102 TASTE MARCH 2020
a highlight,butit wasthehuntingfor
midnightsnacksthatI’llneverforget.
Afterdinner,Hookledourgroupof
fourtravellers,armedwithheadtorches
andplasticbottles,to searchforinsects,
scorpions,snakesandfroglets.More
than 160 protein-rich,edibleinsect
speciesarepartof thedailydietin this
partof SoutheastAsia.Heapsof crickets,
grasshoppersandsilkwormlarvaeare
soldat markets,whilerestaurantstempt
moretentativetravellerswithdeep-fried
insectsservedwitha chillidippingsauce.
Butyou’llfindnoneof thesefrillsin Ban
KokPhungTai.Here,you’ll eat your
insectsstraightup.
Wetookourcatchbackhometo
roastandsample.I’vealwayssaidI’lltry
anythingonce...so I did.Thefroglets,it
turnedout,werereminiscentof chicken,
whilethewhitemeatI suckedfrom
thescorpion’sexoskeletonreminded
meof thesubtleflavourof crabmeat.
Butit wasthecrickets,grasshoppers
andbeetlesthatI knewI’dfindhardest
to swallow.Oncecleaned,theywere
thrownintoa wokovera fireand
seasonedwithsalt,pepperandchilliso
thattheirdelicatenuttypopcorntaste
becamealmostindiscernible.I atethem
withmyeyesclosed.Crunchy.Spicy.
LikenothingI’devereatenbefore.
Once was probably enough.Rain, fartoomuchofit,
divertedmyplannedLaostripto
SriLankaa weekbeforeI departed.
That’showI learnt,tenyearsago,that
spontaneityandtravelinsuranceare
a solotraveller’ssuperpowers.Forthenext
decade,I wastantalisedbythetalesof
otherswhohadbeento Laosandlovedit.
I dreamedof swimmingin theMekong
Riverandimaginedscooteringacrossthe
450 km-longkarstlandscapesof Thakhek
Loop.Thereweremountainsto climb
in NongKhiaw,monasteriesto tiptoe
throughin LuangPrabang,andtaste
budsto satiatewithwarmkhaonomkok
coconutcakesservedon banana leaves
at roadsidemarkets.
LastyearI didit all.Finally!Myaim
onthislong-awaitedtripwastotal
culinaryandculturalimmersion– cue
mycoffeeplantationhomestaywith
CaptainHook(a monikergivento him
bytravellers)andhisfamily,wholive
in BanKokPhungTaivillagein
thesouthof thecountry.He’slivedhere
formostof hislife,soyouwon’tfind
a moreknowledgeablepersonto guide
youaroundthecoffeeplantations,take
youona trekintothemountains,or
introduceyouto thevillagersandtheir
customs,includingthemedicinaluse
of localplants.Tastymealsandcampfire
chats shared with Hook’s family were
Thenextday,I startedmy
two-weekjourneytowards
LuangPrabangin northernLaos,via
Thakhek,VangViengandPhonsavan.
MyroutetookmepastBuddhisttemples
andwaterfalls,road-sidecoffeestandsand
stacksof durianandpineapples.I passed
familiesplantingcassavacuttings,while
otherswereclearingthelandaheadof the
biannualrice-plantingseason.Mynext
destination:a family-runricefarmwhere
farmerLautLeewould introduce me to
hiswayof life.
“Today,you’lllearneverythingabout
rice,fromthegrainto makingnoodles,”
Lauttellsmeandtheotherfalangs
(foreigners)whohavecometo Lee7 Farm
for a half-day experience. This popularactivityofferstravellersinsights into what
it’sliketo liveofftheland.
Heplacesa bow-shapedyokearound
Nah,hisfemalewaterbuffalo.While
somericefarmersin theareahaveturned
to dieseltractors,Lautis committedto
traditionanddoingthingshowtheyhave
alwaysbeendone– sincehisancestors
arrivedherefromChina 400 yearsago.
“I makecompost,herbicidesand
pesticidesfromricestalks,bananaplants,
leavesandotherplantmatterfromthe
farm.Everythingis organic,”hesays.
“I usechickenmanureandbuffalodung
as fertiliser...”Nahinterruptshim.
“Oh,thankyouforthedemonstration,”
helaughs.Oncewe’veploughedthe
gloopyricepaddywithLaut’sfather,
Khyoaya,leadingtheway(myadvice
is to wearfactor 50 sunblockandclothes
you’renottooattachedto,as you’regoing
to getreallydirty),Nahis cleanedin the
damandleftto dowaterbuffalothings–
graze,squelchin themud,siestain the
shadeof bananatrees.Nota badlife,really.
Khyoaya,however,hasnointention
of restingtoday.“Mydadis 75yearsold
andretired,buthepretendsthathe’sstill
a farmerbecausehecan’tsitstill,”says
Lautas wewatchtheoldmandanglea
fishingrodfromthebambooplatform
into the farm dam. If he catches a“It wasthecrickets,
grasshoppersand
beetlesthatI’dfind
hardest to swallow”TRAVELVatPhouis an11th-centuryKhmer
Hindu templecomplexandUNESCO
World Heritage Site.