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Sidney’s first birthday part 1
Author: DJ02.06.2008
Little Sidney celebrated her first birthday on April 11, 2008. Since her birthday was so close to Boun Pee Mai Lao or Lao New Year celebration, her parents combined the birthday celebration and also Sou Khuan on the same day. Only relatives and close friends were invited to the party. One thing for sure, they had plenty of food and drinks for the guests. I have no doubt that Sidney is being spoiled by her parents and other relatives.
Sidney is ready to party
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
[...] short video clip of Sidney’s birthday party in Vientiane with delicious Lao food, from fried chicken feet, khao phoon, laap kai and ping moo [...]
June 4th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
[...] a birthday party | Lao Cuisine: Lao food [...]
June 4th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
[...] Sao Lao: Sidney’s first birthday party part 2 [...]
June 9th, 2008 at 8:59 am
[...] chicken feet served at a birthday party in Vientiane and for Boun Pee Mai. I was told by my relatives this dish is a favorite for Beer Lao snack or gam [...]
June 12th, 2008 at 4:00 am
[...] people in Laos do not shy away from serving fried chicken feet or salted duck eggs at a party. The look and smell might not be so appealing, but this is considered a delicacy and the guests are [...]
June 14th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Is it common now for people in Laos to give their children an English name?
June 15th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Hi Dallas,
Apparently it is a trend in Laos to have two names these days, one Lao name, English name, and then a nickname. So, make that three names. I have a cousin that gave her son a name from a movie, James Bond. It’s funny how many Lao can’t pronounce the name properly so they call him either Jim Bond or Jam Bond.
Another trend is to give famous names to their children or someone they idolize. For example another cousin loves Bank from the band, Clash. He named his son Bank after the singer.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:40 am
She is cute, Is that Tai Tai I’m hearing? (I’m being like Dallas)
It used to be that they only know you by your nickname, is that still the case in Laos?
June 26th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Sidney is a bit chubby for her age. She eats just about anything and very spoiled by her parents and grandmother. I think she picks up the Tai Tai accent from aunt Kian and the rest of the family since they watch her during the weekdays. Her parents speak Tai Vieng accent I thought.
Yes, people know you by your nickname. At least that is the case with my relatives. None of them seem to know my real name on both sides of the family. I also don’t know the real names of all my cousins. I know them by their nickname as well. People in Laos don’t seem to introduce themselves by their real name even in today’s time.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Hello there!
This may seem like an odd question but I am in the dark about this! I have a half Laotian daughter who will be turning 7 this year and wants to have a birthday party themed around her culture…problem is her Laotian family is not involved and I am very white! I am trying to find out what are some foods and some traditions from teh Lao culture that I can incorporate into this wonderful day??
July 4th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Hi Jaime,
I don’t know how other Laotians celebrate birthday party in the US. For my family and other relatives we have the typical American with cake and ice-cream for the kids with the addition of Lao food. The birthday girl/boy gets to select the favorite dishes.
A birthday in Laos is quite simple. Relatives would visit and give blessing to the girl/boy. Usually the birthday person will do the Morning Alms Giving when the monks would pass by the house in the morning or the family will take the birthday person to the temple to ask for blessings. The birthday person will select her/his favorite food so the parents can prepare for the guests.
Preparing Lao food can be quite a task if you don’t know how to cook. If there is a Lao/Thai grocery store nearby you can check for some Lao sweet and treats to serve to the guest. The typical food that most people make at party is egg rolls because the kids can eat them easily or fried noodles. Most of my relatives would have a cook out and do Lao BBQ style and have Lao green papaya salad. Another meal to serve to a large group of people is Lao curry noodles, which can be quite time consuming to prepare. For the adults, they would definitely go for beef laap or Lao minced meat salad. Just about every Lao gatherings I attended would serve this dish.
The best thing to do is to look for a Lao person that will make food you can order. Most of the time my parents would order Lao desserts and certain dishes from a lady in our town and many of the people I know would do the same. For 20 dollars you would have a nice dessert to feed at least 20 people. That’s in Kansas anyway. Where you are things could be more expensive.
One thing that would make such a lasting impression for your daughter is to have a custom dress make for her. She will look so beautiful with a silk top and Lao sinh or skirt.
I am sorry for not being much help. I am not a parent either so I’m not quite the right person to give you an advice. But if I was a parent and if I can’t have any Lao food at the party, the main thing I would do is to make a Lao custom for my daughter or son and have him or her go up to the grandparents and ask for blessings. This can be done whether you are a Buddhist or Christian.