Bringing the Mekong to the Mall

Along the Mekong in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on a stage lit by strings of dangling lights, a troupe performs folk opera before a bustling open-air restaurant. In Luang Prabang, Laos, motorized cigar boats filled with pilgrims putter two hours from the stone steps at the foot of the gilded Vat Xiangthong monastery to the high caves of Pak Ou, filled with thousands of primitive images of the Buddha. On the opposite bank of the Mekong, the villagers of Ban Phanom boil dyes in the heat and weave ornate silk textiles on ancient wooden looms (and brew a fiercely potent and occasionally dangerous rice moonshine called lao khao, or "white alcohol," as well as a version infused with real scorpions). And in the Golden Triangle, where northern Thailand, Laos and Burma come together, hyped-up "hot rod" boats roar along the river from Ban Sop Ruak in Thailand, site of the Opium Museum, past ornate Burmese casinos to dusty villages where traditionally garbed minorities haggle for tourist money.

-- From Eve Zibart's journal

It's no wonder that this year, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which continues through July 8 (closed Monday and Tuesday), has chosen to showcase the cultures of the Mekong. It is, as the phrase goes, the mother of all rivers.

That is, in fact, what "Mae Nam Khong" means: mae meaning "mother" (also used to refer to goddesses and even beloved royalty), nam "water" and khong referring to "long" and in some dialects "crocodile," i.e., a river curving like that creature. (Hence it's redundant to say Mekong River.)

Its customs cross national borders -- as will be obvious at the festival, where craftsmen from the Yunnan province of southern China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will demonstrate such common arts as the making of fish traps, weaving, pottery and instrument-making, while dancers and musicians perform traditional music and dance. And "exotic" as the region may seem, more than 2 million Americans claim some Mekong heritage; pad thai is becoming nearly as common as pizza; and pho may be the most popular beef noodle soup since Campbell's. (The festival also showcases Virginia and Northern Ireland.)

I spent a month along the Mekong a couple of years ago and was astounded at its extremes: huge mudflats and whitewater rapids, craggy mist-wreathed cliffs and deep green rice paddies running right up to the waterline, visionary temples and unpaved village roads running in mud, processions of monks and parades of barely watertight canoes, water buffalo and elephants. The Mekong is the 10th-longest river in the world, about 2,700 miles long, and the 10th-largest, running from its source in the heart of Tibet through Yunnan and the Southeast Asian peninsula to the South China Sea. Giant catfish weighing hundreds of pounds once thronged the river -- a 9-foot, 646-pound fish was caught in northern Thailand in 2005 -- but are now critically endangered. Even so, it is thought that the Mekong supports more fish species, about 1,300, than any river except the Amazon. (Hence the importance of fish traps.)

Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice, Vietnam the second, thanks to the silt dispersed through the flood plain. (Thai, like other Southeast Asian languages influenced by Chinese, uses the word "rice" as a synonym for food or a meal.) I ate sticky rice in Thailand until I nearly glued myself together; spent days begging for traditionally raw chicken larb gai in Vientiane and eventually proved my resilience by drinking shots of lao khao; nibbled lemon-grass-flavored beef and peanut sausages in Siem Reap; stuffed myself with shrimp the size of lobsters; was awed by arrays of unfamiliar fruits and spices; and consumed green papaya salad for breakfast three days out of five.

The Folklife Festival always features food demonstrations and history talks, and there will be demonstrations of such Southeast Asian and Chinese dishes as fish steamed in banana leaves, cold noodles, papaya salad, beef kebabs and sticky rice cakes throughout the day at the Pu'er Teahouse. Though there are no samples, several dishes and techniques will be demonstrated in a special lunch Saturday at Ten Penh at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW that benefits the Folklife Festival ($98 Resident Associates members, $133 nonmembers; 202-357-3030 or http://www.ResidentAssociates.org).

This year also marks the 400th anniversary of Bushmills Irish Whiskey, and although we can't promise any samples (the Mall is Park Service territory), we'll just say that among the topics of talks and demonstrations on the Tastes of Ulster stage and at the Virginia Garden Kitchen are Bushmills' methods of whiskey-making, salmon recipes, potted shrimp, rack of lamb, the boom in Virginia wineries, preparing country ham, peanuts (and peanut butter), regional foods and Brunswick stew.

Among the concessionaires at this year's Folklife Festival are Regent Thai (1910 18th St. NW; 202-232-1781), which will be preparing dishes from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, and Minh's Restaurant (2500 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-525-2828), making Vietnamese and Yunnan-style dishes. Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle (4844 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-951-0115) is representing Northern Ireland; and the Falls Church-based catering firm Ultimate Events (703-204-4455) is re-creating traditional Virginia "roots" fare.

At the Regent Thai stand, you can choose stir-fried chicken with fresh ginger, carrots and broccoli or with fresh basil and chili sauce, each served with white rice and a spring roll for $9; pad thai with tofu, vegetarian fried rice or a pair of veggie spring rolls for $7; and larb gai, a Laotian salad with spicy ground chicken -- cooked, of course -- also for $7. Singha beer is $5; sticky rice with mango $4.

Minh's long-popular kitchen is turning out grilled marinated pork on skewers with rice and spring roll or Yunnan chicken in garlic sauce over rice for $9; fried rice with chicken, shrimp and egg for $8; green papaya salad with choice of shrimp or tofu for $7; a pair of crispy spring rolls with ground pork, crab, black mushrooms and fish sauce for $5; and pho with (pre-cooked) brisket for $4. Tsingtao beer is $5, black sticky rice with coconut milk $4.

Flanagan's lineup includes mashed potato-topped shepherd's pie (with beef) or the restaurant's upscale pig in a blanket, pork sausage in puff pastry with baked beans for $9; oak-smoked salmon with Irish brown bread, a ploughman's platter of cheese, cold meat and veggies or a vegetarian platter with Irish cheeses, roast beets, egg, tomato and cucumber with brown bread for $8; and a kid's version of sausage (i.e., served sort of ballpark-style) for $4. Guinness and Harp is $5; vanilla ice cream with a Baileys and Bushmills sauce $4.

The Roots of Virginia menu includes fish and chips or grilled chicken for $9; "three sisters succotash" salad with cheesy cornbread for $8; and country ham on biscuit with chutney for $5. ("Three sisters" is a Native Americans term for corn, beans and squash, staples that support one another.) Sweet potato fries or chips with sauce are $4; grilled corn on the cob with West African spices $3; cornbread or a biscuit $2; and a traditional biscuit strawberry shortcake is $5.