A nee men nyang?

On Friday night, the Faculty of Letters had their party at our house. (This is all the teachers but Steph, Linda and I). Kids were decorating eggs and cookies. Our little neighbor girl, Walisa, was in the house checking things out. On the table there were some gooey, sticky, delicious looking brownies. I didn't know who had brought them, so I said to the Lao girls that were in the house with me, "a nee men nyang?" or "what is this?" Walisa heard me ask and she said, "key" or "poop." Key is actually closer to a more impolite word for poop. I thought they looked delicious, but I guess if you don't know what it is, it kinda looks like "key." The older girls right away said to Walisa, "shhh! Don't say that, it's not polite!" I told Kenton, who brought the brownies that Walisa thought they looked like poop.

I think Walisa is pretty afraid of Western food. We always let her try any tasty food we have, but she usually doesn't like it. She's had cookie dough and frosting and cheese; and she hasn't liked any of them.  Now, when we ask if she wants to try, she usually says "no."

She usually likes chocolate, so I convinced her to try the brownies. She ate a little and she said it was "sep" or delicious. But a few seconds later I heard her gagging. I think it was probably more from the idea of eating poop than what it actually tasted like. :)

I don't think she'll ever trust us again if we offer her some American gooey food!