Barbecue

I just got back from a barbecue at a friend's place. It wasn't your regular steak and sausages deal, it was an authentic Laotian barbecue cooked on a barbecue plate I brought back from Asia last year. The plate wasn't expensive (it cost me only US$3) and it wasn't heavy but it did take up a lot of room in my already overstuffed backpack. I was also a little worried about bringing it back through customs because, although it's in no way illegal, it is a strange-looking thing (it resembles an over-sized, metallic, orange juicer but it's actually more like a shallow saucepan with a raised grill area in the centre) and I was concerned that whoever was operating the x-ray machine at the airport might mistake it for part of a warhead. All it actually does is cook meat and soup.

A Lao Barbecue is a great way to entertain a small group of friends. Everyone sits down around a fire pot with a cooking plate resting on top and you just cook your own meat (it's cut up very thinly so it cooks fast) and scoop out the soup from around the outside of the plate. It's not the sort of meal that's over and done with in half an hour, it's probably best to spend two hours or more cooking and eating. The great thing about it is that it's such a casual thing, you can cook and eat while you're talking to people; it's an atmosphere conducive to a really pleasant and relaxed dining experience. There's also just something nice about sitting around a fire with a group of friends.

As usual, the night ended with some hilariously competitive games, tonight it was a card game called Apples to Apples. It's a great party game if anyone wants to check it out. I heartily endorse it.

In less than a week two of my friends are moving to Canada for the year (or perhaps indefinitely) so it was great to catch up and do this with them one more time before they go. The three of us traveled through Asia together and look back fondly on our time there - for months we ate, drank (mainly coffee, softdrinks and milkshakes), and were merry. Nights like tonight are almost like being back there, with the added bonus of being able to share the experience with the friends who've never been.