When night falls in Vientiane city, it turns into pop-ups galore. Many Lao families work to feed the hungry crowds of tourists grazing along the Mekong after shopping their hearts out at the night market. I took my usual stroll at about 5:00pm to find out more about the people behind these pop-ups. I met a duo of Lao women, who were in the midst of setting up their mini-restaurant. They rolled in a huge metal cart full of fresh food from fish to papaya and a truckload of tables and chairs. The set up? Only 15 minutes. Then they were ready to sell, sell, sell. “Sao, are you hungry?”, said one of the women. I was a bit intrigued by her motherly gesture. Then again, I was visibly salivating hovering over the kok (mortar) and how she threw in pepper after pepper to make papaya salad. I decided to chat with them…while munching away at some fried chicken gizzards. “What’s your name?” “Fon.” “When did you open your shop here?” “One month ago.” “What …