All posts filed under: Lao

LCSC Washington Presents: 1st Annual Miss Lao Washington

Published by Saysomphorn Sisavatdy

For those that were lucky enough to be in the Seattle, WA area the weekend of the 7th of April–congratulations! I hope you were able to make it out to the 1st Annual Miss Lao Washington pageant to support the Lao Community Service Center of Washington’s (LCSC) quest for a Lao Community center, as well as, all the other services they provide for our community. Held at the Vasa Park Ballroom in Bellevue, WA, the fundraising event went from 4pm to 12am. While I’m not a pageant sort of person–I most definitely am a woman who wants to help raise Lao voices, stories, and to see us fully harness our powers and THRIVE as a community. I confess, outside of the Lao Writer’s Summit in Seattle, last June 2017, I haven’t really been to a Lao function too often. My nearly 10 years in NYC found me adrift from Lao community events–though I certainly threw my own dinner parties to honor different bouns. I wasn’t sure what to expect–but I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get …

Lao Life: Food is the Ultimate Social Experience

Published by A Ou

It is a blessing to be able to appreciate youth at a young age. It is a blessing to be able to taste good food while your taste buds are still fully functional (assuming you have stellar ones to begin with). I spent my wonderful teen years in Laos; living the life of a poor vagabond, rich in experiences. I knew a life where happiness came from the company of good friends and a table decked with good food. Everything was cheap and simple because we were all broke and bumming off of our parents, anyways.  We were truly happy. In 2017, $10 could feed a group of at least five! We did not have shopping malls filled with brand name shops or the money to spend in “hi-so” (expensive/luxurious) restaurants but we had sunsets on a river’s bend and heaven at a roadside food stall. My friends were an eclectic bunch: from humble farm boys to business owners, from the very young to the very old; my requirements were not age or background specific, …