Note: Happy Halloween! Hope you’re having a fun/sweet time wherever you are. bigsmile Looking forward to the weekend? I know I am. Just in case this Lao-Australian food blog wasn’t getting confusing enough (with WW, a poem a day, etc.) – I thought I’d throw in another feature to the blog called Fun Stuff! Yippee!! Fun Stuff posts on Fridays will be my collection/recollection of fun info/facts/favourites/findings, etc. that I want to share with you. I’ll try and keep it food/Lao food related – but really, anything is possible. It might even include a random photo of a funny looking veg! I’ll keep the posts short and sweet and will limit the list to about 1-5 items so that it doesn’t take too long for you to read. Hopefully, the posts will be entertaining, informative and tra-da fun! Comments are always welcome. And yes, normal food related posts (in particular recipes) are on their way too! Until then – here’s the inaugrural Fun Stuff #1 post. bigsmile
1. According to Zagat via burgers here and there, New York City got its first Laotian restaurant in 2013 with Khe-Yo.((1)) Linda from burgers here and there explains that “although if you do a Yelp search, there are several Laotian/Thai restaurants”.((2)) Chanida of Little Laos On The Prairie in an interview with Chef Phet of Khe-Yo further explains that “across the street is Chef Jeannie, a low-key mom from Southern Pakse who serves up mom’s homecooked Lao favorites”.((3)) These are all great news/signs that Lao food is gaining the popularity/success/momentum that it deserves – making it more easy to find/enjoy. Be sure to read the interview with Chef Phet and stay tuned for other posts on Lao food by LLOTP. Also, if you’re in Tribeca village in New York City, make sure you visit Khe-Yo for some famed Lao food. Here are Khe-Yo’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
2. If you love eating burgers and Lao food, you’ve got to try Linda’s Laotian burger recipe! I haven’t yet tried making it but it looks amazing!! The post is a great read and provides some interesting info on Laos/Lao food, and also the recipe for the Laotian burger with mouth-watering photos. While you’re there, make sure you check out Linda’s other wonderful burger recipes inspired by exotic/international flavours. Sabaidee Linda! bigsmile
3. Speaking about Lao restaurants – we recently discovered/drove past a new one in Marrickville, NSW (Oz) called Papaya Grill Lao Restaurant. We haven’t yet dined there but will do asap, and it looks great/very modern from the outside. What got my attention the most about the restaurant was its name. There are not many restaurants in Sydney that are Lao, as many restaurants that serve Lao food often market themselves as Lao and Thai. This trend is reflected worldwide. The presence/opening of Papaya Grill is a great sign/move for the Lao community and it helps define/distinguish/market Lao food/cuisine as well. On their Facebook page, you can view photos of the interior of the restaurant and the enticing menu. If you’re a Marrickville local/Sydneysider looking for Lao food, make sure you check them out. Here’s Papaya Grill Lao Restaurant’s Facebook.
4. This is just a little brag. I believe it could be my very first serious feature/mention on a digital publication/website – The Weekend Edition. It’s only very tiny though – probably the size of a flea on a flea (if fleas do have fleas, or something similar), but it’s the site’s first mention, so I’m rather chuffed about it! To be correct, it’s actually a mention about padaek sauce, with a link to the recipe on the site, so I’m not sure if that really counts? Of course it does – it’s a link to a recipe on the site, so there. I have no idea what I’ve created/or am getting myself into by naming a Lao food blog after its fish sauce. Uncertain futures ahead [sigh] – to infinity and beyond! Wait – memory serves me correctly, and for the record – other mentions/links to the site that I’m aware/proud of are by Laos in the House and PAFoodways. Three golden stars! Yippee!! bigsmile
5. Here’s a quote that I like and want to share with you. It’s an oldie so you might have already read/heard it before, but I love it and so here it is. I first read it on a post on Cook Republic.((4))
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
Isn’t it wonderful/beautiful and true? Remembering it helps me to be nice, most of the time, which is not always easy to do. bigsmile
That’s the fun stuff for this week folks! Hope you enjoyed it – have a fun and safe weekend. Ciao! bigsmile
[[1]]Reference: http://www.zagat.com/b/new-york-city/nyc-gets-first-laotian-restaurant-with-khe-yo.[[1]]
[[2]]Reference: http://burgershereandthere.com/2014/05/28/laotian-burger-recipe/.[[2]]
[[3]]Reference: http://littlelaosontheprairie.org/2014/10/30/the-lao-food-love-affair-in-nyc-chef-phet-of-khe-yo/.[[3]]
[[4]]It is thought that Maclaren was the original source of the quotation, now widely misattributed to Plato or Philo of Alexandria. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Maclaren.[[4]]