Written on August 22, 2011 at 6:55 pm by Christine Ka'aloa

Fear Factor Foods in Laos

Filed under Fear Factor Foods, Laos {11 comments}

Me with a spoonful of deep-fried grasshoppers!

As an American, I’ve lived most of my life in a shiny glass bubble…

Starvation? Self-induced (trying to lose 5-10 pounds here and there).
Rugged?   Wouldn’t call myself the woodsy, outdoorsy, camping type.
Raw survival?   Never had to test myself with it.
Adventurous eater?    I can eat the same thing each day for two months straight.

So for me, traveling is my time to experience bold new adventures and broaden the glossy sheen of my bubble. One of the greatest thrills for me in visiting Asian/Southeast Asian countries, is encountering the unique culture shock or Fear Factor (read my Korea’s Fear Factor post here) of its different cuisines.

For instance, on my first day in Laos, visiting Vientiane’s night market, it occurred to me I didn’t have an iota about Laotian food. Not one. Afterall, how many Laotian restaurants do you know of in the U.S.?…

My point, exactly.

Standing between me and the growling pain in my stomach- which was becoming more audible my the second- was a thin line of food tents. I was eager to get my first sampling of Laotian food.

Okay, well not quite. To say I was ‘eager to sample the food’ is a bold-faced lie. I was curious to see Laotian food and if it seemed friendly enough, then maybe I’d consider trying it.

This was my discovery…

Four types of Fear Factor foods in Laos:

1. Mystery Meats & decoding shapes

Just because you can’t see the animal, doesn’t mean it’s not there and not knowing what’s in a dish is just as scary… as discovering what its contents really are. Perusing the shishkabob meat vendors, I found myself attempting to decode shapes and wondering, What the hell kind of meat comes in that size and shape? Rationale might say that if meat comes cooked in a consistently odd-looking shape, then I might try to match an animal, rodent or reptile of that demeanor.

The ones behind the fish completely puzzled me.

For instance, I kept seeing this meat which was reminiscent of a rat. Surely, Laotians don’t eat rat. I dismissed the idea. Then when I was in Luang Prabang shopping at the produce market, lo and behold, I saw it…

…rat jerky!

It’s things like this which make me glad I’m vegetarian!

2. Ack, it’s the Bug Attack!

Bugs and insects seem to be snackably common around Asia: in Thailand, Korea, Cambodia, China and yes,… Laos. One mystery that always confounds me, though: How do they catch all these bugs? (I mean, it really is a wealth!)

I attempted to ask this pleasant gentleman (below) how he got his grasshopper/cricket insects– i.e. bug traps, harvesting, chasing them down? He responded by tossing one of those deep-fried thingies back in his mouth and after a crunch or two, offered me one.

Well, so much for growing beyond language barriers… and hmmm (distracted)…

Salty. Tastes just like shrimp!
.

3. The things that make you go… hmmm.

There’s mystery meats… and then there’s mysterious purposes!

Animal hide jerky?

Let’s swish and gargle blood by the pint? Do shots? Sprinkle it on for salad dressing? Use it as sauce for our pork sashimi? (above)

…and what’s up with that brown liquid?
.

• Yum vs. Ewww.

90% of the time, food is all about presentation. We eat with our eyes before we let it into our mouths. Let’s face it, would you eat something that looked foreign-funky and unappetizing?

For instance, these were some of my food choices that night.

— MILDLY UNAPPETIZING —

— MODERATELY UNAPPETIZING —-

I dunno about the chicken…

And then BAM!

YIKES!!

Okay, so I’ve seen cow hoofs, horse legs and chicken feet in Vietnam. But it still ewww… give me the bugs, instead!

Encountering “safe” foods–

Remember the adage- looks are deceiving. Even something which looks ‘safe’, though not presenting fear, can offer unpleasantness. When I finally mustered the courage to order, I chose the dish below. It looked veggie harmless enough, but my first bite was so spicy, it burned just sitting in my mouth. What you see in that package is exactly how far I got eating it.

As a vegetarian and picky eater, does ‘going local’ mean starvation?

Generally, if the city or town is in Lonely Planet, you’ll almost always find at least a couple of tourist restaurants around; starvation isn’t a factor. But if you truly want to experience local foods, you’ll need to be daring, compromise your eating habits and know you may not end with a full stomach.

In Luang Prabang, I’d find street foods, such as a cheese baguette (the baguette is common there) sandwich, fruit salads with yogurt and fruit smoothies. The grilled fish on a stick tempted me many times and I’d heard from other travelers, it was delicious.

But going back to my first night in Laos- this (below photo) ended up being my dinner!