Drinks
The Lao don't drink water straight from the tap and nor should you; contaminated water is a major cause of sickness . Plastic bottles of drinking water ( nam deum) are sold countrywide for around 1000K, even in smaller towns. Noodle shops and inexpensive restaurants generally serve free pitchers of weak tea or boiled water ( nam tom) which is fine, although perhaps not as foolproof. Most ice in Laos is produced in large blocks under hygienic conditions, but it can become less pure in transit or storage, so be wary. Brand-name soft drinks are widely available for around 2000K per bottle. More refreshing are the fruit shakes ( mak mai pan) available in larger towns, which consist of your choice of fruit blended with ice, liquid sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Freshly squeezed fruit juices, such as lemon ( nam mak nao) and coconut juice ( nam mak phao) are a popular alternative, as is sugar-cane juice ( nam oi). Twenty thousand tonnes of coffee are produced in Laos annually, nearly all of it grown on the Bolaven Plateau, outside Pakxong in southern Laos. The Lao drink very strong coffee, or kafeh hawn, which is served with sweetened condensed milk and sugar. If you prefer your coffee black, and without sugar, ask for kafeh dam baw sai nam tan. Black tea is available at most coffee vendors and is what you get, mixed with sweetened condensed milk and sugar, when you request sa hawn. Many foreign beers are available in Laos, although Beer Lao ( Bia Lao) is by far the most popular and the cheapest. In Vientiane and Louang Phabang, draft Beer Lao known as bia sot and sometimes labelled "Fresh Beer" is available at bargain prices by the litre. There are dozens of bia sot outlets in the capital, most of which are outdoor beer gardens with thatch roofs. Drunk with equal gusto is lao-lao, a clear rice alcohol with the fire of a blinding Mississippi moonshine. Although the government distils its own brand, Sticky Rice, which is sold nationally, most people indulge in local brews. Lao-lao is usually sold in whatever bottle the distiller had around at the time (look twice before you buy that bottle of Fanta) and sells at drink shops and general stores for around 2000K per 750ml. Drunk from a large earthenware jar with thin bamboo straws, the rice alcohol lao hai is fermented by households in the countryside and is weaker than lao-lao, closer to a wine in taste. Drinking lao hai, however, can be a bit risky as unboiled water is sometimes added during fermentation. Several brand-name rice whiskies, with a lower alcohol content than lao-lao, are available for around $1 at local general stores.
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