Joe Louis rings in monks’ feeding time

All I wanted was a simple picture. A procession of monks walking down the street in a straight line. I never did get that photo that day. Instead I ended up sitting crosslegged on the sidewalk in front of a young monk school having just finished feeding a townful of monks. It happened by accident.

I got to the main avenue at six o’ clock in the morning, but still running a few minutes late, as usual. I saw a middle aged man sitting by a brick wall and tried to ask him if I missed the ceremony. He wouldn’t give me a straight answer and I repeated the question louder and with more wild hand gestures. He ignored my enquiry, stood up, and with a broad smile motioned for me to sit down next to him. To do otherwise would be insulting.

The man gave me a tray with bananas and sticky rice. He then pointed ahead at a log line of monks, young and old, small and large, walking towards us. As they approached, each monk held forward an open pot. The man put some food in each one. I copied him, struggling at first to scoop normal sized portioned of sticky rice, which was very sticky. I got the hang of it and tried to ration the food to last for the entire line. The whole feeding process took about fifteen minutes.

I asked the man how much I could pay him for the food and his generosity. He stared at me for an instant and waved me off. Then in an unexpected follow up he put a hand on my head and said, “Good things will come to you.” I came for a photo and left with a blessing. Not bad.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Wake up early
You want to get there before six o’clock. Don’t worry about showering or doing your hair. Monks need to eat and they are not waiting for you.

Be respectful
If you choose to take photographs, do so from afar and not right in front of the monks. Tourists are notorious for run by selfies, a despicable practice.

Get comfortable
If you choose to feed the monks, find a spot along the main avenue just before the night market area. Buy food from a local vendor – they will have trays ready made with a bowl of sticky rice and bananas. Get set up and once the procession gets going, let the feeding begin!