Vee will be adding to this guide to everything Laos as her adventures continue!
FACTS AND CULTURE
Laos — A country in Southeast Asia.
Buddhism — "an Indian religion widely followed in Asia, based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama (or Buddha)."
Theravāda Buddhism — the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Laos. Faith and practiced surrounds the " 'Triple Gem': the teacher (Buddha), the teaching (dhamma) and the monastic community (the Sangha)."
From Vee's mom, Nam, about Buddhism — "I don't practice the entire religion because I don't go to the temple enough. However, when I do attend, what we often do is meditate. I follow along with what others do since I sometimes don't understand the chatting. I do practice our customs when I'm there or outside of the temple. At the temple, we get bracelets tied onto our wrists for good luck. We use proper language when we address ourselves when talking to a Buddha, (Ka-noy) is often used to refer to I, myself, and me."
Spring rolls — Everyone makes their spring rolls in different ways. We use a lot of vegetables to roll on the rice paper: the most common veggies are lettuce, cilantro, and cucumber, but you can choose whatever you like. My family loves avocados and tomatoes. The meat inside them is shrimp and pork. You can also use beef, turkey, or tofu. Our dipping sauce is called sweet chili sauce. The sugar sauce is made up of lime, garlic, peppers, fish sauce, and boiled sugar.
Khao niew/Sticky rice — Made from glutinous rice that has a higher sugar content so it sticks together when steamed. This rice is made and served in bamboo baskets.
Papaya salad — The ingredients for this include lime, peppers, garlic, sugar, shrimp paste, fish sauce, fermented fish sauce, cherry tomatoes, and, of course, the papaya itself. First, shred the papaya. Then use a mortar and pestle to smash the peppers and garlic. Next, add all the ingredients listed above. Lastly, add the papaya. Taste-test it to see if you need to add more ingredients. If it's not salty enough, add more fish sauce; if it's not sour enough, add more lime.
GLOSSARY
Dtuu — Grandparent
Mae Dtuu — Grandmother
Paw Dtuu — Grandfather
Mae — Mother
Paw — Father
Lou — Grandchild/Child
Huy — Honey
Khao niew — Sticky rice
WORKS CITED
https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/lao-culture/lao-culture-religion
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
https://www.internationalcuisine.com/laotian-sticky-rice/
YOU ARE READING
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