by yours truly.
Laotian
Loaned
Junk
Sweets
The Butterfly Pea Flower Trend . . .
It turns from blue to purple when you add lime. It has taken over all drinks menus aimed at ladies, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. It’s Lao’s purple draaaaaaaank
Alcohol
Maybe Next Time . . .
And Maybe Not . . . 😅
My wishlist for next time in Laos:
Naem Khao (Crispy Coconut Rice)
Khao Soi (Rice Noodle Soup With Fermented Soybean-Tomato Sauce)
Gaeng Som (Chicken Soup With Fish Sauce and Tamarind)
Khao Poon (Soup With Fermented Noodles)
Gaeng Naw Mai (Bamboo and Yanang Leaf Stew)