First meal of the day, Lao pho outside on the temple grounds: ★★★★★.  The broth is different than the Vietnamese and Thai kind in my opinion.  Usually the lettuce or celery sticks is eaten with the shrimp paste.  Yes, most SE Asian food is based on pungent ingredients.

This was my makeshift electronic news gathering (ENG) rig for the weekend.  Got to test the Shure mic/Juicedlink combo on some folks…with comedic results.  🙂

It’s tough, but a learning experience.  I don’t know if I have the energy to be a one man band all the time though.  Taking pictures and manning an audio/video rig is too much to juggle.

If you’re a carnivore, the festivities during Lao new year are a great way to try some our our culture’s food.  Thanks to the one booth for letting me take these images.

Meatballs in a sweet chili sauce.

Dried sweet beef.  A little bit like beef jerky, but much easier to eat, and the sesame seeds actually add to the flavor.

Fried duck heads.

Deep fried cornish hens.

Lao sausage.  Mostly made of pork, peppers and lemon grass which gives it that distinct flavor.  Grilled or fried produces a different flavor I’ve found.

I believe these are grilled chicken gizzards.  Popular street food in SE Asia.

Grilled beef, usually medium well.  Brisket and Heineken is a common food at most social gatherings.  Sticky rice and fish sauce and peppers for dipping is also a must.

Pork spare ribs.

This is “nam kow” one of my favorites.  Basically it is crumbly rice with cured pork, garnished with toasted peppers and lettuce and cilantro.  It can get super spicy but the pepper really makes it addictive, especially to our taste buds.

Hopefully I didn’t offend too many vegetarians with the above photos.  Here are some deep fried banana fritters, one of my personal favorites.

Great job by all the members of our dance team!

Thanks to everyone competing in the pageant to keep the traditions alive.  I know our culture has many taxing things that are done without much explanation.  That combined with the concert/festival/party atmosphere that is LNY…  It truly is unique unto itself.

More pix to come… Again, I try to present our culture in the best possible light.  If not, all the hard work of those that have come before will just go down the drain.  Thanks to all the volunteers and helpers getting the grounds ready for the 2 days of celebration.  Happy New Year everyone, that and Happy Earth Day as well!