I’ve thawed the chicken. Collected the ingredients for the marinade. Received instructions from my coworkers, on how to light a charcoal fire in the clay charcoal burned. Worked up an appetite.
Now I’m ready to grill the chicken.
First I can’t get my lighter to ignite. Second I attempt to ignite the plastic bag surrounding the charcoal with a newspaper torch, but to no avail. Thirdly I go across the street and try to explain to the shop keeper, using gestures and broken Lao, that I want to buy matches to light a fire. He doesn’t have matches, and so I end up buying a lighter for $.20. Then I proceed to repeatedly try and light the plastic, which is apparently to be the easy way to start charcoal, although it produces an unpleasant smell. Hmmmm . . . . what next? Fifthly I retrieve dry leaves from the refuge pile, but they also fail to burn. After trying repeatedly to light the charcoal and burning my thumb in the process, I give up in frustration.
So much for my delicious grilled chicken with lemongrass!! In the end I decide to pan fry it. It’s delicious, but just not quite the same as grilled chicken.
Tomorrow I will return to work for further technical assistance on starting a charcoal fire the Lao way. Perhaps I should request a demonstration.
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