Hungry for chicken? Yes! Since my last quick breakfast(2 boiled eggs) in Hanoi at 6AM, I had still not yet eaten at 2PM. After 8 hours in a wrecked smelly bus on a bumper crooked road in the mountains (and a fast driver), food was so welcome at Lak Xao, just after crossing the Vietnam-Laos border. This BBQ chicken was sooooooo appreciated with a Lao beer. Chicken, "ping kai", is by far the most popular and inexpensive meat in Laos; fresh tropical fruits are abundant and delicious also.
Meals in Laos always include "khao niaw", glutinous 'sticky rice' deftly rolled into a neat, small ball and eaten with the hand. Fish and prawns are readily available but are nearly always freshwater, since Laos is a landlocked country relatively far from the sea. The Mekong River delta supplies the country's food with little imported except from Thailand. In general, Lao food resembles Thai cuisine except with the addition of the French baguette, the "khao jii" . This delectable bread tradition has been left by the French who occupied Laos until 1954. Other popular Lao dishes include tam som--really the equivalent of Thai som tam--a spicy salad made of sliced green papaya mixed with chilli peppers, garlic, tomatoes, ground peanuts, field crab, lime juice and fish sauce accompanied by meat and rice. The Lao national dish is laap (sometimes also spelled larb), a spicy mixture of marinated meat and/or fish that is sometimes raw (prepared like ceviche) with a variable combination of greens, herbs, and spices. Another characteristic dish is tam mak houng (som tam in Thai), green papaya salad.
Eating in Laos is generally tastier and healthier than our Canadian fast food restaurants. This hot fresh BBQ chicken surely beats KFC!