All posts filed under: Halloween

In spirit of the season: Haunting sights in Laos, Thailand

VIENTIANE, Laos – From the light-hearted to the macabre, ghosts and spirits have recently been visiting the area. Below are two must-see spots where the living may meet the dead. Ben Hansaa – The Funhouse View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Rolan (@jasonrolan) After the revolution, believing in spirits was officially discouraged, but belief in them still remains strong. This year, the end of Buddhist Lent fell at nearly the same time as Halloween. In the carnival erected annually at Vientiane’s Boat Racing festival, there is a haunted house where youths dare each other to face the horrors inside. In Thailand, or America, this would be called a Ban Phi Sing or “Haunted House,” but bowing to official sentiments, it’s simply called Ban Hansaa or “Funhouse.” Chair and Noose – Khon Kaen Manifesto View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Rolan (@jasonrolan) Shifting focus to Thailand’s Isan region, one of the original Lao diaspora communities where people of Lao descent outnumber the current population of Laos by almost 400 …

Laomerican Cooking HalLaoween Edition: The 5-Layer Phi Dip!

It always happens, you spent so much time getting your HalLaoween costume ready for the big party, you’re just about out of time to bring over a dish for the hosts? What to do, what to do? Thanks to almost a year of trial and error experiments with our families and friends (Thanks for being the test subjects!) we can present the 5-Layer Phi Dip, which isn’t “fancy” but it’s saep lai and easy to fix on the run, if you’ve got the right stuff on hand. You’ll need: 1 tub of cooked beef laab (most guests hate raw laab in this dish) 1 can of refried beans or a can of chili with beans 1 white onion diced 1 tomato diced 1 green pepper diced 1-2 Lao chili peppers, diced 1 dash of ghost pepper powder, if you dare. 1 can mango habanero salsa or whatever good brand you can find. 1 package of shredded cheese (unless lactose intolerance is an issue.) Put the refried beans or chili on top of the cooked beef …