Unique Treats- Yogurt Cola Gum

It's normal to see strange flavors of drinks, chips and candy, but usually gum flavor is pretty standard- minty or fruity. So I was surprised to see this gum's flavor was neither mint nor fruit. When I first looked at it, I was a bit confused by the smiling popcorn on the left, but I soon realized that they are partially opened cups of yogurt. (Sorry if the wasabi pea background is distracting. Mmmmm...wasabi peas....)

The flavor was very similar to Vanilla Coke (ohhhhh man, I could go for a Vanilla Coke right now. With my wasabi peas.) and it  lasted about 10 seconds. Bubble blowing was a bit strenuous.

The most exciting part for me were these Thai comics on the wrappers. The jokes (as you would expect) are based exclusively on Thai culture and Thai language. Poor Hong had to wring the jokes dry in order to explain them to me, and even then I only really understood one of them!

Harry Potter and the...whaaa?

 And WHO are those other people??

In which I (am) sell fish

The following conversation took place after I drank a bottle of “All You Need” without sharing with Hong.

Hong: Jao pen kon kai ba!

Me: I’m a what?

Hong: Jao pen kon kai ba!

Me: I’m a crazy egg?

(of course, I got my tones wrong)

Hong: Not kai-egg, kai-sell. Jao pen kon KAI BAA!

Me: I’m a person who sells fish?

Hong: YES

Me: Why? People who sell fish don’t share?

Uproarious laughter.

End scene.

Idioms In Common

Idioms are an important part of any language. Learning idioms in different languages give much insight into that culture. Though English and Lao differ greatly in both language and culture, we both use idioms in similar situations. Here are four common idioms in English that have counterparts in Lao: