Lao New Year

I attended the first EVER celebration in San Francisco, Ca @ the Civic Center. To my surprise, my entire family came down from Sacramento to attend this important event. My father told me about the celebration and I knew I wanted to go, especially since in the first public celebration for everyone. There would be music, traditional lao food, entertainment. & It's comforting to hear since I've been so distant from the Lao culture since I've moved here. The celebration was outdoors and there were hundreds of people waiting in line for papaya salad, ordering thai tea, and just hanging out. My personal favorite traditional food is papaya salad. It's a dish including slices of papaya, fish sauce, lemon, chili, tomatoes. A couple of more ingredients too but it varies. I must say, its a heavenly dish with all the elements of spicy,sweet and sour. Yum! Anyway!
After waiting in line for half an hour with people cutting continuously, my sister and I met a few nice fellows that dug their way into the front of the line to get us the food we have been waiting for. It's all about hustling! Just like back in the country! Lol. After buying so much moneys worth of food, we watched the performances that were taking place. Performaces were very diverse. There was a fashion show, music perfomance , dance sequence.

The overall celebration was a nice and refreshing way to celebrate culture, especiall my own. & It was great to see my family again. I can't wait to go again next year!

Dolly