My best attempt at being Anthony Bourdain (forgive me Tony)

Today's istallment will be solely on the food of SE Asia (thanks Chas).
My cooking class I took in Luang Prabang really introduced me to what the flavor combinations are here in Lao.
The most commons spices used in Lao are kefir lime leaves, basil (2 kinds), fish sauce, garlic, spring oninons, galanga. ginger, lime, chilis,coriander, fried onions, MSG(!), and sugar. I will be happy to tell you what I learned and how to use all of these ingredients when I get back home.
To keep things easy we will go in order of what you eat and when during the day.
Breakfast
There are plenty of options here and with the French influence in SE Asia some are quite good like bagettes and decent coffee but what do the locals have?
Noodle Soup. It's sort of like Viet Namese pho but different and called feu. "Same same but different" as they say here. It is the perfect meal early in the day: light, filling, full of flavor,highly energizing, easy to digest, does not slow you down and it makes bacon and eggs seem so boring. I love to sit down on these plastic chairs as some sidewalk noodle shop and eat with the locals who are all eating noodle soup. Ok, I'll admit it. I am completely, totally,unashamedly, and throughly addicted to this stuff for breakfast. I think I have had eggs once since being in Asia and the rest of the time it's noodle soup.
Oh yea, the cost for a huge-steamy-bowl-almost-more-than-you-can-finish- 90 cents.

Lunch
Lunch can really vary from where you are in the country. Options include noodle soup again (sure, I'll have another, this time with duck, please) to awesome sandwiches from street side vendors again on bagettes with mayo, tomato, cucumber,onion and your choice of meats or omelet. Good stuff and great for travel on a motorcycle. Get one in the morning eat it along the way. Fried rice and fried noodles with veggies, egg, chicken, or beef are popular and very good. Cost on these items about $1.50.
I should also mention that here in Laos sticky rice is really the most eaten item as it is served with most dishes.

Snacks
The BEST fruit shakes on earth are here in Laos. Great fruit overall with coconuts, mangos, pineapple, banana, dragon fruit mixed in anyway you want chilled with ice then blended. ADDICTING TOO! 50 cents.
The streetside foods are really great. Fresh and hot so I think reasonably safe to eat. Chicken sticks are really one of my favorites. The Lao chickens are skinny and scrawny and really tasty. Cost $1
The locals like these baby dried squid, thrown on a grill for a few minutes to soften and then eaten. I tried one- a bit chewy for me.

Dinner
Wow the options are endless. Great bar b que chicken, pork, fish stuffed with lemongrass then packed with sea salt and grilled on an open fire. OK I'll have two of those, please.
Actually, the fish, which is freshwater here in this land-locked country is maybe one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. Most people who have this also agree. Cost of the fish $2-3 each.
Western meals are offered in the bigger towns but I am avoiding them. You know when in Lao do as the Laotians do. The worst meal I had, in fact, was a plate of speghetti that tasted like noodles with ketchup. So much to for going western here in the east. There are some highly rated restaurants in the bigger towns serving high end cuisine but I am choosing to eat more locally most of my meals.
OK. I will admit it. I had one hamburger. And it was great! OK, Got that off my chest...phew.
Out in the off-road back country away from the main roads the foods get pretty simple. Mainly, sticky rice with a delicious dipping sauce and not much more. Meats are available but I think those are for special occasions.

Weird shit

Ok now comes the fun stuff. Weirdest things I have eaten:
Fried worms
Bar B Qued Sparrow (tastes like canary)
Bar b qued water buffalo skin(tastes like bacon with the consistency of shoe leather)
Water Buffalo soup with chunks of wood that when you eat the outer bark it tastes good and makes your lips go numb

Things I have seen but not eaten nor will ever eat thank you very much (sorry Bizarre Foods guy on cable)
Bar b qued Rats UDATE : Ok I ate BBQ'd rat in a soup. Hmmmm... a little weird.
Fried rats
Bar b qued Bats
Possum
moles
hamsters skinned and ready for the barby
Bags of cow blood and cow bile ( now really, what do you do with cow bile?)

The food here in Laos is much better than I was lead to believe. Thai food still dominates in flavor combinations and and overall creativity. But the Lao food is more subtle and relies on the freshness of the ingredients without trying to overpower with too many nuances of flavor. I love Thai food but I am really appreciating Lao food now too. And that fish stuffed with lemongrass ranks up there in my top 10 of greatest foods ever. May need to put that on my restaurants menu when I get back and call it LaoMex or Mexilao pescado or something like that.
Ok off to bed so I can wake up to some noodle soup to start my day, mmmmmm ..........