“When I was a child, I noticed not many students and teachers from school knew what Lao culture was. As I grew older, I learned how to explain it better.
When people asked me ‘where’s Laos?’ I alway love to answer. ‘It’s a landlocked country in southeast Asia between Thailand and Vietnam,’ I’d say."
- Vannepha Luangaphay, 27, She, NY
“Unfortunately, I have not visited Laos yet, and I truly look forwarded to when the day comes. I still have my mother’s side to meet and she has many siblings. She’s the 12th out of 14! Until then, m
y father is teaching me how to read and write Lao, and I always practice speaking Lao with my family, especially when we enjoy meals together.”
“Growing up every family had a mortar and pestle.
I always love to hear the thumping and thumping coming from the kitchen. It often means our meal is almost ready! Typically, it’d be papaya salad, my favorite.”
“I love sharing papaya salad recipes with friends, and specifically showing them how to make it.
This dish has shredded green papaya, fermented fish or crab sauces ”padak”, regular fish sauce, tomatoes, shrimp paste, garlic cloves, chilly peppers, sugar, and salt.”
“As a kid, my mom always had me use the mortar and pestle to pound out the first three ingredients, garlic cloves, Thai chili peppers, and salt to start. I finally got my own a year ago. Nowadays, every time I pound ingredients in my own home, it brings me back to my mom’s kitchen and learning to cook from her; And my mom telling me to pound faster and “thump” harder.”
- Vannepha Luangaphay, 27, She, NY
