Sunday 6 April 2008

Destination Laos: Part 21 Luang Prabang Weed

It's a Luang Prabang specialty, and no, it's not what you're thinking.

My weed is taking hours to arrive, and when it does i'm greeted by the sight of several pieces of dried, lightly fried pieces of weed, topped with sesame seeds. They're dry, slightly rough in teture, crispy, and taste, naturally, like grass. Interesting taste, but as i was keeping an eye on the budget (running a bit low), it was my main dish and quite naturally also, i got rather sick of it halfway through the enormous platter.

Weed, in case of any disambiguation still, is just that - weed. As in seaweed, but instead, in Luang Prabang, my first dinner is foraged from the depths of the Mekong River that flows right beside the eatery - which might explain the long time they took in serving up the dish. I highly suspect a recent voyage down the Mekong under the moonlight, to ensure the freshness of ingredients used in their food. Right.

Really though, fresh is an understatement of food served in the Lao PDR - I have had instances when i ordered food only for the cook to despatch her son/daughter to run to the nearby market to get the ingredients. Wow. I know i've gushed about Lao food before, but it really is all so sep lai (very delicious) and fresh and healthy.

No comments:

Post a Comment