Grubbin' in Laos.

            Ahh the food of Laos. Ranging from the simple and cheap noodle soup to the still extremely cheap chopped and sautéed'  buffalo sprinkled with caramelized onion and diced fried plantains (small bananas) with a side of local greens and a spicy sweet dipping sauce. You can eat like a king out here for mere shekels. I have had some fairly extravagant meals out here and I don't think I've ever spent more than 10$ on any single meal. The average meal consisting of pork or chicken in some kind of sauce served with sticky or steamed rice will run you maybe 1.50$ - 3.00$. Cost of living out here is ridiculously low. And the booze? Just as cheap, 8000-15000 kip (1-2$) for a big 32oz BeerLao. A bottle of 80 proof LaoLao Vodka? 10000 kip (1.20$) and if you want the "Premium stuff" its gonna hit the pocket book for a whopping 30000 kip (about 3.50$).
          
          I've enjoyed most of the food out here I would say, but the real traditional shit? The stuff they eat every day and have grown up on... well that's another story. Imagine taking a some fish, some random spices you picked from your garden after you decided they looked good that day, fermenting it all, and throwing it in a blender and puréeing it until it looks like brown mush that you would more likely find on the bottom of your shoe than in your food... Well that's what this is.  I don't know what its called but if I never had it again I wouldn't be devastated. But as a guest in a Lao home you just swallow and smile.. and then eat some more of it. Thank god for sticky rice because otherwise I don't know if I would have made it through some of the meals out here without throwing up. I want to like the traditional food out here so bad, and I consider myself open minded when it comes to other cultures food. But my palate just does not agree with some of the stuff. Plain and simple.

         Not to say there isn't good food out here. I've had some wonderful meals in this country. It just ranges from the stuff you see on travel channel, like a bowl of brains of who knows what animal or duck head soup; all the way to the other end of the spectrum with amazing Lao barbeques where they serve you plates of raw meats and veggies and you cook it over open coals right on your table. So fantastic.

          One of the weirder things I've tried since I've been out here? Chicken feet. This particular dish looks like a vegetable sauté with chicken, but instead of the good parts of the chicken they use every part from the actual head all the way to the feet. So after some egging on by the locals I tried it. And it is as horrible as you might imagine. It's all scales and bones, maybe one of the worst things I have ever had but they love the stuff. Maybe one day I can be cultured enough to enjoy some sautéed chicken feet, but today is not that day.