I attended my first ever Lao bbq yesterday. The interim directors hosted a big bash to celebrate their new status and have any excuse to party. I must admit that I don't think I'm quite cut out for Lao celebrations. Let me explain how yesterday went and you can be the judge.
I showed up around noon....apparently late since the party had started around 9 am.
Because I was late, I was given a shot of Whiskey and larger beer glass.
The Lao karaoke was in full swing when I arrived, so conversation was a struggle....even without the language barrier.
My beer glass was then filled to the brim and I was asked to cheers. Cheers in Lao happens repeatedly throughout the party and implies that you down half or all of your beer. It is seen as rude if you refuse to do this. Needless to say, I was quite rude or I would have been in the bushes vomitting in no time.
Raw beef was served up. When I questioned this, I was told that Lao over 40 years of age have poor teeth and eat raw meet due to ease of chewing. I asked about parasites and received a blank stare in return.
So I chose to wait for some cooked meat, which there luckily was.
All the while, cheersing and downing beer, while also trying to politely refuse more shots of whiskey.
I was then coaxed into Lao dancing, which involves lots of hand gestures and minimal body motion.
Luckily I avoided karaoke by claiming ignorance of the Lao language.
So by 1 pm I was pretty well smashed and dying of heat exhaustion. So, I followed my falang friend's lead and snuck out the back before anyone could notice or stop me.
I then went home and slept away the rest of my Saturday. All in all, a waste of a day.
I think I need to figure out s scheme for future events, as they are sure to happen and peer pressure in Lao is worse than highschool.
No comments:
Post a Comment