Jaew

What says "end of the day" like a nice plate of Jaew? This dish consists of steamed vege, a basket of the ubiquitous stick rice and the Jaew itself. The dip, or spread, is made from spices, chilies, garlic and the main flavour, in this case eggplant. Everything is mashed into a paste with a big mortar and pestle. It is a healthy and tasty treat.

My Jaew came with drama. I was sitting in a wee street-side cafe with three tables. I had ordered my Jaew and was watching life go by. The European couple at the next table started complaining about their meal, unhappy about their Pad Thai not having chicken and, in a fairly emotion display, complaining about their Jaew. "This was 40,000?!? This is not Jaew, this is just two carrot sticks!"

To put this in perspective, 40,000 kip is five dollars. For dinner. For two people. It was a big display of emotion, which is a definite travel error in SE Asia and can lead to all sorts of unexpected overreactions. The couple stormed off, presumably back to Europe where five dollars will buy dinner for two any day of the week.

I have to admit that their complaints gave me pause, but my Jaew arrived and it was a damn fine meal The eggplant mixture was replete with new flavours and, with a drink and a tip, about three bucks US.

One only hopes my erstwhile dinner companions will be happier back home.