Thailand and Laos have a lot in common, but Thais know little about their neighbours. "Bai Mai Bai Sudtai" is one of the few books from Laos to be translated into Thai.

Bounseune Sengmany's SeaWrite Award-winning 2005 compilation of 24 short stories portrays the country's changing traditions and the effects of modern influences from the outside over the past two decades.

Many of the stories were written while Bounseume was studying overseas, so there is a nostalgic feel throughout.

The tale "Prapeni Lae Cheewit" ("Tradition and Life"), which won Laos' most prestigious literary award in 2004, features a young man from a remote village about to enter military school in Vientiane when his father insists that he stick to tradition and marry his late brother's wife. Should he move forward or honour the old ways?

Laos' ability to cope with outside pressures to modernise emerges in "Ngern Sai Song" ("Gift Money for the Wedding"), in which a family struggles to survive on the father's income as a civil servant. They receive a batch of wedding invitations all of a sudden, and every one awaits a gift of money in reply.

"Lom Thale" ("Sea Breeze") is a tragedy about a homesick Lao in New Zealand and his family back home struggling with the father's gambling addiction. The son's worry, so far from home, is intensely crystallised.

This is a good chance for Thais to learn more about Laos and its disappearing culture, a dilemma that once loomed as large here. Translator Sunthorn Kohtbantau has done an excellent job of transcribing the mood and meaning - nothing appears to have been lost.

Tamra Kabkhao Nai Wang

(Royal cuisine Recipes)

By ML Nuang Nilrat

Published by Bua-suang Publishing

Bt300 at all bookstores

ML Nuang Nilrat can't understand people flocking to restaurants that boast "royal cuisine" - because none of it, she says, is original. She knows, because she grew up at Suan Sunantha Palace and is familiar with countless dishes prepared for the royal family.

With a few other books to her name, Nuang has decided to share dozens of recipes in a bid to correct misperceptions, including the widespread belief that royal cuisine is overly sweet - it is in fact a careful blend of sweet, salty and sour.

The book opens with Nuang explaining what she had learned in the kitchen, where she hung out after school. A lot of tips are offered, and there is confirmation that most of the ingredients are chosen for specific reasons, such as health.

Her story is that of a young girl growing up in the palace many decades ago. Education was elusive for girls in that era, but Nuang relates her school experiences and what people did behind the palace gates.

The second half of the book has the royal recipes, each one a treasure. Accompanied by photos of the completed dishes prepared by Nij Liam-urai - Nuang's stepdaughter - the recipes don't come with measured ingredients.

Like most Thai cooks, Nij measures by feel and taste, and you only get a rough guide to the ingredients and how they're mixed. The inexperienced cook is in for a challenge here.

by Worm Boy