Last month as we cruised from China to Singapore, we stopped and visited Bangkok, Vietnam and Cambodia. We passed Laos, but it was too far from our designated route. Although I physically did not visit this country, I had a taste of Laos brought to me.

I was invited by Paik, my hula sister, to watch a demonstration given by her friend Su (who preferred not to give her last name). As I watched her skilled hands preparing the ingredients, she related the story of how she left Laos to come to America. It was not easy; there were plenty of cultural adjustments to be made.

Su was born in northern Laos in the late 1950s, in a place called Luang Probang. She lived with her family of eight and attended school. In school, she learned to speak English and French. At the age of 18, she was invited by a host family to live in the United States. Traveling alone, through unfamiliar ports of Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan, she arrived in Southern California. After a year of living there, she moved to Hawai'i and stayed with her sister.

Today she lives with her husband in Kalama Valley. They have two grown sons. Reflecting back on her life, she says that sometimes it was difficult to make the transition, but has never regretted it. She still returns to her homeland to visit with her family and enjoys all the delicious and healthy foods like the one she demonstrated, called laab, a favorite in local southeast Asian restaurants. It's a cooling potluck dish for those hot summer nights.

In Laotian, laab means luck. She said that she feels very lucky to live in Hawai'i.

Note: This recipe takes some shopping for most of us. I was able to purchase the lemongrass, galangal, shallots, lime, laab seasoning mix, roasted rice powder, Chinese parsley and mint leaves at the Asian Grocery store. You will be able to find the rest of the ingredients at any supermarket. You can also add star fruit or green mango to the mixture.

SU'S LAAB