Center for Lao Studies Benefit to Feature a Menu of Mekong Proportions

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Contestants mix up green papaya salad in S.F. last April, part of Lao New Year celebrations.

​If you want to eat Lao food, head over to the San Antonio neighborhood at the edge of East Oakland and order up a spread at the Green Papaya Deli on International Boulevard. The 15-pepper papaya salad will sauna-tize your insides. If you won't suffer the BART fare hike, save some change and keep it local at the Center for Lao Studies ' first annual banquet, set to take place at The Women's Building (3543 18th St. #8 at Guerrero) on Saturday, September 12, beginning at around 6:00 p.m. Featuring live music, presentations, raffles, drinks, and dancing, the banquet calls attention to two CLS programs: the Summer Study Abroad in Laos (SAIL) and the Lao Oral History Archive (LOHA). The SAIL program provides an opportunity for Lao and non-Lao American students and educators to spend a summer studying the Lao language, Lao history and culture at a college in Vientiane, Laos. The LOHA project chronicles the untold stories of Lao refugees in the U.S.

On September 12, the cause is good and the price quite right, assuming, of course, you're not taking a train in from Oakland -- $25 gets you a seat, and if you're rolling with a crew, $500 reserves a VIP table for 10. Either way, you'll be no squirming spectator at this event. No, you'll be an eater, most likely a very happy one, a grinning, gorged, sweating, red-faced participant. The menu is not entirely finalized, but attendees can expect a feast of Mekong proportions, including such authentic standards as -- take a deep breath -- lemongrass-marinated grilled chicken, naem khao (crispy rice and ground pork wrapped in lettuce with whole fried chiles), mok pa (steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves with dill, lemongrass, and kaffir leaves), laab salad with chicken and herbs, tam mak huung (shredded green papaya with tomatoes and chiles doused in tamarind and lime juice, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and garlic), khoua mii (golden-fried rice noodles with garlic, herbs, and eggs), sai oua (Lao-style sausage with ginger, green onions, and kaffir leaves), and, of course, sticky rice.

Buy your tickets (and bigger pants).