Laos is renowned for its wide variety of tasty food. High on the list of favourites are barbecued chicken, spicy papaya salad and sticky rice.
A bowl of noodle soup in a Vientiane restaurant.
A day isn't complete without a good bowl of noodle soup, known locally as feu. But you might not be aware that the dish can be addictive for reasons other than its delicious flavour, or that it could even cause you to collapse from exhaustion.
This is what happened to one consumer who experienced heart palpitations, mild intoxication and extreme fatigue after eating feu. She was aware of her reaction to MSG (monosodium glutamate), but found this reaction to be out of the ordinary.
She was surprised to find that these noodles are indeed not quite what you would expect, since the special ingredient added is a green herb more commonly used by Rastafarians.
This ingredient is not advertised. Nor are there special prices for an extra-happy bowl of noodles. This herbal use escapes legal restrictions because of the small amounts used and the fact that it is added to a broth rather than smoked.
Apparently, the use of this secret ingredient is common knowledge. One vendor "The additive makes the soup broth delicious and people become mildly addicted to it. They will come back." Another vendor experimented first with noodles that had no additives, but said she was unable to sell well.
One young woman says she avoids eating noodles because of her reaction to this ingredient. Everybody reacts to foods in different ways and to varying degrees, but the descriptions of the herb's effect are consistent: heart palpitations, headaches, mild intoxication and extreme fatigue.
It is thought that people who have not grown up eating these soups are the most likely to have the strongest reactions.
What about children? Is it right to give them food laced with narcotics, however mild? One vendor shrugged off the question saying that it helps the noodles to sell well. Another matter-of-fact response was that people just need to drink a lot of water to overcome the side effects. Those who don't react in any way have likely built up a resistance to it.
The vendors themselves don't advertise if the weed is added and in response to questions as to whether MSG is added will usually answer that only small amounts are used.
One man in rural Nong Khio in Luang Prabang province is convinced that his aching joints are due to the use of MSG in his food. He says that he had no such problems in the past when he ate only natural foods.
When asked why he adds MSG despite its effect on his health, he admits it is a form of addiction and that it is hard for him to imagine food without it.
When the staff at one restaurant in Luang Prabang complained about headaches, the owner experimented by throwing out all MSG. Within days, the staff felt better, but after time passed, MSG crept back into the cooking pot.
Ironically, the Japanese use very little these days in their cooking, though MSG or "Ajinomoto" is produced in large amounts there. Originally, the essence of Japanese cooking is to skilfully bring out and blend the natural flavors of fresh ingredients. Liberal use of MSG is a sign of an unskilled cook.
In one sense, the most rural of Lao food can be considered a cuisine of survival. Sometimes, economically-challenged people must depend on only sticky rice and maybe some chilies and MSG to fill their stomachs.
Now, the cuisine of survival is commercial. For fear of losing customers, many vendors keep spooning in the MSG and adding pot to the pot.
In more urban areas where people are struggling to raise their education levels and commercial productivity, it is questionable how sustaining a bowl of "happy noodles" will be for the progress of a nation.
