Noodles a fried festival favourite
Noodles a fried festival favourite
They are a children's favourite every year and add a bit of colour and spice to the boat racing festival – yes, the smell of fried noodles is wafting over Vientiane once again.
Many food and drink vendors have set up their stalls in preparation for the weekend's festivities and noodles are yet again proving popular.
The sweet taste of Lao noodles makes them particularly in demand among children.
Memories of fried noodles at festivals stretch back for years for many Lao people, including 37-year-old Ms Chamthasone Lamgneun from Phanmun village in Sisattanak district.
“Whenever I see fried noodles on sale at festivals, I want to be a kid again,” she said.
“I even feel like a kid again when I put the noodles in my mouth.”
At just 5,000 kip a portion, noodles make a great cheap and easy eat fo r breakfast, lunch or dinner on boat racing day.
Ms Chamthasone's love for noodles extends beyond the festival. She said that, as a child, she would eat fried noodles at school every day during her lunch break.
Nowadays, if her own children are lucky, she will whip up a noodle dish herself with fried chicken, pork and fish.
Sellers cook raw noodles with oil and sugar and their colour will change from white to pale yellow when ready.
Prior to sale the noodles will be garnished with mint and chunks of boiled pig's blood.
Unfortunately the meal remains a favourite only among young people – many adults find it too sweet and let their children enjoy the experience instead.
vientiane times
